Lou froze as Jimmy approached with a quick, determined stride. She opened her mouth to say something, but as Jimmy dropped to his knees beside Noah she realized that he hadn't even noticed her. His concern for his friend had made him oblivious to everything else, including her.

Lou was grateful for the temporary anonymity. It gave her a few seconds to collect herself, although her heart was pounding wildly.

Jimmy.

She couldn't collect herself. She was feeling too much.

He looked almost exactly the same as she remembered him. He had the same tanned, tawny skin, and long brown hair. And his eyes — they were still bright and intense, and brooding. His body was the same too — if even a little bit leaner, although no less muscular. Lou looked at his hands and a memory of Jimmy touching her face while he kissed her by the fire flashed into her mind. She flushed, and wondered where that had come from. She hadn't thought about that night for years. And now, it was the first thing she remembered!

Lou bit her lip in anger. She certainly had a lot of nerve, thinking of Jimmy's kiss when she was here to tell him that Kid was dead. The flush in her cheeks deepened with shame and she realized she'd been right in keeping Jimmy at a distance. And she wondered if there was an unluckier fate than loving two men at the same time.

Lou's love for Jimmy had long been dormant, but now it was slowly coming alive again. Lou could feel the small light inside of her begin to burn again. And even though it was a wonderful feeling that gave her respite from the despair that had beaten down on her since Kid's death, she thought it was undeserved. Worse than that, it was disrespectful to Kid, which was just what she'd feared all along.

With practiced skill, Lou put her feelings for Jimmy on a shelf, and she smothered the joy he brought out in her. She was here to do a duty that would hurt him. She knew Jimmy Hickok, and she knew that if she hurt him, he was going to strike back. And she wanted to be ready.

But Jimmy still hadn't seen her. He was too concerned about Noah to bother with anyone else. It was typical of him, Lou thought. "Noah!" Jimmy cried in concern. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah, I'm all right." He said, a little out of breath. "As long as you can see her too."

Jimmy frowned in confusion, then turned to see what Noah was looking at. And so their eyes locked. And Lou watched his expression change from confusion to surprise and then to joy. Without so much as a word, and before she could see the smile spread across his whole face, he had crossed over to her and had wrapped her in his arms.

"Lou!" He gasped. He pulled back, as if making sure it was really her, and then he embraced her again, this time even more tightly. "I can't believe it!" And then he laughed, swinging her around.

Lou laughed too, enjoying the happiness of the moment while it lasted. Because God knows she was happy to see him. "Jimmy!" She closed her eyes and for a second — she actually felt whole again. But it was a brief moment of salvation. All too soon, Jimmy let go of her to look at her face to face, and Lou knew that the moment of truth was imminent.

But Jimmy was still blissfully unaware. As he let her go, he smiled and was obviously so surprised he didn't quite know what to do. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to find you." She answered. She started to shake.

Jimmy realized something was wrong. "Lou - ?"

"Jimmy," Lou said, feeling as if the world was spinning. He grasped her shoulders, alarmed by her behavior. He stared deep into her eyes and brushed back her hair. Lou swallowed hard, thinking that this was perhaps the hardest thing in her life she'd ever had to do, with the exception of burying her husband.

"Oh no." Jimmy said softly, his eyes filling with pain. "Not Kid."

Lou nodded. "He's dead, Jimmy." She said. "Kid's dead."

Jimmy's grip on her shoulders tightened until he was hurting her, but he was unaware of it. His brown eyes hardened as the full brunt of the pain settled into his consciousness. He broke his contact with her then, and walked a few steps away.

Noah had struggled to his feet despite Lou's previous orders for him to rest. He put his hand on Lou's shoulder. "I'm so sorry Lou. How - ?"

Lou couldn't take her eyes off Jimmy, even though his back was turned to her. "He died in battle." She said.

Noah looked down, no doubt struggling with the concept that Kid had died fighting for the South. The two men had always had that division between them, from the very start of their acquaintance. But they had also had a mutual respect for one another that had always prevailed.

"When's the funeral?" Noah asked. "We'll be there."

Lou's mouth became as dry as a bone. "We already had it." She tried taking a deep breath but realized she didn't have the strength for it. "He died five months ago."

Jimmy spun around and looked at her in disbelief. "What?"

"Five months?" Noah asked. He wasn't angry, just confused. "I don't understand — "

But Lou couldn't offer him an explanation. She was still looking at Jimmy, who was staring at her with such an intensity, Lou wondered if he could see right through her. "My best friend's been dead for five months and I just now find out about it?" He asked.

Lou opened her mouth to say something, but realized there was nothing to say. She had no defense. Jimmy walked up to her and grabbed her by the shoulders again. Only this time, he meant to grab her roughly. "Lou! Talk to me! Why?"

"I — I couldn't…"

Jimmy began to shake her. "Damn it, Lou! He's dead! Kid is dead!"

Lou was vaguely aware of Noah breaking them apart. "Jimmy, stop it!" Noah growled, standing in between them. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

"What the hell did you think you were doing, Lou?" Jimmy asked bitterly, storming away from the scene. "He was like a brother to me!" And then he was gone, riding away on his horse.

The scene had attracted everyone's attention, including Celinda, who ran over to them. "What's happened?"

Noah turned back around to Lou. "Are you all right?"

Lou nodded, feeling strangely calm and yet even more terribly empty. She was beginning to feel less and less, and it was a relief. Whatever happiness might have been possible in her life was now gone, and all she was left with was pain. The less she felt of that terrible, relentless pain, the better, even if it meant giving up everything else too.

"I'm fine." She said flatly. She smiled wanly at Noah. "I'm sorry."

He looked at her with concern. "It's okay, Lou." He looked like he wanted to say more, but she didn't give him the chance.

"I thought I told you to rest!" She chided gently. "Now sit down and let me take a look at you."

"Lou?" Celinda said, touching her arm. "Is everything all right? Where did Jimmy go?"

Lou turned to Celinda with eyes as vacant as her spirit. "Everything's fine. I just told Jimmy about Kid, and he needed some time alone."

Celinda nodded, knowing that something bad had just happened there, but unsure of what it was. She and Noah exchanged worried glances, but Lou went on as if nothing were wrong. "Celinda, if you could help me fix these men up before they go back to your house, I'd be much obliged."

Work had gotten her through the past few months, Lou thought, and it would get her through now.

##########

The next 24 hours were miserable for everyone. Jimmy refused to talk to Lou, and Lou refused to acknowledge that it bothered her. But at least she had accomplished her mission. Once she and Noah were alone, Lou had explained her reunion with Buck and their fears that someone was hunting them down and killing them. She also gave them the bad news that Cody had been shot and killed just last week.

Noah had then relayed the information to Jimmy. Lou didