Disclaimer: I do not own the Magnificent Seven or the characters. I do not use this forum for profit. I do own the story and it’s premises.

Birthday Fic: This is for J’s birthday. She wanted Chris and Vin hurt with either and or/JD comfort and some romance in it.

Author: Stormm

Fandom: Old West, Chris and Vin and JD, OFC, All Seven.

Premises: Chris and Vin and JD realize that they are in deep trouble when they go after some bank robbers. But there luck holds out when they meet a woman who touches all the Seven, but especially Chris Larabee and Vin Tanner.

Rating: FRM/FRAO

Warnings: Some language, some graphic violence, adult content.

Title: Stairway to Heaven

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JD Dunne sat down next to the tree, his side aching some, but not as much as it was an hour ago.

He stared down at the forms of his companions, wondering how the hell it all went wrong.

He remembered how just a few hours ago, they were chasing the bad guys, doing what they were paid to do by the Circuit Judge of a small town called Four Corners.

The thieves had broken into the Four Corner’s bank vault by using explosives and almost blowing up the bank into dust and almost shooting two innocent bystanders on their way hightailing it out of town.

One of those bystanders had been Casey Wells and JD’s heart had jumped into his throat when he heard about it. His heart settled some when he found out that she was not hurt during the ruckus.

The thieves had gotten away and they took $10,000 of the bank’s money that did not get blown to shreds by the explosion.

The Judge had ordered them to track them down and bring back the bank’s money.

At first the posse was only to be made up of Chris and Vin.

Buck and Ezra were out at Eagle Bend transporting a prisoner as a favor to Judge Travis back to River Hill, a town not far from there.

Josiah and Nathan had taken off to the Seminole village to visit Rain and her people for a couple of days.

JD was supposed to stay and watch the town. But after he complained about how it was Casey who was almost killed and he rarely got to go on posses because he was busy guarding the town, Chris and Vin relented.

Not because of his arguments, but because they knew they would be needing the help and if there was anyone they would want a part of their posse, it was one of their own and JD was that, although that was not what they told him.

Instead, they said that JD could use some more learning about tracking and such and offered the young man to join them.

Now, they were stranded, one of his friend’s unconscious, the other maybe dead, which twisted his heart in anguish, with nothing but their horses, a small canteen of water and one gun arm with a crack shot gunman sitting somewhere up the hill ready to put who was left out of their misery.

Both of his friends had been shot and JD was the only one left standing. They had bled a lot and while one needed a doctor, he did not know whether the other was alive or dead.

JD being the only one mobile did not know for how long he would be. His side ached from where he had the run in with the tree. He just hoped there was nothing broken.

He looked at the sun that was still high in the sky and wondered how the hell he was going to get them home.

An Easterner still at heart, JD did not know everything about living out in the wilderness, but he did know that he and the others could not survive without water, food or medical assistance.

He could not believe that the bad guys had got the drop on them so quickly.

Vin had felt something was wrong and signaled them to hold up. Chris had also stated that there was something in the air that was making his hackles rise and that was when all the shooting started.

They had all jumped from their horses running for whatever cover they could find, Chris behind a tree, he and Vin sharing the sides of a rock formation.

They soon started to return fire and he had watched as Chris took out two of the men with his peacemaker. Vin then took out two more with that mare leg of his, bellowing in his ears and he had taken out one of the bad guys who was trying to creep towards the left side of Chris’ tree.

He saw Chris nod at him, noting that the gunslinger had just acknowledged the fact that he had saved the man’s life.

At first, JD thought they were winning. It seemed that way. He had counted six bad guys total. They had killed five and that meant only one left.

JD nervously kept looking around to find their last attacker. He could not see him among the rocks and the hillside on the other side.

He turned to Vin and saw him silently communicating with Chris with hand signals. Vin was telling Chris that he was going to try to get around the other side. Chris nodded and motioned that he would cover him.

Vin then turned to JD and said, “Keep me covered, JD and keep a good watch.”

“Ya got it, Vin!” said JD aiming his pistols at the surrounding area.

“Good boy,” said Vin as he cautiously started to creep towards where he thought he saw the glint of metal from the last man’s position.

It seemed to JD that everything was going as planned and Vin would soon be around the other side, hopefully able to pin down the last bad guy’s location.

But all that was short-lived when he heard a shot rang out and noticed Chris going down. He heard Vin mirroring his own shout of Chris’ name as they watched the blond become still under the shade of the tree.

He then saw the next realization. He watched as Vin started running towards Chris location, forgetting about the man on the hillside. He watched as bullets stirred up the dirt in the man’s path, JD of course, returning fire to cover Vin. But in the next minute, he saw Vin go down.

One of the bullets caught Vin low in the shoulder and spun him around hard to land flatly on the ground next to the fallen gunslinger.

“Vin!” screamed JD, his heart beating frantically with fear. He could not loose two friends in one day.

JD knew he had to get to them and fast. He also knew there was someone on the hillside waiting for him to do so.

He was between a rock and hard place. He was his friends’ only hope and yet if he left his cover, then their foe would have him where he wanted him.

JD heart steeled against his logically conscience and the fear he felt and took over at a run towards the two fallen men.

He had reached the tree, hitting his side hard into it, relatively safe from his attacker. Although no bullet came from the direction of the supposedly last gunman, JD knew the person was still somewhere nearby.

Holding his guns outward, he scanned the hillside still seeing nothing out of place and turned to look down at his two companions.

He noticed that blood flowed freely from where Chris’ head lay face down on the ground, a headshot, probably deadly and closed his eyes in anguish and pain. Vin on the other hand was unconscious with a hole in his shoulder facing upward, his eyes closed to JD.

Damn! JD felt the tears that tried to release themselves from his eyes, but he held them back. There was nothing he could do for Chris except get Vin home safe and sound.

This was sure a predicament, as Ezra would say. They had the horses, but their water supply and food supply was low. They had not planned on being this far from the nearest town, but the bank robbers had led them on a merry chase.

They should have known it was a trap, but who would have thought that these guys were smart enough to figure out someone was following them.

In fact, everything they did so far pointed to the fact that they were not. But for some reason, they figured out the lawmen were coming and prepared to meet them.

That was unusual for petty thieves. Most of the time, they would just run, preferably to somewhere the law could not touch them and hide out until things calmed down.

In fact, Vin had determined that their trail was leading them towards Purgatory. That is until they changed direction on them and then they seemed to be leading them in circles afterwards. Vin had stated that their actions were not that of the normal bank robber from his experience.

It was a lesson that JD knew he, Chris and Vin had learned and now his friends were paying it with their blood.

Suddenly, JD heard a moan that broke his reverie. He turned to see Vin’s blue eyes filled with pain looking at him.

“JD?” came Vin’s raspy question.

“Take it easy, Vin,” answered JD moving closer to the man.

Vin squinted at the young man, trying to get up, but he felt a sharp pain stab him in the shoulder as he did and he fell back to the ground, gasping.

“Damn! What happened?”

“You got shot,” replied JD, watching the distant hill. “And I think we still got one left on the hill.”

“Shit! What…about Chris?”

JD felt as if his heart had stopped at the mention of the gunslinger.

Vin heard the hesitation in JD’s voice and it sent a foreboding signal to his foggy brain.

“JD?”

“Vin…Vin, I…I…”

“JD, spit it out!” exclaimed Vin, his shoulder throbbing at having to raise his voice more than he wanted at this moment.

“I think Chris might be dead,” he said eyeing the form of the lean gunslinger lying next to him.

Vin at those words sat up abruptly, ignoring the pain that almost drove him back down and turned to the body of Chris Larabee lying besides him face down, blood pooling under his head.

Vin inched over, stiffening his mind against the pain in his shoulder as he reached to turn the man over.

When he did, he saw that the bullet had only taken a chunk out of Chris’ scalp, but the man was still breathing.

Vin let out a sigh of relief. He was happy at not seeing his friends brains splattered on the ground. “He’s still alive, JD. Got a gorge in his scalp. That’s where the blood’s comin’ from,” said Vin in a shaky voice, examining his friend more thoroughly. “But I don’t see anythin’ else.”

JD also let the grief that he was holding go and breathed in deeply. “What about you, Vin?”

“Guess I’ll live, but the bullet’s still in there,” said Vin trying to sit up.

“I don’t think ya should do that, Vin.”

Vin looked up at JD standing by the tree, still searching the area. “JD, why…the hell did ya leave cover?”

“I saw you and Chris go down. I had to watch ya backs!”

Vin smiled gently at the young man. Yep. JD had grown a mite since joining the Seven.

“And ya doin’ a great job of it, JD. Ya keep watch at that hillside while I see what I can do for Chris, okay?”

JD nodded and continued to keep a watch at the hillside.

While Vin went about trying to staunch the blood flow from Chris’ head, JD stood guard and contemplated on their situation. Right now they had very little options and he knew it, but he also knew as long as his friends were alive and they were together there was always a chance.

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Vin had used a piece of the bottom of his undershirt to staunch the bleeding on Chris’ head using his good arm. They had been sitting under the tree for the past hour, waiting for their foe to do something. The sun was slowly setting behind the hills and soon it would be dark.

“JD?” called Vin softly as he started to look at his own shoulder wound.

“Yeah,” answered JD, rubbing his tired eyes. He had been scanning the hillside for the last hour and had not seen anything that would tell him if the man was still there.

“I don’t think he’s there, JD. I think he’s long gone,” said Vin gasping as he pulled opened his shirt.

JD had to agree with the tracker. If the man was there, he was good at staying in one spot, but JD did not know if they should take the chance.

“Maybe I can get around…”

“Forget it, JD. He’s gone,” said Vin in pain.

JD turned to look at him and saw Vin trying to get his shirt open. JD sighed and then went to knelt down next to the fallen ex-bounty hunter.

“Let me help ya, Vin. Ya sure?” said JD.

Vin nodded and motioned for JD to hand him over one of his guns. He then replied while JD helped him with his shirt, “Jest take my word on it, JD. He’s long gone.”

JD nodded and handed one of his guns over and placed the other on the ground next to his leg. He then started to help Vin remove the wet sticky shirt from the wound and clean it up.

They were finished within the next half hour. Vin was exhausted from blood loss and the heat. He knew JD was his and Chris’ only hope right now of getting out of there.

“JD, we gotta get out ‘ere. Chris ain’t doing so well and neither am I.”

“I know, Vin,” said JD looking around. “I’m goin’ back to get the horses. Ya think ya okay until I get back?”

Vin nodded. “Give me my gun,” he said pointing over to where he had originally fell.

JD got up quickly and picked up the gun. He then walked back to Vin and handed it to him.

“What ‘bout Chris’?” asked Vin.

JD then walked over to the unconscious blond and picked up his gun from the ground near his head. He then gave it Vin.

“Thanks, Pard. I’ll keep watch. Ya go back and get the horses.”

“’Kay, Vin,” said JD crouching low and running back to the rock formation where they had left the horses tethered.

Vin pulled himself slowly and painfully over to the tree and propped himself against it. He kept his eyes and gun trained on the hillside, but he saw nothing dangerous.

He then looked down at the still form of his friend lying next to him, almost hoping that he would see those green eyes glaring at him. But there was nothing from the blond gunslinger.

“Damn, Chris! I shoulda seen it comin’,” thought Vin silently swearing to himself. The guilt that was eating him inside at the fact that he did not see what was coming was growing with each minute that his friend was not awake.

Suddenly Vin heard a sound from behind and turned his gun towards it and saw JD coming towards him with three horses.

“JD! Don’t creep on a man like that!” exclaimed Vin breathing harshly.

“Sorry,” said JD smiling slightly. “I didn’t think anyone could do that to you, Vin.”

“Ya didn’t,” snapped Vin.

JD hid a smile from behind his arm as he lifted his hat and faked wiping sweat from his brow. “Yeah, sure,” replied JD.

Vin glared at him, knowing that the young man was laughing at his jitteriness. He then noticed the solemn look that JD was giving him.

“What?”

“How we gon’na get ya two up?”

Vin eyed the silent body next to him and then looked at JD in thought.

“I’ll help ya, JD. I can help ya get ‘im in the saddle. Ya gon’na have to ride double. He ain’t gon’na stay on there without someone holdin’ ‘im on,” said Vin planning out loud.

JD was about to point out that it might not be possible considering Vin’s wounded shoulder and the fact that JD had his doubts about Vin staying in the saddle himself, when they both heard a moan come from their unconscious friend.

“Vin?” questioned JD, kneeling down by Larabee’s side.

“I think he’s startin’ to come around, JD,” said Vin inching closer to the man’s head. “Wet me a rag and bring some of that water over here.”

“Right,” said JD taking the canteen off his horse and digging into the saddlebag searching for cloth to use.

“Hey, Chris,” called Vin softly. “Come on, Cowboy. Show me those glaring green eyes.”

Chris felt heavy as his mind rose towards consciousness. Everything was vague and foggy. The last thing he remembered was the rapport of a gun and a sharp pain in his head that led to utter complete darkness.

He wanted to stay in that peaceful silence, but he kept hearing someone calling his name as if from far away.

As he approached full wakefulness, he felt the same way as he had when he went on a three-day whiskey binge. His head was pounding as if little miners were digging in his head for gold.

“Come on, Chris. Ya can do it,” he heard a voice that sounded like Vin say. He then felt something wet and slippery cross his face and lips.

“V…in? Sh…it!” Chris rasped, trying to pry his eyes opened but they seemed not to be obeying him at the moment. The glare of the setting sun hit his eyes and he quickly closed them, shutting out the light.

“Oh, no, ya don’t!” exclaimed Vin, nudging Chris’ arm. “Stay with me, Pard. I need ya to stay awake.”

“Stay…stay…”

“Yeah, stay awake, Chris,” said Vin encouragingly.

“’Kay,” said Chris softly wanting to go back into the quiet darkness.

“Chris! I said stay awake, ya hear me!” yelled Vin, tapping Chris’ face several times. He remembered Nathan telling him one time that when a man suffered from a concussion that it was best not to let him sleep once he awoke. Otherwise, the person may not ever wake again.

Chris green eyes shot opened and tried to focus on the blur he knew was Vin Tanner. “Sorry…Vin. Just…tired.”

“I know, Pard. But me and JD here got to get us home, okay and I need ya to stay awake. We need ya, Chris,” pleaded Vin.

Chris was concerned at the tremor he heard in the voice of his friend. He knew that it was not good if the man was insisting that he stay awake.

“Vin? What’s…wrong? You…you okay? JD?” came Chris’ frantic questions as he tried to keep his eyes opened.

JD was about to tell Chris that they were not, when Vin motioned him to be silent.

“Yeah, Chris. We’re fine, but you ain’t.”

“What? What…what ya talkin’ about, Vin?”

Vin rolled his eyes towards the sky and watched as JD looked on perplexed.

JD knelt down closer to Vin as he kept an eye on the blond struggling to sit up.

“Vin, what’s wrong with ‘im?”

“I think it’s what Nathan calls a concussion, JD. His brains are scrambled from that blow he took,” said Vin suddenly feeling the heat of the day on his brow.

JD saw Vin swipe a bead of sweat that was trailing down his forehead into his eyes. He knew the tracker was probably developing a fever from the gunshot he received. JD knew sooner or later it would fall to him to get his friends home. He just prayed that he would not fail them.

Vin turned back to the blond gunslinger still weakly trying to get up from his position on the ground.

“Help me…help me up, Vin,” said Chris weakly. “Need to kill ‘em.”

“Kill who Chris?” asked JD as he watched the man search for his revolver.

“Them men diggin’ in my head,” said Chris, his eyes unfocused.

Vin sighed dejectedly and knew they were in big trouble. He watched as Chris continued to search for his gun.

“Chris, cut that out!” said Vin gently slapping at the man in black’s arm. “Ya ain’t got the strength to kill a fly right now.”

Oddly enough, the blond became still, his eyes closed again.

“Chris! Chris! Wake up!” yelled Vin, slapping the blond’s face gently to wake him.

But the blond did not stir.

“I think he’s out again, Vin,” said JD.

“Figures. Listen, JD. I don’t think we’re goin’ anywhere right now. The sun’s about settin’ and we ain’t got much daylight left. I think it best we camp here for tonight and pull out in the mornin’,” said Vin trying to keep his mind focusing on the task at hand.

“Ya think so, Vin?”

“Yeah, I do. Besides, Buck and the others should be lookin’ for us ‘bout now. Remember, I told the Judge if we weren’t back by today for ‘im to send the boys lookin’.”

“Yeah, I remember, Vin. Okay. I’ll start a fire. We got only our three canteens of water. I need to find some more. I don’t think that’s gon’na last and I think we need to get that bullet out of ya. Shoot! I wish Nathan was here.”

“Don’t worry about it, JD. I trust ya,” said Vin trying to keep the young man’s confidence up.

He knew he was young and inexperienced, but he also knew JD was not stupid. In fact, he would trust the young Easterner with his life and there were not a lot of people in the world that Vin Tanner trusted that much.

“Yeah, but I don’t know if I trust me,” said JD laughing nervously.

“We ain’t got a choice, JD. We’re miles from nowhere, hardly any water or food, one man can’t even stay on a horse and me, barely and the longer that bullet stays in there, the longer I have a chance of infection or the bullet movin’. Sorry, JD. But you’re the only one. I trust ya with my life JD and I knowed Chris does too.”

JD’s chest swelled with pride at that comment. For these men to trust him so emphatically was something that he would never regret.

“Okay, Vin. I’ll start settin’ up camp. As soon as that’s done then I’ll get a fire and go in search of some water and set it up to boil. I remember seeing a stream less than a half a mile back. Ya just rest here and I’ll be back,” replied JD, walking back to where he left the horses and their saddlebags.

Vin watched with pride as the young man mounted his horse and ride off towards where they had saw the stream. He then looked down at his restless friend and said, “Our boy’s growin’ up, Chris.” Vin then let his eyes closed as exhaustion and blood loss overcame his dwindled strength.

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Vin slowly awoke to blackness and a confused frame of mind. The last thing he remembered was he, Chris and JD were confronting a group of bank robbers and Chris had been brought down by one of the robbers.

Chris! The name came quickly to his mind as Vin sat up and tried to peer into the darkness.

As his eyes finally came into focus, he saw JD sitting by a fire, across from him, a pot was slowly boiling over it. On the other side was a still form, wrapped tight in a wool blanket and only a turf of blond hair stuck out from the cloth.

Vin sighed in relief as he realized that it was Chris and with relief came pain, sharp as knife in his shoulder. He lay back against the bedroll gasping and breathing harshly.

“Vin?” came JD’s soft query.

Vin watched as a shadow came to kneel over him through the tears of pain in his blue eyes.

“JD.”

“You okay?”

“What happened?”

“Don’t ya remember? We got Chris settled and then I got the bullet out of ya shoulder. Of course, ya passed out before I could finish.”

“I passed out?”

“Yep. Figured it be best for me to finish while ya was out.”

“Smart man, JD. Very smart.”

“I caught a rabbit. Made some stew with what we got in the saddlebags and some of the water. It ain’t much, but I figured we need some type of food. Ya up to havin’ some?”

“I guess,” answered Vin, his stomach growling at the smell waiving over to him to where he lay.

“I’ll bring ya cup. Think ya can sit up?”

“Might need some help,” said Vin grunting as he tried to sit up more on the bedroll.

JD grabbed Vin’s saddle and placed it in back of the man for support. “There. How’s that?”

“Great, JD.”

“I’ll go get that stew now.”

“JD,”

“Yeah, Vin?”

“How’s he doin’?”

“Well…not too good, Vin. He ain’t woke up since the last time ya talked to ‘im and I’m gettin’ worried.”

“Me too, JD,” replied Vin with as much effort as he could, his eyes taking in the still form lying across the way. “Me too.”

As a matter of fact, Vin knew he was not doing so well either, but he tried to hide the fact of it from the young man. He did not want to worry JD and he figured that the kid had more problems than he needed without worrying about him too.

But the one thing Vin did not know was that JD was not blind. He saw the way the man struggled to get the words out and how ever so often a shadow of pain would flit across the ex-bounty hunter’s face.

They were in a real fix and unless he either got these men to help or find them help, they would not last another day out here in the wilderness.

JD quickly picked up the cup of stew and walked back to Vin who seemed dreamy and glassy eyed as he gazed on the body of the blond gunslinger.

“Here, Vin,” said JD, helping Vin to sit up some and bringing the cup to his lips.

After JD helped the curly brown-haired tracker to take in some of the stew, he helped him to get comfortable. Once Vin was asleep, JD walked back to the fire and lay back down upon his own bedroll.

JD thoughts drifted as exhaustion and pained ribs depleted what little strength he had left. They had to go tomorrow. No one knew they were here and there was the possibility that the one that got away might be going for reinforcements. JD planned as he watched the fire slowly wane.

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Morning came and so did pain. Green eyes found white angels floating above them. “Is this heaven?” came the man’s first thought. His eyes focused and the angels turned to floating clouds. He realized that he was lying on the ground and the angels were clouds in the sky.

Chris tried to raise his head off the soft material he was lying on and as he did he felt a stab a pain in his head. He groaned heavily and fell back holding his head, hoping that the sky would stop spinning before it annoyed his stomach.

He could not remember much. His last thought was bumping into Buck in the last town he had a job in and getting stinking drunk. Yeah. That probably was it. He had got drunk and that was why his head hurt so much. He tried to sit up again, this time succeeding, but his stomach protested at the action.

He quickly crawled off whatever he was laying on and was half way cross the small campsite when he finally vomited o to the grassy ground.

“Chris!” came two simultaneous shouts off to the side as he crouched on his hands and knees retching.

Chris did not see who or where it came from. In fact, he was so busy throwing up his guts and there was not much that Chris could see except swirling images when he opened his eyes anyway.

He suddenly felt hands grab him and he fought to keep them away. He did not know who and he just wanted to get away from them.

He tried to crawl away, but the hands became stronger than his weak body could fight off. They seemed to pull him backwards and he stumbled as he was pulled on to his feet. The hands strengthened on their hold and suddenly, he was gently placed upon the soft material that he had felt before.

“Chris? Chris, it’s me, JD.”

Chris green eyes tried to focus on the shadow before him, but it was difficult at best. He then realized that he knew that name.

“JD?”

“Yeah, Chris, it’s me. Here, drink this.”

Chris felt a metallic object touch his lips and realized that it was a cup. He drank from the cup and felt the cool water slate his burning thirst.

“What…happened?” said Chris his voice almost non-existent.

JD looked down at the blond gunslinger, concerned mirrored in his eyes as well as Vin’s.

“Hey, Cowboy, how ya feelin’?” questioned Vin tentatively from his supine position on the other side of Chris.

Chris turned his head towards the direction of the voice. “Vin?”

“Yeah, Pard. Ya didn’t answer me,” said Vin thoughtfully.

“Hmmm, I…I guess I’m fine,” replied Chris as he tried to get his eyes to focus. “Can’t see very well, though.”

Vin saw the worried look in JD’s eyes as he glanced at him. “Well, Chris, seems ya took a bullet to ya head. Lucky ya hard headed. Think that’s what saved ya life,” said Vin trying to lighten the mood.

“I don’t feel so…lucky. Got some damn miners diggin’ in my head awful hard,” answered Chris squinting at the shadows of his friend.

“Well, I guess ya got what Nathan calls a concussion. I just can’t tell how bad it is.”

“Vin?” came Chris’ soft call.

“Yeah?”

“What…happened?” asked Chris confused.

“Ya don’t remember?” asked JD.

“I…ah…I think…aw hell, I don’t know, not exactly.”

“Not exactly?” questioned JD.

“I think I remember…I think something about…” Chris frowned as he tried to remove the fog from his thoughts. “Uh, what was I sayin’?”

JD and Vin looked at the man with shock.

“Ah, don’t worry about it, Chris,” said Vin quickly before JD could say anything. “Why don’t ya just rest awhile, okay?”

“Yeah, yeah,” replied Chris shaking his head trying to free his mind from the cobwebs that seemed to be growing over it. “Yeah, I think I will.” Chris then lay back down upon the bedroll and his eyes closed immediately.

JD turned to face Vin with trepidation. He did not know what just happened but now he knew he had to get his friends to safety.

“Vin?”

“Yeah, JD,” answered Vin, his soft drawl more softer than usual.

“Ya think he’s alright?”

“Don’t rightly know, JD. I guess with his head bein’ shook up and all, maybe he ain’t thinkin’ right. It don’t look good right now.”

“Well, as soon as I get the horses saddled we can leave.”

“JD, I think we need another plan,” said Vin tiredly.

JD had been noticing how Vin was slowly turning paler with each hour that passed.

“’Kay. What ya thinkin’?”

“I’m thinkin’ that maybe ya ought to go for help.”

JD started to argue a protest at his statement when held his hand up.

“Listen, JD. I ain’t in no condition to ride, let alone stay on Peso and Chris, well, I don’t think he’s in any position to do the same.”

“But Vin, I can’t leave ya’ll!” shouted JD angry at the thought of what Vin was requesting.

“Ya have to, JD!” shouted Vin back. “Iffen ya don’t both me and Chris ain’t gon’na be around to see the next sunset.”

JD stood, trembling with anguish and guilt. He did not wish to leave these two men behind, but he knew Vin was right.

“I figured if ya rode fast and hard ya can make it to town and bring back help.”

“But Vin that’s a six hour ride. I don’t know if my horse would last that long.”

“Ya gon’na take my horse with ya so that ya can switch. My horse is strong. Ornery, but strong and without any extra weight, he can last long ‘nough for ya to switch mounts to get back into town.”

“But Vin…”

“Don’t worry, JD. Just leave me my gun and Chris’ and some ammunition, water and food for at least one day. Ya should be back by mornin’. Ya might meet up with Buck and the others on the way.”

JD sighed and hesitantly nodded. He knew it was good a plan as any, although he had his misgivings about it.

“Okay, Vin. I’ll set up everythin’ and then head out.”

“Good boy, JD.”

“Ain’t a boy,” sniped JD as he walked away to start preparations.

“I know, JD, I know,” said Vin softly although he knew JD had not heard.

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Vin looked out across the area in his sitting position by the tree. His shoulder ached fiercely and if he stood up for too long he felt lightheaded and dizzy.

He looked down at the man who seemed to be sleeping next to him, but he knew he was not. Chris was unconscious and Vin could do nothing but try to keep giving him water, although even that at times was becoming impossible.

JD had set them near the tree at the top of the small hill. Vin could see all around him and would be able to defend himself and Chris if need be.

JD was gone now for three hours and Vin hoped that meant he was halfway to town. He prayed that Buck and the others would meet up with him on the way otherwise he did not know how long he and Chris would last.

He knew it was hard for the young Easterner to leave them there, but it was harder for Vin to send him away knowing that it might be costing Larabee his life, but he saw no other choice.

The bleeding had stopped in his wound, but he knew based on how hot he felt that there was a possibility of infection. Chris on the other hand had not moved since the last time he woke and that worried Vin even more.

It was then he heard a groan come from the direction of Chris Larabee.

“Chris? Chris? Come on, Pard, time to wake up,” said Vin trying to coax the blond gunslinger to open his eyes.

Chris heard a voice. It seemed to be calling a name. As his mind slowly came to the forefront of consciousness, he realized that the name belonged to him. He cautiously cracked one eye open and saw a shadow sitting next to him.

As his eye finally focused, he saw a long curly brown-haired man staring down at him with sky blue eyes.

“Chris?”

Chris squinted at the man suspiciously.

“Do…I know you?”

“Now ya listen to me, Chris Larabee. Ya know who I am. It’s me Vin. Vin Tanner, remember?” stated Vin, trying to move to closer to Chris.

Chris suddenly sat up and crawled a little ways from him. “No…not really…I don’t know. I know you?”

Vin muttered a curse and said, “We’re friends, Cowboy. You, me, Buck and the others. Don’t ya remember?”

“Buck? Yeah, I remember Buck. Um, he…he and I were friends, I think. Haven’t seen ‘im in a while, though. I…damn!”

“What’s wrong, Chris?”

“Can’t seem to get my head around it. I know…I know I know Buck, I know you too, I guess, but it just like it’s hard to get my head around it. It’s like sorta just out of my reach on the tip of my tongue,” answered Chris frustrated.

Vin could see how not remembering was upsetting the man.

“Maybe ya shouldn’t try so hard, Chris. I’m sure it’ll all come back to ya,” said Vin.

Chris tried to shake the cobwebs that were trying to keep his thoughts in the dark and stared at the blue eyes that were watching him in concern.

“Vin. Yeah, I remember you. Wasn’t…wasn’t someone else with us?” asked Chris, his face screwing up in concentration.

“Ya thinkin’ ‘bout JD, Chris. He went for help.”

“Help? Why?”

Vin sighed again knowing it was going to be a long day with his friend’s memory not working right.

“’Cause I’m sittin’ here with a bullet hole in my shoulder and ya got ya brains scrambled up so ya can’t even think straight.”

“Ah, okay,” said Chris simply, his eyes looking at Vin calmly.

“Shit!” exclaimed Vin.

“What? What did I do?” asked Chris startled.

“Nothin’, Chris. It was nothin’ that ya did. I was just thinkin’ that we sure got us in a fix.”

Chris smiled weakly. “I remember hearin’ ya say that before.”

“Yeah and we were in trouble then,” came Vin’s soft drawl.

Chris squinted at him, his eyes watering some from the glare of the sun. “How…um, how long?”

“How long we been here?”

Chris nodded slightly, not wanting to the make the miners digging in his head any more annoyed.

“Right now a day or so. JD left early this mornin’. I think he’s probably half way to town by now,” said Vin stifling a gasp as he tried to sit further up on the tree.

“Good. Ya alright?”

“Yeah, I’m fine,” answered Vin softly.

All of sudden, Chris green eyes closed and his face squeezed up as if in some kind of pain. He then said, “So what happened?”

Vin blew out a breath in frustration. This was the third time he had to tell Larabee what happened. He did again and he then watched the gunslinger’s face go blank, again. Vin knew Chris was not going to remember later.

“Don’t worry about it, Pard. Why don’t ya try to sleep?”

“Can’t. Those damn miners keep diggin’.”

Vin blue eyes went wide with surprise. “Miners?”

“Yeah. The ones in my head,” said Chris putting a hand to his head. His green eyes tried to focus on the area out before him.

Vin watched as his friend’s eyes stared off in the distance. He gazed at him worried, thinking he was losing his him again.

“Vin?”

“Yeah, Chris?”

“I think I’m seein’ things now.”

“Why ya say that, Cowboy?”

“Ain’t no…no…cowboy. Do ya see what I see?” replied Chris, a shaky hand pointing towards the North side of the field, his eyes trying to focus.

Vin turned towards where Chris was pointing and thought he was also hallucinating, but then realized that what he was seeing was really there.

Coming down the field on the small grassy path was a wagon with two horses. Sitting in the front of the wagon was JD and what seemed to be a reddish blonde-haired young woman, dressed in men’s clothing.

The woman was dressed in a tanned buckskin shirt and pants, made of the same material much like Vin’s attire. Her hair was tied back into a ponytail. She was carrying a rifle on her lap, as JD steered the horses towards them.

“I see ‘em, Chris. It’s JD and I think he found us some help. Looks like an angel,” said Vin relieved.

Chris glanced at Vin in doubt since all he could see was shadowy blurs.

When they came at least a couple feet away from the two men lying beneath the tree, JD quickly jumped off the wagon and ran over to his friends smiling all the way.

“Vin! Chris! Thank God!” shouted JD as he came to kneel besides them. “I thought I wouldn’t of gotten back in time.”

“Ya did good, JD. Real good,” said Vin releasing the anguish he was carrying at his previous thought of him and Chris dying out in the wilderness alone.

“I didn’t make it all the way to town. I thought ya’ll might be dead iffen I left ya too long. I was on my way back when I met up with Miss Little Bird here,” explained JD pointing to the young woman that was now coming towards them.

Vin’s eyes watched as the blondish red haired woman slowly sauntered over to the three men, carrying her rifle in her arms like one of what Vin called “the people”.

She squatted down next to the two injured men and her green eyes trailed over them as if she was examining sides of beefs.

“Miss Little Bird?” inquired Vin smiling at the woman.

“Yep. That’s my name. Sarah Little Bird,” said the young woman glaring at Vin. “You boys seem to be havin’ a mite bit of trouble.”

“Ya can say that. Little Bird, huh? What tribe?”

Sarah looked at the cheeky curly haired man and smirked. “My pa was part Comanch. My ma was white. What about you?”

“I’m white, but I’ve lived with the Comanches for a while.”

“So what you doin’ with these white men?” asked Sarah in Comanche.

“They are friends,” replied Vin in the same language.

“Hmph,” was all Sarah Little Bird said. She then stood up and walked back to the wagon.

Vin, JD and Chris, as much as he could, watch the young woman put her rifle down in the front of the wagon. She then came back to them.

“Well, ya cain’t stay here all day. Let’s get ya both in the back of my wagon,” she said, leaning over to help Vin stand.

“Wait!” exclaimed Chris. “Where…where we goin’?”

Sarah looked down at the dazed man. She could see that the blond was having trouble keeping his thoughts straight and knew it probably was because of the wound on his head.

“Takin’ ya to my place while ya friend here goes to town for the rest of ya friends. Now, we can stand around here jawin’ all day and wait until that storm that’s a comin’ get ‘ere,” she said pointing towards the clouds that were getting dark to the West. ”Or we can go to my place and get out of the rain.”

Her green eyes glared at the men impatiently.

Vin glanced at Chris and saw that he was starting to fade fast. He nodded silently, too tired to argue and hurting too much to stay where they were any longer.

Sarah taking it as an affirmation that they saw the right of it motioned for JD to help her load the men into the wagon.

It did not take them long with Sarah’s and JD’s help and soon they were on their way, back the way the wagon had come from.

*****************************************************************************************************************

They arrived at the place Sarah Little Bird called home before the storm hit.

It was not much, a small cabin, a little bigger than Chris’ shack, in the middle of nowhere and a small corral covered with a makeshift dilapidated roof just outside.

Sarah and JD got Vin and Chris and their saddlebags, along with their weapons and her rifle moved into the house quickly.

Inside the small cabin was so much different from the outside. The cabin was spotless, cozy and warm.

What struck the men as strange was there were no womanly touches that would indicate that a woman had lived here.

On the walls and shelves were mostly animal skins, weapon trophies, bows, arrows, a couple of different types of rifles and some knives.

A small table and four chairs were placed in the middle of the area just off to the tiny place that they figured served as a cooking area.

Vin’s eyes arched in surprise, as well as did Chris’.

On the other side of the cabin seemed to be entrances to two other rooms. Both Vin and Chris were led to the one on the farthest left side.

Once inside the room they saw that it was the opposite of the front room of the cabin.

There were curtains lining the two small windows and two cots on each side of the adjacent walls, neatly made and clean. A small bureau was standing off to the side and between the two cots was a small rickety old table.

There were also some wooden toys and stuffed dolls lying on top of the bureau. All in all, it was a room that spoke of love and comfort.

JD helped Vin to sit on one cot, while Sarah led a now conscious Chris to the other and sat him on it. Both men seemed to be shivering with chills and that alarmed Sarah.

Sarah placed a hand on Vin’s head, as well as Chris’ and snorted. “Shit! Dang fever’s started on ‘em,” she snipped. “Mr. Dunne, ya start a fire and get ‘em out of them clothes. There are some clean nightshirts in the bureau over there and I’ll go bed the horses and get some fresh water,” said Sarah as she walked out of the room, closing the door silently behind her.

JD smirked as she left and saw that Vin and Chris were now looking at him amazed.

“What?” JD exclaimed. Vin and Chris eyebrows arched at him teasingly. “Don’t look at me like that! She was the closest help I could find.”

“She’s different, that’s for sure,” said Vin smiling.

“She reminds me of my Sarah,” replied Chris dreamingly.

Both JD and Vin turned to eye the blond gunslinger in concern.

“How ya doin’, Cowboy?” said Vin, as he tried to keep from coughing.

“Fine,” replied Chris all too rapidly for Vin’s liking as he glared at the scruffy looking tracker. “I think…I think ya should be worryin’ about yourself.”

Chris started to brush a fallen lock of hair out of his eyes when JD grabbed his hand quickly. “Don’t, Chris. Ya might start that head wound bleedin’ again.”

“Huh?” asked Chris confused and then he said, “Oh.” Chris then decided that it was too much effort to stay sitting on the cot, closed his eyes and promptly fell back onto the cot with a thump.

“Chris!” came both JD’s and Vin’s simultaneous shout.

JD left Vin’s side and ran over to the bed, kneeling down at the side of it and putting his hand over the man’s chest.

“He’s okay, just out again,” came JD’s answer.

Vin breathed a sigh of relief, happy that his friend was still alive.

“JD, we gon’na need more help than Miss Little Bird’s goin’ to give us,” said Vin determinedly.

“I know, Vin, I know. As soon as she and I get ‘cha settled and that storm goes down some, I’m hightailin’ it out of here and bringin’ the boys back.”

Vin could only nod as fever and exhaustion finally caught up to him. He then closed his eyes and soon darkness took him to the same place as his friend.

****************************************************************************************************************

When Sarah returned, she was soaking wet. She was carrying a bucket of water and her hair was plastered to her head as rainwater ran rivets down her face and neck. She quickly grabbed a towel from the kitchen and wiped the water from her face and head. She then took off the buckskin shirt she had on and put on a man’s shirt that was hanging by the door.

She noticed that JD had already had a fire going and she could see from the opened door to the other room that he had finished undressing the man in the buckskins and had settled him under some blankets. The young curly haired man was out like a light.

JD was in the process of undressing the blond man, but he seemed to be having some difficulty. He kept grabbing on to his side as he did. Sarah had a feeling that he had probably hurt himself also. She could tell that JD was worn out and needed some rest and healing too.

She placed the bucket down on the small table and made her way into the room. “Need some help, young man?” she asked JD.

JD turned to face her, surprised that he did not hear her come in and said, “No, I got it, Miss Little Bird.”

“Yeah, right,” said Sarah walking over and starting to help JD undress the blond. “Call me Sarah, Mr. Dunne.”

“And ya can call me, JD,” said JD smiling nervously at the woman.

“Alright, JD. Ya look worn out. And I can see that somethin’s ailin’ ya. Why don’t ‘cha get the water boilin’ and I’ll finish gettin’ ya friend here out of them clothes. Then I can take a look at them ribs of yours.”

“I’m okay, ma’am. Chris and Vin need help more and I don’t think Chris gon’na like ya doin’ that,” answered JD eyeing the unconscious gunslinger in trepidation.

“JD, what he don’t know won’t hurt ‘im none. And ya can’t fool me. I’ve seen how men act when they got bruised and broken ribs,” said Sarah gently grabbing JD by the arm and lifting him up off the cot. She then steered him towards the living area.

“But Chris…”

“Get goin’. I ain’t got all day and neither do you iffen ya wan’na help ya friends. Also get ya somethin’ to eat. I got some food on the stove already and when I’m done with ya friend, I’ll look at them ribs.”

“Alright,” said JD reluctantly. He knew it would be hard to argue with this woman. She was so much like the women of Four Corners that he had come to admire. The ones like Casey, Nettie, Mary and Inez, strong and unyielding when it came to being nurturing. He left, holding on to his side as he did, to start the water boiling.

Once he was gone, Sarah returned to undressing the blond man on the bed. She noticed how well built and lean his body was although there were scars that marred his almost perfect body.

The thought of touching such a body brought a fire into her belly that she had not felt since the death of her man a couple of years ago. She stared at the blond that so much reminded her of her dead lover.

Sarah sighed and shook herself out of her reverie. No. White men were trouble. They always were and always would be. Look at what happened to her man, Sean. He was dead now, two years, buried behind the house.

Although Sean was a strong man physically, he was a weak one at heart. He let the white men that he traded with take advantage of him, use him and then threw him away like so much dirt. He trusted those men and Sarah knew that was his downfall.

The white men were always trouble and Sarah was determined like her pa, to stay away from them. She had let Sean into her heart and it was now shattered and torn in the grave with him. No. She would never desire or love another white man as long as she lived.

Sarah finished with her task and once she was done and had placed the nightshirt on him, she lifted the blanket to cover him.

As she did, her hand accidentally touched his chest and she felt him shiver slightly from it. She immediately pulled her hand away as if it was on fire and continued to stare at the sleeping blond in front of her, wondering what kind of life did this white man leave behind and would he be missed if he died.

She turned at a sound, which brought her out of her morbid fascination and found JD entering the room.

“Miss Little Bird…I mean Sarah. I got the water boilin’.”

“Good, JD,” said Sarah turning towards the door. “Now, ya come with me into the kitchen and sit at the table while I make some tea for ya and ya friends fevers.” She saw the surprise look JD gave her.

“Don’t look at me like that. Ya got a slight fever yourself. I can tell. Ya should also eat somethin’ like I told ya. I’ll set ya up in a spare cot I got in the other room into the living area by the fire. I’ll keep ya warm in through the night.”

She swiftly walked pass the young man and back into the kitchen to get what needed to be done. JD followed her, barely staying on his feet and grateful for the woman’s help.

****************************************************************************************************************

Vin awoke lightheaded and dizzy. His eyes tried to focus in the semi-darkness as he tried to remember what happened.

As his whirling mind finally focused he realized that he was in the home of Sarah Little Bird and that he had been shot in the shoulder. From the way the sun was shining through the window, Vin knew it was around mid-morning.

He winced as he tried to sit up in the bed and felt two pairs of hands push him back down.

“Ya not well ‘nough to get up just yet, Comanche,” came the soft lilting voice of a woman.

Vin turned blue eyes to find Sarah Little Bird and her green eyes looking at him teasingly.

“Oh, damn, my head,” rasped out Vin. Vin looked up at Sarah guiltily. “Sorry, ma’am.”

“It’s miss and ya can call me Sarah. Ya Vin Tanner, right?”

“Yeah. And that…” he said pointing over to the other cot. “…is Chris Larabee.”

“The famous gunslinger?” asked Sarah surprised.

“Yeah,” said Vin confused. “Ya know about ‘im?”

“There ain’t much I don’t know about when it comes to white men and their hired guns,” said Sarah bending down to the floor and picking up a wet cloth. She then proceeded to wipe Vin’s sweaty brow. “Ya and ya friend have a fever. I’ve been workin’ to bring them down. Yours is gotten a little better, but ya friend, he seems to want to give me some trouble.”

Vin chuckled softly. “Yup, that’s Chris alright, always stirrin’ up trouble everywhere he goes.”

“I noticed he don’t say much, except in his sleep.”

“Yeah, that’s Chris alright. He don’t say three words in day usually.” He thought about what Sarah had said about talking in his sleep and asked, “What did he talk about? I mean in his sleep?”

“Well, he mentioned some names, an Adam and a Sarah, like mine. He seemed to be in a lot of pain, if ya asked me.”

Vin closed his eyes against what he knew was causing the pain in his friends heart. He opened his eyes again and found himself staring into those inquisitive green eyes again. This time he spoke in Comanche. “He has very bad spirits that haunt him. He has suffered much and the pain runs deep.”

“He needs healing,” replied Sarah in Comanche. “He needs a medicine man to show him back to the path.”

Vin snorted and returned to English, “I don’t think Chris is gon’na go for no holy man prayin’ over ‘im.”

“Iffen he stays on the path he is on it will be his destruction.”

Vin knew what she said was true, but he had hoped that the blond had found something of his way when he decided to stay in Four Corners. He still held that hope.

“Where’s JD?” asked Vin looking around for his other friend.

“Sent that young man off to get ya other friends, of course after I looked after his ribs, fed ‘im and let ‘im get a good night’s rest. Said one of them was a healer. You and ya friend gon’na need ‘im. In the meantime, ya hungry?”

“A little, I guess I can eat somethin’.”

“Good, good. I got some vittles stewin’ in a pot. I’ll get ya some,” said Sarah standing up.

She was about to leave when they both heard a moan come from the direction of where Chris was.

Sarah motioned for Vin to stay where he was and she swiftly moved to the other cot.

She took the other basin and the cloth that sat on the table between the two men and sat on the cot next to the waking man.

Sarah’s hand held the cloth and gently wiped the blond gunslinger’s face, cooling the heat that was there.

Chris twisted slightly away and moaned as he felt himself coming more and more to consciousness. He opened green bright eyes to stare at another pair of green eyes. He tried to speak to the angel that was leaning over him, but for some reason his mind could not form the words.

“Take it easy,” came the angel’s voice. “Ya have a fever.”

“Sarah?” asked Chris still dazed and confused about where he was. He tried to sit up but he hands pushed him gently back down.

“Don’t try to get up right now. Ya got a bad head wound. Don’t want to start it bleedin’ again.”

“Sarah. I thought I lost you.”

“And why would ya think a thing like that. I’m here, you’re here, rest, sleep,” answered Sarah putting the cloth back into the basin on the table and starting to stand up.

Before she could, Chris grabbed her arms, holding her fast and pulled her to him. Sarah was so shocked. She did not think the man had that much strength left in him.

“Sarah, don’t leave me, please,” pleaded the delirious man.

“Uh, Mr. Larabee, I need ya to let me go,” said Sarah as tenderly as she could.

“Please, don’t leave me again,” cried Chris fighting to keep the woman in his arms.

“I won’t leave ya, Chris,” said Sarah knowing that she needed to calm the man down before he did himself any harm.

“Thank…you…Sarah. I’ve missed…you so…much,” said Chris finally calming down, his eyes closing in relief.

Sarah released the breath she was holding. These men seemed to be a lot of work. But she could not deny the feelings she felt when the man had held her and called her by her name, although it was another he was thinking about.

Once she was sure that he had fallen back to sleep again, she stood up from her sitting position on the bed, determined to get some food for them when she felt like someone was watching her.

She turned to find the blue eyes of Vin Tanner scrutinizing her with calm efficiency. Sarah snorted teasingly and promptly left the room, ignoring the man’s smirk as she walked out. She could tell that these men were going to make her change her attitude about white men. She would have to steel herself against their likable natures or otherwise she might fall for them.

*****************************************************************************************************************

JD got into town within five hours. He was exhausted and so was his horse.

When he handed Calico over to Yosemite, the elderly man looked him up and down and frowned.

“Ya okay, JD?”

“Nah, Yosemite. Not really. Ya know where Buck and the others are?” asked JD brushing off as much of the trail that he could.

“Probably in the saloon, last time I saw. Where’s Chris and Vin?”

“That’s what I need to see ‘em about,” answered JD walking away towards the saloon.

Yosemite grunted at his comment. He knew it must be trouble.

*****************************************************************************************************************

JD walked into the saloon and found the rest of the men relaxing and having their dinner.

Ezra, sitting off the side in a card game noticed the young man as he walked into the saloon and stared at him concerned.

“Mr. Dunne, I assume you are not alone,” said Ezra eyeing the dusty Easterner.

“Ya assume wrong, Ezra,” retorted JD walking straight for the table Buck, Josiah and Nathan sat at.

Buck saw JD enter the saloon and watched as his young friend quickly approached him. He stood up from his chair, a bad feeling gnawing at his gut.

“JD. What happened? Where’s Chris and Vin?”

“We got ambushed, Buck. Chris and Vin got hurt and I came back to get help,” explained JD quickly.

“Ya left ‘em alone?” exclaimed Buck.

“Nah! Sarah’s with them,” replied JD. “Nate, ya got to get ya stuff. We need to get back fast.”

“Wait a minute,” said Buck grabbing the young man’s arm. “Did I hear ya right? Did ya say Sarah?”

“Yeah,” answered JD looking at him bewildered. “Sarah Little Bird.”

“Oh,” said Buck understanding now.

“Come on, Buck! We gotta go,” said JD pulling his arm out of Buck’s grasp and starting to walk away.

“Whoa, whoa, JD. First let’s get ya somethin’ to eat and drink. Ya look like somethin’ the cat dragged in,” said Buck.

“But Chris…”

“We’re gon’na get ready, JD, but that still gives ya sometime to get some food and somethin’ to drink. I think I need to see those ribs of yours too,” said Nathan admonishing him. He had noticed how ever so often the young man’s hand would brush up against his side.

JD knew he was not going to win this argument. They always thought of him as a kid, but he knew he was not. He would someday prove to them that he was the made of the same metal as they were, even if it killed him.

“Okay, but it gotta be quick. Chris and Vin need us,” said JD sitting down, while Josiah ordered Inez to bring him something to eat and drink and while Nathan sat down next to him, pulling up his shirt.

Once Nathan had finished examining JD and pronounced his ribs only bruised, he let JD finished his meal, under Ezra’s watchful gaze, while he and the others headed out of the saloon to get things ready for the ride to Miss Little Bird’s.

***************************************************************************************************************

Vin awoke to the sound of someone singing. The song was one Vin knew, a Comanche lullaby and it brought warmth to his heart, bringing back old memories of a time when he once roamed free with the people who saved him years ago.

He heard her footsteps as she entered the small bedroom. Vin looked towards the door and saw her carrying two bowls on a tray.

“I have brought ya both somethin’ to eat. It’s not much since there ain’t really a lot of game around here lately, but it’s fillin’,” said Sarah placing the bowls on the table.

She then picked one of them up and brought it to the white Comanche. Vin sat up further in the bed to receive the food she brought, his hunger was making itself known.

“Thank ya, Miss,” he said taking the bowl from her hands and placing it on his lap. He then picked up the spoon and started to eat with his other hand.

As he ate, he watched her as she stood gazing upon his friend. He did not know why, but for some reason he felt that if Chris was awake, he would have fallen quite easily for her.

As if on cue, Sarah suddenly turned towards him and a small smile crossed her face. “Ya know if ya need help with that, I can feed ya.”

Vin glared at her, embarrassed that he was caught watching her. “Ah, no, Miss. That’s alright. I can manage.”

“And stop callin’ me Miss. My name’s Sarah.”

“Okay…Sarah. Sarah, somethin’ I don’t understand. How come ya live all the way out here? Ya live here alone?”

Sarah sighed sadly and nodded. “Yep,” she answered moving to sit down on the edge of the bed Vin occupied. “It wasn’t that way a few years ago. I did have children and a man.”

“What happened to them?”

“Died. Buried. Gone,” were her trite responses.

“How?”

“White men. Murderers. It was a few years back.”

“What happened, Sarah?” Vin asked.

“I…I was away, visitin’ my pa’s people. My man, Sean Cafferty…he was white too, use to be a trapper up north. Came out west to find a better life. He was here with our two children…” Sarah had stopped her narration and seemed to be somewhere else.

“Sarah?”

Sarah turned startled green eyes towards Vin. “My two children, Running Water and Two Moons. They…they came at night…thieves, looking to steal what little we had. I guess they were lookin’ for easy takin’. From what I could tell when I came back, they musta busted in on my man. I could tell the way…the way I found his body that he tried to fight them off. From the tracks, I could tell there were too many for him to fight off.”

“What did they do?”

“What do all good white men do when they find an injun family?” exclaimed Sarah. “They massacred them! That’s what they did! Massacred my husband and my poor babies,” spat Sarah. She did not want to think about it. She had tried not to, but she could not wash the blood from her hands of her family. She could not stop from seeing their torn and dismembered bodies that haunted her for years.

“I’m sorry for ya lost, Sarah. I really am,” said Vin, his heart reaching out to the woman.

“Don’t be. I made them pay and they paid dearly, believe me,” she said standing up.

“You found ‘em?”

“Yeah. I found ‘em alright. I hunted those men down like the dogs they were. I made their sufferin’ long and hard.”

“By yourself?” asked Vin shocked.

“Who else would help a half-breed squaw, Mr. Tanner? My people? They have too few young men left in their village and that would mean leavin’ their own women and children unprotected. The white law? I do not think so. No, Mr. Tanner. I was the only would could make those men pay for what they did,” said Sarah determinedly.

Vin did not doubt it. He saw the look of rage and hatred in those green eyes when she spoke about those men. Nope. He did not doubt it at all.

He then knew why he felt some connection to this woman. She was the female version of Chris Larabee. The only difference was that she had got her revenge and Chris was still seeking his.

Sarah interrupted his thoughts and said, “Listen, ya friend is still asleep. I’ll be back in a little while and then I’ll check to see iffen I can wake ‘im to get some food in ‘im. In the meantime,” she said wiping a fallen tear from her face. “why don’t cha finishin’ eatin’. Call me when ya done and I’ll come get the bowl.”

She then started to turn to walk out the door, but Vin stopped her.

“Sarah?”

Sarah halted her progress but did not turn around.

“Not all white men are bad, Sarah,” said Vin simply.

“I still have my doubts, Mr. Tanner. But ya and ya friends looks like to prove me wrong,” said Sarah and she walked out of the room.

Vin stared after her, smiling, hoping that they would continue to prove her wrong.

**************************************************************************************************************

Title: Stairway to Heaven

Chapter: 7 of ?

Chris awoke to sounds of someone snoring. His green eyes tried to focus and found that he was staring at a ceiling. He could not remember what the hell he was doing last night, but he figured he must have had a good time.

He turned his head towards the snoring sound and found himself looking at the face of a young curly-haired, tanned skinned man.

He remembered him. His name was Vin Tanner and he was his friend. He could not remember why Vin would be lying here in the same room he was. Was this a hotel? What had happened? Everything seemed to be clouded by fog.

Suddenly, he watched as someone slowly opened the door. Chris searched for his gun, but it was not within his vision. He sat up quickly, grabbing his head as a sharp pain hit him hard.

He groaned silently and cautiously sat up on the bed trying to find out the location of his clothes and his gun.

But it was too late. The person walked into the room and one glance made his heart beat faster and his head spin.

She was beautiful. One of the most beautiful women he had ever seen in his life. She stood with confidence and he could see in her green eyes the look of true grit in them. A woman after his heart. Almost like his Sarah.

The woman spied him immediately and moved swiftly to him, grabbing him by the arm.

“What did ya think ya doin’? Ya ain’t well enough to get out of bed yet,” she said reprimanding him.

Chris glared at her, annoyed at being told what to do. “And just who in the hell are you?”

“Ya seem to still be havin’ with problems with ya recall, Mr. Larabee,” retorted Sarah.

Chris eyed her suspiciously at the fact that she knew his name. “Do I know you?”

“I doubt it. Ya haven’t been straight in the head since ya got here. Ya friends and I brought ya here until help arrives,” explained Sarah laughingly. “How’s ya head doin’?”

Chris stared at the bold, young woman standing in front of him. “Okay…I guess,” answered Chris baffled by the woman’s appearance. “Just who are you?”

“My name’s Sarah Little Bird and I helped ya friend Mr. Dunne bring both you and Mr. Tanner to my place. It seems to me that ya got yourself in a bit of trouble goin’ against those bank robbers.”

“I think I remember that…but I don’t rightly remember seein’ you there,” stated Chris, doubt crossing his face.

“Well, ya kinda wasn’t all there when we were properly introduced,” said Sarah eyeing the man. “Are ya hungry?”

Chris pushed his doubt back into the darkness that existed in him and said, “Yeah, guess I could eat a little.”

“Good!” exclaimed Sarah. “I’ll be back with some warm vittles. Had some for ya earlier, but ya didn’t seem incline to want any.”

She then turned smoothly back around and walked out of the room.

“She’s a lively one, Chris.”

Chris turned to see Vin was now awake, blue eyes regarding him.

“Who is she, Vin?”

“Someone who cares, I guess, even if she don’t want to admit it.”

“She live here alone?” asked Chris running a hand through his unkempt hair.

“Yeah. Seems at one time she had a family,” said Vin. Chris could hear the sadness in his voice and knew there was something tragic about what he said.

“What happened?”

“Killed by some real bad men.”

“Where are these men now?”

“Dead.”

“She kill ‘em?” came Chris’ question.

Vin stared at him surprised. How could Chris know that she had killed the men who had killed her family.

Vin nodded silently and said, “How did ya know?”

“I’ve seen that look in her eyes before,” said Chris lying back down on the bed, placing his hands behind his head as he did.

“Yeah?” asked Vin curious. “When was that?”

“The day Cletus Fowler tore the soul and heart out of me,” whispered Chris, closing his eyes and turning his back towards his friend.

He did not think Vin heard him, but he did and it tore at the core of his heart to know how much pain his friend was in and he did not mean the physical one.

*****************************************************************************************************************

After Sarah had helped Chris eat some stew, he immediately fell back asleep.

When he awoke again, his headache was down to a low throb. He looked around and found his clothes lying at the foot of the bed. He eyed them apprehensively.

At that moment Sarah came walking in. She glanced at the still sleeping Vin. He needed the rest to repair the blood he had lost and she knew it would be a while before he was fully healed.

She then walked over to Chris and smiled. “I thought maybe ya wanted ya clothes back.”

“This belong to ya husband?” asked Chris motioning down to the nightshirt he wore.

“My man, yeah. Don’t worry about it. He don’t need it anymore,” said Sarah dismissively. “I made some coffee, if ya want. Why don’t ya come on in to the table and I’ll fix ya somethin’.”

Chris smirked at the young green-eyed woman. He did have a hankering for some. “Yeah. I’d like that. How long was I asleep?”

“Oh, a couple of hours, I guess. I think ya might be hungry again since ya just ate only a little of the stew earlier and from what I understand ya haven’t had anything to eat in days.”

“Thank ya, ma’am. Just let me get my clothes on and I’ll join ya.”

He started to lift up the nightshirt when he noticed she had not moved out of the room.

“Uh, I’d like to get dress now.”

Sarah laughed gently. It was a beautiful laugh to Chris and it seemed to bring light into his dark soul.

“Ya have a nice laugh, Miss Little Bird.”

“Call me Sarah,” replied Sarah still smiling.

“Sarah. It’s a beautiful name. One that…One that my wife carried too.”

“She did?” said Sarah feigning surprise. “Well then she’s a lucky woman.”

“No, ma’am. She ain’t. She’s dead.”

“I am sorry for ya lost, Mr. Larabee.”

“Call me Chris.”

“Chris then. Get dress and come and get that coffee.”

“As soon as you leave,” said Chris eyeing her with playful annoyance.

Sarah laughed heartily. “Ya don’t have anythin’ I haven’t seen before, Chris, but I’ll leave ya to ya privacy.” She then turned and walked out the door, laughing some more before closing the door leaving Chris and Vin alone.

“Told ya she was a pistol,” said Vin, his eyes still closed.

“I thought ya was asleep,” retorted Chris, removing the nightshirt and starting to dress in his clothes.

“Can’t sleep with you two jawin’ so loud,” answered Vin as he turned on his side and went back to sleep.

Chris snorted and finished dressing. Vin was right about one thing. This woman sure did have a fire in her belly. He wondered if it was with her that way all the time. It was definitely going to be very interesting finding out.

*****************************************************************************************************************

JD had finished eating and once cleaned up, went to join the others.

He found them waiting at the livery. All of them were mounted except for Nathan who was now sitting on a wagon.

Buck noticed JD’s look as he spied the wagon and said, “We’re gon’na use it to bring ‘em back to town.”

JD nodded his understanding of the situation and said, “Okay.”

“I think we should be on way, gentlemen,” said Ezra. “It is enough that we to have to travel in the dark to get there.”

“Sure thing, Ezra,” replied Buck smiling. “I know how much you enjoy your beauty sleep.”

“Considering, Mr. Wilmington, that your looks can attest to the fact that you, yourself, do not get enough sleep,” retorted Ezra.

“Ha, ha. Very funny, Ezra. Now if ya finished with insults, I think we need to get a move on before JD here jumps out of his pants,” said Buck eyeing how antsy the young man was at this moment.

“Me?” exclaimed JD. “I just wan’na get back to Chris and Vin. Buck, ya didn’t see how they looked when I left ‘em.”

“What about this woman you spoke about, JD?” asked Josiah.

“Her name is Sarah Little Bird. She lives about a few hours from here and I was lucky to have stumbled onto her place. She’s a real nice lady. Iffen it wasn’t for her I don’t think Chris and Vin would be alive right now,” said JD. After a second thought, “Well, they were when I left.”

But Buck knew that JD was also the one who had kept their friends alive and he looked at him with admiration.

“Okay, JD. We’re goin’,” stated Nathan motioning for them to get moving.

The men started riding out of town, as soon as JD got mounted, the wagon lumbering behind.

***************************************************************************************************************

Chris sat at the table, watching Sarah as she busily went about preparing him his meal. She had fed Vin a bowl of soup and then left Chris with his coffee and a bowl of soup also figuring while she helped the younger man eat, Chris could have some privacy to enjoy his meal in silence.

When Sarah returned to the table, she found Chris sitting with his eyes closed. At first she thought he was asleep, but then she noticed his head turn towards her and found she was looking into the deepest set of green eyes she had ever seen.

She lowered her eyes and glanced at his bowl, seeing that it was not touched.

“I thought ya were sleepin’, Mr. Larabee,” she said.

“Chris. It’s Chris. No, Miss Little…I mean Sarah. I was just…just sittin’ here thinkin’.”

“And ya have not touched ya soup. Don’t ya like it?”

Chris smiled gently at her. “Yes, ma’am. Just don’t have much of an appetite right now.”

Sarah finally noticed that his face was trying to hide the pain that he was currently in.

“Ya in pain,” said Sarah. It was more of a statement than a question. “Ya head.”

Chris nodded slightly. Trying not to move his head too much to cease the little men from digging in his head.

Sarah went and grabbed a cloth. She then went to the bucket of water she had brought in earlier and dipped the cloth into the cool water.

She then knelt down in front of Chris as he sat in the chair and with deft and gently fingers, wiped his face and then started on the back of his neck.

The cool cloth seemed to ease Chris pain somewhat and he felt much better than he had a few minutes ago. Sarah continued her ministrations for a few minutes, until Chris grasped her hand, staying her current move to continue wiping the back of his neck.

“Thank you,” said Chris softly.

Sarah eyes lit up as she softly brushed the stray of blond hair from his face and said, “Ya are very much welcomed, Chris.”

Sarah then stood up and poured herself some of the coffee she had been making. Chris watched her, dressed in her buckskins as she opened the door to the front of the house and stepped outside.

Chris picked up his cup of coffee and followed her to the porch.

When he got there, Sarah was standing against the rail, looking out at the plains that stood in front of her small cabin.

“So, how long ya lived here, Sarah?” asked Chris.

Sarah turned suddenly to find Chris standing just inside the doorway to the little cabin. She then turned back to the sight in front of her.

“For about five years. Me and Sean, that’s my man, he was white. We came here about that time. We left my people’s village to come here, looking for a better life than living on some stinking reservation. Sean was always good with horses and such. He wanted to raise ‘em and start his own ranch.”

Chris took a sip of his coffee and moved further out to where Sarah stood.

“What happened to him?”

“White men came…thieves,” said Sarah calmly. “I can only guess what they were lookin’ for, but they took the horses. From what I could tell, my man tried to fight ‘em off. But there were too many.” Sarah poised in her narrative, tears almost coming to her eyes. “They killed ‘im and my children too. Cut ‘em so bad ya could not find one of them whole. What was a couple of half-breed children to a bunch of white men?”

Chris grimaced in disgust. He could never understand men like these, men who would kill defenseless children for the sport of it.

“I’m sorry for ya lost. Not all white men are like that. So what happened to them?” asked Chris listening intently.

Sarah knew he was asking about what happened to the men. She turned to face him, green eyes glaring into green and said, “I hunted them down. It took me three weeks and I finally found them in camp outside some ghost town. I made sure they suffered before they begged to die.”

Chris noticed how her green eyes burned with fire. That look and her story had brought up old pain for Chris, pain he still carried at the thought of his own wife and child’s deaths. “At least their killers are dead,” said Chris matter-of-factly.

Sarah saw in his eyes what she saw years ago when she found her own family dead. The rage, hatred and guilt were burning in the soul of this man, as much as it had years ago in her soul, in fact still did somewhat.

Chris then turned quickly away, not wanting to see the pity in her eyes and walked back into the house.

Sarah stared after him. There was something about this white man that pulled at her heart. It could be the fact that his lost was so much like her lost. Unfortunately his end was currently not settled. But then she realized so was her own, in a way.

Sarah went back into the house and found Chris sitting at the table. She took a seat next to Chris, as he sat in his own chair, staring deeply into his cup of coffee.

“What happened to ‘em?” Sarah asked.

“Who?”

“Ya wife and child.”

“Died.”

“Ya said that, but not how.”

Chris lifted his eyes from his cup to glare at the woman. He was not much for speaking about his past, but for some reason with this woman he felt a sort of kinship. They had both lost their loved ones to violent deaths and both were still feeling the lost.

“They were killed. Men much like the ones that killed ya family.” Chris said as he swallowed a lump in his throat. “The difference is that these men were not after my horses, or our valuables or anything else. They were after me.”

Sarah could feel the guilt that animated off the blond man that sat before her. She reached over to him and raised her hand and softly cupped his cheek with it. “It wasn’t ya fault, Chris.”

Chris smiled at her and said, “Just like it wasn’t yours?”

Sarah dropped her hand and stood up from her chair. “Do you know what they call someone like me, Chris?”

“No.”

“Half-breed squaw. That is what I am to white men. Somethin’ to be used and thrown away after they’ve gotten what they wanted. No better than the dirt on the ground they walk on.”

“I don’t think anyone could get away with using you,” said Chris jokingly.

Sarah looked at him surprised and laughed. “I have to say one thing for ya, Chris. Ya sure got a sense of humor.”

“Don’t tell the boys that,” said Chris also laughing.

“I think ya and Vin are the nicest white men that I ever met,” said Sarah.

“And I think ya haven’t met many white men,” said Chris lightheartedly, getting up from the chair. The dizziness that afflicted him came again as he did and made him grab on to the table for support. Once he felt righted again, he started to walk towards the door that would lead outside, wanting to clear his head.

“Where are ya goin’?”

“Need some air. Gon’na take a walk.”

“Ya ain’t well enough to be goin’ off outside alone. At least not yet.”

An idea popped into Chris’ head and he said, “Well, then, how about you accompany me?”

Sarah smiled broadly at him, a strange feeling overcoming her. It was something that she had not felt in years. It was a feeling of belonging to someone. “I’d like that, Chris,” she said taking his arm and proceeding to help outside.

****************************************************************************************************************

Sarah helped Chris to sit under the one tree that existed on her place. She then sat down beside him. She looked at the horizon and spied an eagle, floating gently on the wind.

She wanted to be like that eagle. She wanted the burden of pain that she still felt that was eating at her heart so many times to disappear. But it would not go away so easily.

Chris watched her, covertly, as she stared at the eagle above. He wondered what it was she saw in it. Freedom? Or maybe just some peace, peace that even he could not find.

He felt a hand on his and had not noticed that Sarah’s attention was now on him. He squeezed her hand gently, rubbing it with his thumb. Her hand felt so soft and comfortable in his. Just like his own Sarah use to feel, like he thought it should feel with a woman he cared about.

Sarah was enjoying the way Chris touched her. She felt the fire in her belly spread through the rest of her body. She moved to kneel down in front of him. She could not resist her curiosity at the feel of his lips upon hers. Without thinking, she kissed him lightly on them, savoring their taste in her mouth.

Chris, at first did not know what Sarah was going to do, but once she had done it, he reciprocated her feelings. It felt good to have a woman’s lips upon his and he naturally pulled her into his arms and kissed her again, this time hard and long. He was empty for so long and now there was something growing within the darkness, taking over the empty space there.

Sarah was swept away by the emotions that ran through her. All thought of consequences and guilt was washed away in one swift act of a kiss. She had not felt any desire from any man since the death of her husband, and especially from a white man.

Without a second thought, both Chris and Sarah became too engross in what they were doing to notice the five men and a wagon approaching their area.

*****************************************************************************************************************

As JD and the others approached the clearing where the little cabin was situated, they noticed two people sitting under the lone tree that stood on the property.

In fact, it was Josiah who noticed the two figures that seemed totally encompassed with each other, ignoring everything outside of their small world.

“Boys, isn’t that Chris over there?” asked Josiah pointing towards the tree.

Buck peered at the area Josiah was pointing to and saw that it was and he was not alone. From the distance they were at, Buck could not clearly discern the other person. It seemed he was kissing a man. Buck could not believe it. Damn! He did not think Chris went that way. This was definitely a shock to his system.

Buck then nudged his horse at a gallop with Ezra, JD and Josiah following close behind. Nathan and the wagon came ambling up a little slower in succession.

As Buck got closer, he noticed the man Chris was kissing had the contours of a woman. He didn’t notice it before under all the buckskins she was wearing. Then it occurred to him. This must be Sarah Little Bird. Buck smiled devilishly. It seemed that Chris was feeling much better.

Chris and Sarah both heard the sound of horses and quickly broke apart. Chris squinted at the horizon, as the fading sun glittered behind the shadows coming towards them.

Sarah stood up and swiftly brushed the grass and dirt off her buckskins, turning to face the approaching riders and wagon.

“Hey, Chris!” yelled Buck, jumping from his horse and walking quickly over to the two under the tree.

Chris glared upward at the man and thought how Buck always had the knack to show up at the wrong time.

“Buck. See ya got here,” said Chris smirking.

“And I see ya been keepin’ yourself busy, stud. Who’s the gal?”

Sarah eyed Buck with fire in her eyes and said, “I ain’t no gal, Mister, as I am sure ya can see. My name is Sarah Little Bird.”

Buck smiled broadly. He could see this woman was full of vigor. “Sorry, ma’am. Didn’t mean to offend. I’m Buck Wilmington. I’m just glad to see Chris is alright.”

“He’s gettin’ there, but he don’t seem to listen to good advice,” said Sarah snidely looking down at Chris. “Neither one of ‘em.”

Chris glared at Sarah, but knew like Vin, it was lost on her.

“Help me up, Buck,” said Chris raising his hand for the tall moustache man to grasp it.

“I guess the little filly is right. Seems ya ain’t got the strength of a flea. Come on, Pard. Let’s get ya back to the house and back to bed before Nathan gets a hold of ya,” said Buck as he pulled Chris to his feet.

Chris groaned as the world spun around. He thought the dizziness had left, but it seemed he was wrong. He also noticed that the little men were coming back too.

JD, Josiah and Ezra were behind them as Buck helped Chris’ swaying body back to the house, keeping quiet counsel as they followed.

Nathan drove the wagon until it was in front of the house and had just jumped off of it as the others had proceeded into the house.

*************************************************************************************************************

Inside, Chris was settled back on to the bed he had occupied. They had found Vin awake and glassy eyed. Sarah figured his fever must have rose since she had left to go with Chris outside.

She ran quickly into the eating area and grabbed a bucket. She said, “I’ll be right back. I need to get some cold water for Vin’s fever.” She walked quickly out the door, the others eyeing her bewildered.

Nathan looked at Vin and Chris. They both looked like tow miles of bad road. He immediately decided to examine Vin first.

Chris was happy that Nathan moved his attention to Vin instead of him. He was not in a very good mood to be prodded and poked by the healer, although he knew Nathan only did it because he worried about them.

“JD, why don’t ya go help, Miss Little Bird,” said Nathan, looking over his shoulder from his examination from Vin’s wound.

JD nodded and went out to help the young woman.

“Chris, how long he been like this?” asked Nathan from Vin’s bed.

“Not long, Nate. He was fine earlier. In fact, he was sleeping real good,” said Chris rubbing his hand across his own forehead.

It did not go unnoticed by Josiah or the others. “You okay, Chris?” asked Josiah concerned.

“I’m fine,” answered Chris sharply. He really was not fine, but he did not want the others to know it. He was too tired to answer anyone questions and just wanted to sleep.

Josiah did not fall for it and neither did any of the others. They could see that Chris was in pain, but they would wait until Nathan took care of Vin first. Then they would help the healer to converge on the blond gunslinger, with or without his consent.

Whether Chris knew it or not, his friends were very worried about him and Vin and they would see to it that they were both taken care of.

“Mr. Larabee,” started Ezra. “If I do say so myself, you seem somewhat imbued with distress at the moment.”

“Ezra,” said Chris quietly. “Shut up.”

Ezra knew it was Chris’ polite way of saying that he did not want Nathan to know that he was in pain.

“As soon as I’m done cleanin’ out Vin’s wound, Chris, I’ll be over there to look at ya,” came Nathan’s statement after hearing the others conversation.

“Don’t bother, Nate. I’m tired and I wan’na sleep,” said Chris, closing his eyes and trying to discourage his friend acting upon his statement.

“Ya…know ya ain’t feelin’ too good, Chris,” came the raspy voice of Vin Tanner.

Chris opened his eyes and tried to see Vin’s face over the tall form of Nathan, but it was impossible since Chris figured he could not get up from where he was lying.

“Vin? Ya okay?” asked Chris tentatively.

“Hell, Cowboy. Think I’m better…better off than you,” said Vin chuckling softly.

Chris chuckled back at that and closed his eyes again to keep the room from spinning.

“I don’t know about that, Vin,” said Nathan. “Right now ya fever’s up some. We gotta get that down first. I cleaned the wound again. Seems ya got some infection in there, but Miss Little Bird looked like she did a real right job otherwise it probably would have been worse.”

“Don’t I know it. If it weren’t for JD and her, me and Chris would both be food for the buzzards.”

Chris snorted, his eyes still closed. “Yeah. She and JD certainly did.” He smiled as sleep took him away from the others.

Buck nudged Josiah and Ezra and they both smiled too. It had been a long time since the last time they had seen Chris Larabee go to sleep with a smile on his face.

Josiah walked over to lean over Nathan and whispered, “Nathan, I think you gon’na have to examine Chris while he’s sleep.” Josiah then nodded over to sleeping figure in black.

“Buck, take his boots off and put a blanket over ‘im. I’ll be over there once I get finished with Vin,” said Nathan still working on Vin.

At that moment, JD and Sarah came back with water for Nathan.

“Here ya go, Nate,” said JD passing a large bowl of water to Nathan.

“Thanks, JD.”

Buck then grabbed JD by the arm and pulled him over to the bed where Chris lay.

“JD, take Chris boots off and put a blanket over ‘im,” commanded Buck.

“Me? Why don’t you do it?”

“He is correct Mr. Wilmington. I believe Mr. Jackson has delegated that task to you,” piped in Ezra trying to hide the grin on his face.

“Unh, uh.”

“And why not?” asked JD.

“I can’t afford to get shot. You on the other hand don’t have a date with a lovely little lady back in town tomorrow. I want to keep all of my parts together until then,” said Buck smiling.

“Buck, I may be young, but I ain’t stupid.”

“JD, I think ya wrong. I think ya young and stupid,” said Buck teasingly walking over to Chris and starting to remove his boots.

JD smiled. Yeah, right. That was why Buck was taking off Chris’ boots and not him. He knew like the others if Chris was awoken too suddenly out of his sleep, he would shoot and ask questions later.

Before Buck could finish, Sarah stepped next to him and said, “Let me do it, Mr. Wilmington.” She then immediately removed the boots and took the blanket and gently laid it over the sleeping blond. Chris never stirred.

Buck eyed her with mischief. Chris’ luck was sure a fickle one. He had lost the love of his life years ago to tragedy, Mary when he was trying to prevent a tragedy and then Ella came back into his life carrying tragedy and now, now in the event of tragedy, someone else had come into his life that Buck hoped would make a difference. But that was yet to be seen.

Although Buck wanted his friend to find happiness, he knew when it came to the blond sleeping on the bed, that he mostly tried to avoid finding it and Buck was afraid, it would end the same way with this woman too. One of them would be hurt, one way or the other.

Sarah turned and saw the look that the tall moustache man called Buck Wilmington was leveling on the man sleeping on the bed. It akin to something like sadness and it bore a pang into her heart.

“Buck, is it?” she said recovering from her saddened thoughts, smiling slightly.

“Yes, ma’am,” said Buck.

“I’ll take care of ‘im. Why don’t ya get some coffee and somethin’ to eat in the kitchen? In fact, all ya look like ya can use some food in ya. I made plenty.”

“Thank you, ma’am. Name’s Josiah Sanchez. Food is just as much as good for the soul as prayer,” replied Josiah.

“Sarah. Please call me Sarah, Josiah. Are you a holy man?”

Josiah nodded to her. He liked this woman. She made him feel at ease and he knew he did not have to explain his past, but he felt so relax in doing so. “Use to be, Miss Sarah, use to be.”

“JD, ya know where everythin’ is. Why don’t ya show ya friends here where they are.”

“Sure, Sarah. Come on, Buck,” said JD walking out of the room.

“Ma’am,” said Buck touching the brim of his hat and following JD out of the room.

“I am Ezra Standish. Thank you for your hospitality, Miss Little Bird,” said Ezra bowing slightly to her and kissing her hand.

Sarah blushed and giggled. “Ya sure got funny ways, Mr. Standish.”

“Call me Ezra.”

“Ya can call me Sarah, Ezra. There’s some Bourbon Whiskey in the cupboard. I usually save it for medicinal reasons, but I guess this is a special case.”

“Sarah, you are a angel in this barren wasteland,” replied Ezra, walking away to join JD in the kitchen.

“Like I said, Ezra. Ya sure got some funny ways,” said Sarah after him.

Josiah then followed.

Sarah then turned to Nathan and said, “I like ‘em.”

Nathan turned away from his ministrations and looked at her. “Who? Them?”

“Yep. But I should have known. JD, Vin and Chris ain’t the types to be around men that they don’t respect. I can see why ya so close.”

Nathan smiled at her. He found her to be very perceptive about people, which was a rarity these days. “Yeah, they are, ma’am. My name’s Nathan Jackson.”

Sarah watched as Nathan started bandaging up Vin’s shoulder. She had seen the worry in his eyes when he first saw the two men, although the black man had tried to hide his feelings. But there was not much anyone could hide from Sarah. She had learned to understand people well while she was hunting down the men that had killed her family.

“Ya a healer?”

“No, ma’am. Just know how to fix people up. Learned about it during the war as a stretcher bearer.”

“War? Ya people warred against the whites?”

Nathan grimaced. “I guess ya could say it was the war of white against white and my people were just one of the excuses they used for it.”

“War is serious business,” replied Sarah thoughtfully and confused. “When my people go to war its ‘cause there is not enough food for our people, or for women, horses or huntin’ grounds that have been taken by our enemy. I do not know how ya people could have been the cause.”

“It’s difficult to understand unless ya a part of it. But that is over now. Right now, I try to help where I can by takin’ care of people.”

“Ya good man, Nathan Jackson. How is he doin’?”

“Better. I have to say ya did a good job here.”

“Thank ya. I learned from my pa how to take care of wounds and such. JD was the one who took out the bullet. I think Vin was lucky to have ‘im around. I could not do much for Chris. The bullet grazed his head real bad and his brains seemed kinda scrambled.”

“Ya mean he got an concussion?”

“Con…what ya said?”

“Concussion. It’s when ya hit ya head hard and it does just what ya said. Scrambles the brain up some.”

“Oh, yeah, that sounds ‘bout right.”

“I plan to take a good look at ‘im when I’m done with Vin.”

“Ya…done right…now,” came Vin’s soft interruption.

Sarah and Nathan turned to see that the young tracker was staring at them through hooded eyelids.

“I ain’t done until I say I’m done,” admonished Nathan.

“Vin, why don’t ya get some sleep,” suggested Sarah.

“I would…if Nathan would stop…pokin’…my shoulder,” retorted Vin breathless.

“I ain’t pokin’ it. I’m tryin’ to bandage it. Now shut up and rest. Otherwise I have somethin’ that’ll make ya sleep.”

Vin glared at the healer, but Nathan was so use to them that they just bounced off him harmlessly. Vin knew he was not going to win this argument and he was too hot and tired to try.

Nathan stood up and then walked over to Chris. He found the gunslinger completely out of it.

“Hey…Nate. He sleep?” asked Vin.

“Seems so,” said Nathan examining the cut on his scalp. He was surprised that Chris did not awake at his touch. The man was known to be a light sleeper.

“I…think he took a hard hit, Nate,” said Vin trying to see what the healer was doing.

Nathan glared at the young man on the bed. “Didn’t I say to get some rest!” he exclaimed.

“But Nathan…”

“Don’t but Nathan me, Vin Tanner. I said get some rest. I ain’t got time for none of this right now. I need to take care of Chris and not worry about what you gon’na do.”

Vin mumbled something about people in bad moods, but finally settled back, feeling the exhaustion and fever catching up to him and closed his eyes to take much needed advice from Nathan and Sarah.

Sarah walked over to Nathan carrying water and cloth in a bowl. “Here Nathan. I think ya could use this.”

“Thanks, Miss Sarah. Much ‘preciate it.”

“I’ll get ya some coffee ready for ya. When ya done, come on out and join the others.”

Nathan grinned at her, glancing up from his task and said, “Will do.”

Sarah then went out to the kitchen to see about the others.

****************************************************************************************************************

Chris awoke to darkness. He did not know how long he had been asleep, but he knew it had to be at least a few hours.

He cautiously sat up in the little bed and bent over to retrieve his boots. He felt some dizziness, as he did but not as bad as he had earlier. He gingerly picked them up and started to put them on.

Once he was dressed he grabbed his holster and gun and his hat and walked out of the room as silently as he could. He did not see the two deep blue eyes that had watched him leave the room.

Chris had passed the others who were asleep on either pallets or cots around the main living area. He crept as quietly as he could, trying not to step on bodies, hands or feet as he moved to the front door. He hoped the door did not creak considering how old the cabin looked. He turned the knob and was about to open the door and walk out when he felt a hand touch his shoulder.

Acting out of instinct he grabbed the hand fiercely and turned around to find he was staring into two green pair of eyes.

“Sarah!” whispered Chris. “Ya took me by surprise.”

“I didn’t think there was anyone who could surprise the great gunslinger Chris Larabee,” Sarah whispered back teasingly.

Chris eyes clouded with vexation. “Ya know about my reputation?”

Sarah changed the subject quickly. “Where were ya headed? Ya not leavin’ are ya?”

Chris caught off guard again said, “No. I wasn’t plannin’ on it. Why don’t ya join me?”

“Sure,” said Sarah as she and Chris walked out of the front door. She closed the door behind them silently.

Outside, Chris led Sarah away from the house and towards the corral where the horses were settled. There was only a piece of the moon out this night. The rest of the area was blanketed darkness like a cloak.

They walked side by side as they got to the fence and Chris’ horse moved swiftly towards him. Chris held out his hand in a gesture of greeting and the horse sniffed it and snorted lightly at him.

“No, boy. I ain’t got an apple for ya tonight,” said Chris as he vigorously rubbed the horse’s nose.

“He’s a nice horse, Chris.”

“I know. I he’s been through a lot with me. Ya never answered my question.”

Sarah sighed, reluctant to reply to his question, but she knew he deserved an answer.

“When I tracked those men down it took me long time. I followed them into places that no real human bein’ should go.”

“Human being?”

“Yeah. It is what my people call themselves. These places, where bad men live, I followed them there and in these places they talked a lot. Talked about men who hired out to kill other men. They say names. One name they say a lot was Chris Larabee.”

“And what did they say about Chris Larabee?”

“They say many things. These men, they like to talk, some times too much. But they say he is one of the best. They also say that he was fast with gun and that he had no heart so felt no guilt when he killed a man,” said Sarah.

“They said that?”

“Yep. But I now know that what they said was not true. I have seen Chris Larabee and I have seen that he has a heart. A big heart,” said Sarah tapping his chest lightly.

“I don’t have a heart,” disagreed Chris emphatically. “It was ripped out years ago in a fire. A fired that killed my wife and child.”

“Not true. I have seen the way ya care about ya friends. How ya put ya friends’ pain above ya own. No, Mr. Larabee. The only thing that is true is that ya are blind to the trueness of it,” replied Sarah with finality.

Chris gazed at her, his heart beating faster in his chest as she came closer to him. She stood unmovable in front of him and on raised tiptoes she kissed him softly on the lips.

At first Chris did not kiss back, but then he grabbed a handful of her hair and pulled her hard to him, kissing her passionately as if they had no tomorrow.

Sarah felt her body on fire with desire and she wanted him, wanted him like she never thought she ever would again. She grabbed at Chris’ shirt and started to unbutton it. Chris clasped her hands into his and said, “Are you sure this what you want?” His eyebrow raised in doubt.

“Yes,” whispered Sarah breathless. “I have never felt this way for a white man before since the death…since the death of my husband and probably will never feel this way again.”

“I can’t explain it, but I feel the same. It’s as if there’s just somethin’ right about us being together.”

“We are kin in spirit, Chris Larabee. We are of the same mind and the same heart.”

“But I can’t promise you anythin’,” she said hearing the regret in his voice.

“Ya don’t have to, Chris. All I want is tonight and whatever ya willin’ to give me.”

With that, he grabbed her by the waist, kissing her hard and pulled her towards the ground on the scattered hay that lay besides the fencing, both of them frantically removing their clothes in the darkness of the night. Silent were their movements that only the rustling of clothing could be heard.

When they were finally free of their inhibitions, he pulled her to lie on top of him, as he murmured words of her beauty as he traced the outline of her body.

He sighed in ecstasy as Sarah hands ran up and down his body, the heat between them leaving no room for the outside world.

He kissed her feverishly, feeling her hot body against his and wishing to complete their union.

Not able to stay their heightened passion any longer, they both became intertwined, their lovemaking quiet and slow.

They were so lost to their lovemaking they did not notice a pair of prying eyes that watch only a few feet away in the darkness.

***************************************************************************************************************

Vin awoke the next morning to find that he did not feel as hot as before and that his shoulder did not pain as much.

His blue eyes looked around for the blond that was suppose to have shared his room and found him soundly asleep with most of his clothes on. The only thing missing were his boots.

“Mornin’, Pard,” said Chris, his eyes still closed.

“I thought ya was asleep,” retorted Vin.

“Not hardly with you snorin’ as loud as a mule,” answered Chris turning his head towards the tracker and opening one eye to him. He and Sarah had snuck back into the house only a hour ago.

“I hardly had any sleep at all with you creepin’ ‘round at all hours of the night. Where did ya go anyways?”

“None of ya business,” said Chris opening his other eye and glaring at the curly brown-haired man.

“It is when ya leave with my nurse, me being a sick man and all,” said Vin laughingly.

“You sure must wan’na get shot, don’t ya?” smirked Chris, sitting up and starting to pull on his boots.

“Now where ya goin’?”

“None…of…your…damn…business,” said Chris emphatically.

“Aw, Chris, come on. Ya can tell me.”

“I could, but then I have to shoot you.”

Vin chuckled at that. Yep. The love bug had bitten the hard-assed Larabee.

“Ya can kiss and tell, Chris,” laughed Vin.

Chris was really not offended by Vin’s questioning. He knew Vin was just concerned about him and probably about Sarah. He was not blind to the way Vin watched Sarah. He did not know if it was serious or just that he was smitten with her, but he did not want to put the woman between them, nor damage his friendship with Vin.

Vin read Chris like a book. He knew the man was worried about his feelings, although he had to admit that Sarah was a beautiful woman, he had no notion to mark a claim on her.

“Chris, I ain’t got no designs on the woman, if that’s what ya worried about. I think she’d make ya a great partner and she can probably hunt and track better than ya too. In fact, I think ya need someone to hunt and cook so that ya can put some meat on that scrawny ass of yours.”

“Isn’t that callin’ the kettle black. I wouldn’t talk if I were you, Pard. That bony ass of yours is killin’ ya horse every time ya get on,” snapped Chris.

“Why ya lookin’ at my ass for? Ya one of ‘em funny men?”

“Ha, ha, ha. You’re real funny, ya know that.”

Vin smiled, but then he became serious. “I really meant what I said, Chris. If there is somethin’ ‘tween ya and Sarah…”

Chris sighed. “No, Vin. There’s nothin’ between me and Sarah.”

Vin shook his head in disbelief. He knew that although Chris believed what he said, his eyes said something different and he knew it was the same for Sarah.

“Listen, Chris,” started Vin. “I don’t mean to pry and ya know me, I try to mind my own business. But I gotta say this…”

“Wait, Vin…”

“No, Chris. I gotta say this and its gon’na get said. I know what ya feel for that gal and ya can keep lyin’ to yourself and keep wallowin’ in self-pity and guilt and never find happiness, or ya can grab the bulls by the horn and take a chance. It’s up to ya. But iffen it was me, I’d be there tellin’ that gal how I really feel.”

Vin eyed Chris waiting for the storm he knew as about to become unleashed. But instead there was only silence and then Chris breathed out heavily.

“Ya right, Vin. There is some things that need bein’ said.”

“Well, go to it, Cowboy.”

Chris broke into a grin and put the last boot on his feet. He then stood up and walked over to the door. But before he left he turned and faced the man he called friend.

“Ya know, Vin, that’s the longest speech I ever heard from ya.”

“Don’t worry, Chris. It’ll be the last one ya hear from me.”

“Ya need anythin’? Like Nathan?”

“Hell, no! Ya think I want that man pokin’ and proddin’ me? I got sores that’s got sores.”

“Just askin’, Pard.”

“Well, don’t ask again and don’t think of wakin’ ‘im up. I rather have that bullet back in my shoulder than have Nate all over me,” complained Vin.

Chris chuckled at the scruffy Texan. Vin was one of a kind and he knew that there would be no replacing him as a friend. He walked out of the room, closing the door behind him in search of a buckskin wearing, rifle-toting gal.

***************************************************************************************************************

Joe Carson watched the woman as she went about her daily ministrations around the corral. He watched her with lust in his eyes.

She was a fine looking woman, if she took off the buckskins. But for him, it did not matter. What he wanted from her, clothes were not an issue.

The other thing that appealed to him is that she had some sort of relationship with one of the men who had killed his friends, his pards who were now buzzard meat a few hours away.

He could think of no better revenge than taking the woman and killing the men right in front of her. Then after he was done with her, he would kill her too.

He smiled, wiping wet lips with the back of his jacket sleeve. Yeah. As far as he was concerned, she would be a tidy little piece.

As she came walking back towards his position, he quickly slipped behind the back of the house to become part of the dawn’s lightened shadows again.

****************************************************************************************************************

Sarah had just finished feeding the horses and was walking over to the water trough to clean up. She carried her rifle with her, as she always did since the death of her family. It was out of habit being a woman alone on the frontier. She placed the rifle within reach next to the trough as she started to clean up.

As she bent over, she suddenly felt someone behind her. Thinking it was Chris, she did not turn around, but said, “Ya back for some more so early in the mornin’?”

She turned around and found herself looking at a stranger with a pistol pointed at her.

“What the hell?” she exclaimed, reaching for her rifle that was propped next to the trough.

“Don’t try it,” said the man, cocking the gun.

Sarah eyed the man cautiously. He was not very tall, but he was on the meaty side. His clothes and face showed at least three days of dust and dirt from what she could tell. He must have been traveling for days and she did not see or hear a horse, so he must have been afoot.

She silently cursed herself for being lack in her guard. If she had not let Chris and the others into her life, she would have never been so easily caught off guard.

“Who the hell are ya?” asked Sarah, glaring angrily at the man who had trespassed on her territory.

“Doesn’t matter who I am. Just do as I say and ya won’t get hurt,” replied the man waving his pistol at her.

Sarah burst out laughing at this.

The man stared at her abashed, his mouth open. He thought that this woman was crazy. But he quickly recovered himself and said, “What the hell so damn funny?”

Sarah took a relax stance and said, “Nothin’.” She then burst out laughing again.

“Stop that! Right now, unless ya want a bullet in ya head.”

Sarah stopped laughing, but she held a smile still on her face. She could tell by the way the man’s hand shook that he was nervous and probably scared. Just the way she wanted him.

“Let’s move out of the open. Get over there by the corral,” ordered the man.

Sarah moved cautiously towards the corral, her eyes glancing back ever so often at the man following her. She also languidly slid her hand to the front of her buckskin shirt where she held her knife and pulled it out slowly, keeping it in front of her.

“Okay,” she heard the man say from behind. “This is good. Now turn around.”

“What ya gon’na do?”

“I’m gon’na kill that no good varmint of a boyfriend of yours and his friends that killed my pards and then you and I are gon’na have a little private party,” said the man laughing devilishly.

Sarah could feel the man up against her back, the gun poking into her side behind her and she knew this would be her chance.

She turned around fast, knocking the man’s gun out of his hand at the same time. She then brought her knife up immediately in a short arc slid it into the man’s abdomen.

The man doubled over, his eyes resting on Sarah’s. Sarah glared back at him with disgust and rage. She leaned over to his ear and whispered, “No one threatens me and mine.”

The man could only stare at her in shock as Sarah pulled the blade out and watched him fall to the ground, writhing in pain. She stood there for moment, breathing hard, while blood started to slowly seep from the man’s stomach.

She wiped the blood off the knife on her clothes and then walked calmly back to where she had left her rifle. She then picked it up and cocked it, walking back to the man who was still alive, training it on him.

“He…Help…me,” pleaded the man softly in pain to her, raising a bloody hand.

Sarah sniffed at him and then walked away towards the cabin.

As she did, she saw Chris come ambling out. He saw her with the knife in one hand and her rifle in the other and knew something was wrong.

He ran over to her and said, “What happened?”

“Man over there…” said Sarah cocking her head towards the direction of the man on the ground. “…he was lookin’ for revenge. I just taught him a lesson ‘bout whose property this is.”

Chris eyed her in shock and concern. “Ya alright?”

“Now why wouldn’t I be?” she asked and started walking over to the horses. But her movement was staved by Chris’ hold on her arm.

“Ya coulda got yourself killed!” exclaimed Chris angrily.

Sarah pulled her arm away and glared at him in exasperation. She had never seen this side of him until now. “Really? I guess ya better take a look and see who’s lyin’ with his guts slidin’ out, ‘cause it ain’t me!” she yelled.

At that moment, Buck, JD, Josiah and Ezra came walking out of the cabin. They had heard the commotion and decided to come outside and investigate.

They looked at Chris and Sarah, rage painted on both of their faces and then they saw the man who was still lying on the ground writhing in pain.

Buck approached them hurriedly, with the others following closely behind.

“What happened?” asked Buck.

“Who’s that guy and why’s he lyin’ on the ground?” asked JD.

Chris said nothing. Only sent another glare at Sarah. Of course, Sarah sent another glare back.

“Chris?” queried Josiah.

“She said he was tryin’ to kill us. Why? I don’t know. Don’t know who he is,” said Chris throwing his hands in the air.

“I told ya, he said somethin’ about gettin’ ya and ya friends for killin’ his pards!” shouted Sarah.

They then heard the man screaming in pain.

“Why is he screamin’ like that?” asked JD.

“’Cause I cut him a new hole in his gut and he’s bleedin’ like a stuck pig,” said Sarah coolly.

JD blanched at this statement.

“You gon’na leave him like that?” asked Josiah.

“Yep,” replied Sarah walking away towards the horses.

“She can’t mean that, can she?” questioned JD nervously.

They watched as Sarah continued towards the horses, never turning a backward glance at them or the man squirming in pain on the ground.

Buck sighed. “Guess she can. Josiah?” called Buck.

“Yeah?”

“Ya better get Nathan out here,” said Buck.

“Right, brother,” said Josiah walking back into the cabin.

“JD, Ezra, better go take a look at ‘im, see how bad it is,” said Buck.

“Mr. Wilmington, I do not see why I must. I think the miscreant deserves any inconvenience he has justly received,” answered Ezra annoyed. He did not like the fact that this man had tried to hurt his friends, new and old alike.

“Ezra,” said Buck emphatically this time.

“Come, Mr. Dunne. Let us review the refuse for these gentlemen. Maybe we can’t put him out his misery completely,” said Ezra walking towards the man.

JD followed, but eyed Ezra with concern and Buck with suspicion. He knew the men he rode with were tough and sometimes it looked unfeeling, but he did not think they would let the man die. But then again, they did have a knack for making them suffer.

He decided it was best that certain things were left un-judged and unsaid.

Buck watched them go and then turned his attention to Chris. The man was pacing back and forth like some angry black cat.

“Chris, ya got to admit, she did save our hides,” said Buck trying to calm the man down.

“She coulda got herself killed, Buck,” said Chris adamantly.

“She’s a big gal, Chris and I’m sure livin’ out here alone for so long she’s learned to take care of herself,” countered Buck.

Chris sighed despondently and ran a hand through his hair. “I know, Buck. I know. It’s just that…” What was it? He could not say, not even to Buck who was one of his oldest friends.

“Ya like her and ya care about her,” finished Buck.

Chris looked at his friend and nodded slowly. He did care about her. “More than I should, Buck.”

“So what ya gon’na do about it? Ya know she gon’na be alone again once ya leave,” said Buck stating the obvious to him.

“I don’t know, Buck. I really don’t know. I didn’t want her to get hurt and look at what happens. Just bein’ around me is dangerous!”

“Chris, there is always that possibility with a woman, living out here alone. Ya can’t help that Chris. No more than ya could stop…”

Chris knew what Buck was going to say and although the tall lawman made sense, Chris still hung on to his guilt about his family.

Chris turned from Buck and walked away. There was no doubt in Buck’s mind where the lanky man was headed.

***************************************************************************************************************

Chris found Sarah brushing down her horses. The way she took to the task, Chris could see that she was very much into her work and very angry. So much, she did not notice his presence.

“Sarah.”

“What ya want now, Chris Larabee? Ya wan’na tell me how to brush my horses?” retorted Sarah.

“Sarah,” said Chris, grabbing her by the shoulders and turning her to face him.

Sarah looked at him, anger blazing fires in her eyes.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean…I mean what I said…”

“Spit it out, Chris, otherwise ya might choke.”

“Hell, I care about ya, Sarah and it scared me to think ya might be hurt. I really do appreciate what ya did.”

“Ya have a funny way of showin’ it, Chris Larabee. But ya have to remember. I’ve been on my own for a long time now. Ya can’t just come in here and tell me what I can or can’t do.”

“I’m sorry, Sarah. I didn’t mean to sound like I was tellin’ ya what to do. I just want to protect you.”

“How can ya? What’s gon’na happen once ya leave, Chris?” she asked.

Chris looked at her, realizing she and Buck were right. “Ya know I gotta find my family’s killers.”

“I ain’t askin’ ya to stay, Chris. I would never do that. And ya think I don’t want to protect you too? I may be a woman, Chris, but I am a good hunter and tracker and I can defend myself and anybody else I care about. Ya and ya friends have changed my mind on white man. I never thought that I would fall for another one. And here I am…here I am feelin’ things I ain’t felt in a long time. I knowed…I knowed I failed my family…but I ain’t gon’na fail anyone again!” she exclaimed with tears in her eyes.

Chris eyed her with sorrow once she finished speaking. He knew she was still carrying the burden for the deaths of her family. He realized just as he did.

He also knew that he came into this woman’s world and turned things upside down for her and now he was leaving. He felt a pain of guilt and a pain of anguish at what he knew he had to do.

But he also knew that she was in pain and he was part of the cause.

“Sarah, it wasn’t ya fault,” said Chris as he grabbed her into a hug, trying to comfort her.

Sarah could hold in the tears and pain any longer. She cried fiercely in Chris’ chest, holding on to Chris for dear life.

When she had found her family, she was first in shock, then anguish and pain and finally it was rage and hatred. But she never really mourned her lost and never really let herself mourn them.

She always thought she had to be strong and keep herself in control in order to see justice done for an injustice. She could not show weakness when she found the men that took her family away from her. But she never realized that finally completing her mission did nothing to allay her pain and guilt, until now.

Chris held on, wishing in someway he could release his own tears and anguish that he kept deep inside. But he knew he still could not. He needed to keep the rage that kept him sharp as a knife until he found his family’s killers.

At first he felt that Sarah was lucky, that she had found her family’s killers and had been able put some of her demons to rest.

But in this instance he came to realize that finding them did not put the pain at losing one’s family completely away. He realized that once he found his family’s killers, there was still the pain of lost. He just hoped when the time came, he had someone like Sarah around to help him put his life back together again.

Sarah’s crying slowed and she lifts her head up to look into his eyes. “I ain’t askin’ ya to stay with me, Chris. I only want what I got now. Somethin’ that’ll stay with me, that I can keep safe here…” she said placing his hand over her heart. “…here where my family still is. I want ya to be a part of that, Chris.”

Chris finally caved in. “Oh, Sarah. Ya know ya mean a lot to me. More than any other woman ever has in long time,” answered Chris, kissing her gently on the head. “But I can’t stop lookin’ for my family’s killers. I have to…I have to find my own ending to this.”

Sarah pulled a little ways from him and nodded. She then kissed him on the lips gently. “I knowed that. I’ve always knowed that, Chris and I don’t want ya to feel guilty about it, ya understand me?”

Chris smiled softly at her and nodded. Yes. He did understand. He understood that he was leaving a good woman and someone he cared deeply for and although it did not show, his heart was breaking with the knowledge of it.

“Anyway, ya ain’t that far away. Four Corners is only a few hours from here. Ya can always come back and visit. Especially when it gets colder. I need a good bed warmer,” she said chuckling trying to lighten up their mood.

“Yeah, I guess ya can do that,” he said pulling her closer to him. He then added, quirking his eyes at her, “And ya can always come and visit me.

Sarah nodded and her smile widened. Chris then kissed her passionately, trying to forget about the world around them as it moved onward.

Buck was standing watching in satisfaction. He was wondering when Chris would finally get his head on straight.

He did not notice that Josiah and Nathan had come out of the house behind him. They walked up to him, both wondering what had happened.

“Now, what the hell is goin’ on?” asked Nathan, his arms folded in front of him.

“Didn’t Josiah tell ya?” asked Buck.

“I figured it better he see for himself,” answered Josiah.

Buck did not say another word. He pointed towards the man still writhing in pain on the ground with JD and Ezra still standing guard over him.

Nathan squinted at the scene that was taking place in front of them and said, “What the hell happened?” Nathan was about to run over when Buck grabbed his arm.

“Fix ‘im up, but not too much. He was tryin’ to beef Chris,” said Buck smiling.

Nathan smirked at Buck, but shook his head as he walked to the three men.

Josiah stared at Buck, but he also wore a smile on his face. “Buck, you know that God says turn the other cheek.”

“He also said an eye for an eye, Josiah and I plan to find out why that buzzard wants Chris dead.”

Josiah silently agreed with him.

They walked to where Nathan and the others were. One way or the other, the seven were going to find out who is this man was.

*****************************************************************************************************************

After Chris and Sarah had finished their own private conversation, they headed back to where the others were.

They found Nathan working to patch the man up, while the others were standing over him impatiently to talk to him.

By the time Chris and Sarah were a little ways from them, Nathan seemed to be finished and stood up.

“I’ve done as much as I can right now,” he said to Buck off to the side. “He ain’t gon’na last much longer. He lost too much blood and I think he has some damage inside.”

Buck and the others saw Chris and Sarah approach them. Buck swiftly moved to intercept them.

“Nathan’s done about all he can, Chris. He ain’t got much longer before he meets his maker. Do ya know who he is?”

Chris eyed Buck thoughtfully and stepped over to look at the man on the ground. He then shook his head. “I ain’t never seen ‘im before.”

“Well, I plan to find out why,” said Buck determinedly.

Buck knelt down next to the dying man. He could see how pale the man’s skin was that he was not long for this world.

“Who are ya and why did ya want to kill Chris?”

The man coughed as blood came frothing out of his mouth. He eyed Buck in bewilderment. “Chris? Chris…who?”

“Chris. Chris Larabee,” said Buck pointing to the blond gunslinger that had now joined him to kneel in front of the dying man.

“You’re…you’re Chris Larabee?” coughed the man again. He started laughing and coughing at the same time.

“What’s so funny?” asked Chris, glaring angrily at the man.

“Didn’t…didn’t…know that…that ya were Chris Larabee. Ya was followin’ us. Ya killed…ya killed my pards,” choked out the man.

“Followin’ ya? Killed ya pards?” repeated Chris. Chris eyes then closed as if he was in pain. But then they opened and stared wide-eyed at the man on the ground.

“You’re part of those bank robbers!” exclaimed Chris.

The others who were listening deeply to the conversation all looked at the man in shock.

JD stepped to the forefront and said, “Ya were the last man standing on the hill, were’nt ya?”

The man laughed some more, but they could all see that it was causing him some pain.

“That’s good…really good. Yeah. Guess…I was…last man standing, that is,” replied the man. “Name’s Joe…Carson.”

“Why tell us your name now?” asked Josiah.

“I know…I know I’m dyin’, Mister. There ain’t…ain’t much left in me. Figured ya can at least make…make sure my marker got a name,” said Joe chuckling at a joke only known to him.

“So all your associates are deceased and I presume food for the buzzards,” stated Ezra.

“Yeah…ya made…made sure…they don’t…don’t see another sunset,” said Joe struggling to take his next breath.

“Where’s the money?” asked JD.

“Why…why should I tell ya anythin’,” spat Joe as blood dribbled out of his mouth.

“Because you’re dying, son and giving up the money might be better before you meet your maker,” interjected Josiah.

“Ya…preacher man? Ya…cough…ya gon’na pray over me?”

“If you confess your sins unto God,” said Josiah.

Joe closed his eyes momentarily as he felt the little life left in his body start to slip away.

“Go…to…hell,” Joe rasped out. His eyes slowly closed.

“Hey!” yelled Buck, grabbing the man by the jacket and pulling him off the ground.

“Let it go, Buck,” said Chris with decisiveness.

“But Chris, he tried to kill ya! And we don’t know where the money is.”

“And he failed and it’s gone. Let it go, I said,” commanded Chris standing up from the ground.

“But what if he has friends around? What if they come lookin’ for ya?”

Chris knew Buck was worried, but he also saw it as the inevitable considering his past profession and reputation. At this moment, all Chris cared about was the little men digging his skull again and his stomach was doing somersaults.

Chris sighed. “Buck, I can’t go around worryin’ about every man who’s called me out or every man I had for breakfast. Takes too much time and too much energy,” said Chris dismissing Buck’s concerns. “We can track back when we leave and see if we can find his horse or the money. But right now, I’m dead tired and too worn out to worry about.”

Buck saw the glassy look Chris was giving him and knew his friend spoke the truth.

Chris was not looking too well at this moment and he did not think it was all exhaustion.

He had almost forgotten that the man had taken a bullet to the head recently and should not be walking around right now. Buck let the body drop by to the ground and stood by his friend.

Nathan had heard the conversation and saw that Chris did not look well.

“Ya boys don’t ever listen, do ya,” admonished Nathan. “Sarah, help me get ‘im into the house.”

He and Sarah then each grabbed Chris by each arm and slowly walked the blond gunslinger over to the house.

“Josiah, let’s bury this trash somewhere,” said Buck.

“Not on my land!” yelled Sarah before she walked into the house with Chris and Nathan.

Buck chuckled. Damn! That gal was sure a pistol.

They set out to prepare the body to buried somewhere away from Sarah’s property.

**************************************************************************************************************

They had settled Chris back on the cot. Nathan was still fussing over him, when Sarah noticed a pair of clear blue eyes staring at them.

“Well, well, Mr. Tanner. I’m glad to see ya awake,” she said smiling at him.

“Yes, ma’am. Figured ya missed me some,” answered Vin teasingly.

“Some of us did, Mr. Tanner,” replied Sarah.

“Not me,” came the quiet response from the blond on the bed.

“Aw, Chris. Ya hurtin’ my feelings.”

“I doubt that, ya scrawny ass Texan.”

“Scrawny ass? Scrawny ass?” responded Vin sitting up in the bed feigning indignation. “Sarah, do ya think my ass is scrawny?”

Sarah started laughing loudly. “Reckon not. Why don’t ya turn around and let me see,” she said winking at him.

Vin started to turn, when they both heard Chris exclaimed, “Ya better not if ya want a bullet in that scrawny ass!”

Sarah and Vin both tried to hide their grins.

“And whose scrawny ass do ya think I should look at?” retorted Sarah. She then started laughing even more with Vin joining in.

Nathan looked at them all astonished, wondering what the hell was going on.

“If ya’ll don’t mind, I’d like to take a look at my patient without ya’ll getting’ ‘im riled up at least ‘til I’m finished. Don’t need no lead flyin’ around here to hurt the only good healer ya got,” stated Nathan, feigning annoyance.

“Sure, Nate, sure,” answered Vin, trying to stifle the chuckle that was trying to get out.

Sarah nodded, but even she was having a hard time trying to hide her smile.

Chris was still glaring hard at them both, knowing that they had just bated him into annoyance.

“The two of ya are gon’na be the death of me yet,” said Chris closing his eyes as Nathan examined his head wound.

Sarah and Vin only giggled at the comment.

“It seems it’s healin’ really well, Chris,” interrupted Nathan at the other two’s harassment of their friend. “Ya still might have some headache and dizziness, but it should go away after a while and after…ya…get…some…rest!”

“Aw, Nate.”

“Don’t aw Nate me, Chris. Just do like I say, okay?”

Chris nodded, although Nathan knew the man had a hard head was not likely to listen to a word of his advice.

“I’m gon’na get somethin’ to eat. I think since Vin is on the mend, we can leave here in the mornin’ and head back to town,” he said getting up and walking towards the door.

At the mentioning of leaving, Sarah and Chris turned green eyes to each other. They both knew that their time together was ending and it was breaking both their hearts.

Vin was not blind to their sorrow. He would not judge them nor argue against Chris’ decision. He could only stand by them both and offer them a shoulder to cry on.

Sarah looked away reluctantly and said, “Guess I better get everything ready for tomorrow. I make some food just in case ya get hungry on the way back.”

She started to the door when she heard Chris call her name. “Sarah?”

She turned back to face, stiffening her body straight and removing any type of emotion from her face. “Yes, Chris?”

“I…I want ya to know that if ya need me…”

“Yeah, I know,” finished Sarah for him and then walked quickly out of the door.

Once she was gone, he noticed Vin looking at him with angry blue eyes. Chris tried to ignore them, but he could feel them hard upon him.

“What?” Chris exclaimed finally.

“I didn’t say anythin’,” retorted Vin.

“Ya didn’t have to! I can hear ya from all the way over here.”

“Well, ya think ya could of have just handle that with a little more finesse?”

“Ya been hangin’ around Ezra too much. And, I thought ya said ya would mind ya own damn business!”

“I would of, iffen ya had done the right thing, instead of that stupid polecat thing ya just did!”

“This is between me and Sarah. It ain’t got nothin’ to do with you.”

“Listen, that gal saved my life, yours and JD. I ain’t gon’na argue with ya, Cowboy. I’m just gon’na shoot ya. Ya either put things right or I’ll come off this bed and make ya.”

Chris snorted with feigned anger and laughed. “Yeah, you and what army, Tanner? Ya can’t even swat a fly.”

“I don’t need to swat a fly. Just wound a snake,” said Vin with a serious look on his face. Chris heard a click of a hammer being pulled back.

Chris eyed his friend and found he was staring at his friend’s mare leg pointed right at him.

Chris eyebrows arched in surprise, but then his face grew cloudy and unreadable. But Vin knew there was probably a storm raging under that calm exterior.

Chris stood up on shaky legs and walked over to the other bed. He then stood in front of Vin, his chest pressed up against the gun hard, glaring at his friend passionately.

“So it comes to this. The one thing I was afraid of has happened. A woman has come between us.”

“She ain’t come between us, Chris. She’s all yours. I just don’t want to see her hurt. She’s too good a woman for ya just to go and leave her like this.”

“Ya think I want to?” exclaimed Chris. “What do ya want me to do? I can’t take her with me!”

“And why not?”

“Vin,” said Chris, his voice softening some. “Look at what happened and she ain’t even with me yet. Someone tried to hurt her and they were after me. I can’t bring her into somethin’ like that. And ya know I’m still huntin’ down the killers of my family. Ella’s still out there and there is always the chance that she would find out about Sarah. I can’t take that chance, Vin. I just can’t.”

Vin watched as Chris’ hardened exterior broke away and he realized that Chris was really in love with this woman. So much, we would rather give her up than put her into any danger.

“So, go ahead and pull the trigger, Vin. Ya be doing me a favor,” said Chris quickly heading for the door.

“Chris? Cowboy?” Vin called after him, laying his weapon down upon the bed.

But Chris did not respond. He kept walking until he was through the door.

“Chris!” yelled Vin, as a twinge of pain tugged at his shoulder. “Damn ya, Larabee! Get ya ass back here!”

Just then Nathan and Buck entered the room.

“What the hell is goin’ on?” asked Nathan glaring at the curly haired man on the bed, trying to get up.

Nathan and Buck quickly went over and restrained Vin from rising.

“And where the hell did ya think ya goin’?” asked Buck curious about the loud voices he had heard before.

He had watched as Chris came storming out of the room and straight through the front door, not stopping for any of them as they called his name.

“Where’s Chris?” asked Vin frantically.

“Left,” replied Buck. “Why don’t ya settle down, Pard.”

“Left? Where?”

“Vin, calm down before ya break them stitches. I ain’t patchin’ back up,” said Nathan trying to examine the man’s wound.

“Don’t know, Vin. He just stormed out of the cabin. Wouldn’t answer any of us. What happened?”

Vin lowered saddened blue eyes. He knew he had pushed Larabee too hard, but he just wanted both him and Sarah happy and he knew the blond man was not about to let his heart feel any happiness. He had to step in, unfortunately it did not turn out like he thought it would.

“Buck, ya gotta find ‘im,” said Vin simply.

“Why? What happened, stud?”

“I think I pushed him too far, Buck. I knowed I shouldn’t of butted in, but the man is a durn stubborn fool.”

Buck looked at Vin at first trying to understand what the young man was saying, when Sarah walked in.

“What’s wrong with Chris? He just about tore my head off a minute ago,” said Sarah confused and worried.

Vin looked at her briefly and then quickly turned his eyes back to Buck.

Buck sighed, now understanding the problem. “I’ll go find ‘im, Vin,” replied Buck turning to walk out of the door.

He did not see the look Sarah gave him as he did. She then returned to Vin and said, “Vin? What’s goin’ on?”

Vin did not immediately answer her.

Nathan said, “It don’t look like ya pulled them stitches loose. We leavin’ in the mornin’. Ya stay put until then. We got a wagon to take you and Chris back to town.”

“I don’t need no wagon, Nathan. I can ride my own horse.”

“And ya can fall off it too. Nope. Wagon or I’ll give ya somethin’ that’ll make ya sit still until I say otherwise,” said Nathan determinedly.

Vin glared at the healer, knowing he was only thinking of what was best for the tracker, but his worries lay to where Chris had went.

“Don’t worry, Vin,” said Nathan. “Buck’ll find ‘im.”

Vin knew that Nathan was right. If anybody could find Chris, it was Buck.

Sarah looked at Vin and Nathan and instantly knew that all of this was about Chris and her. She took one slight glance at them and left the room.

“Shit!” snapped Vin.

“What?” questioned Nathan. He saw the look Sarah had given them and could only surmise as to what Chris and Vin were yelling about.

“N…nothin’,” stammered Vin.

“Don’t look like nothin’ to me. Looks like me to a lot of something.”

“Listen, Nate, ya don’t want to get in the middle of this.”

“Like you?”

Vin stared at Nathan shocked. “Yeah. Yeah, like me. It’s all my fault.”

“From what I can see, Vin, I don’t think it’s all ya fault. I think Chris has a piece in this too, knowing him,” piped in Nathan.

“I just want them to be happy, Nate and ya know Chris. He’s always runnin’ away from it. Thinks that he don’t deserve any.”

“I know, Vin. I talked to him one time. It was when Rain had came to town. I told him about Rain and how I was so mixed up about her and how I was mixed up about my feelings about her ‘cause everyone I ever loved was either sold off or dead. It made me kinda scared, ya know what I mean?”

“Yeah.”

“So, Chris, he asked me ‘cause I lost ‘em, am I ever sorry that I had ‘em.”

“And what did ya say?”

“I didn’t say anythin’, cause he and I both already knew the answer.”

Vin saw the answer in Natha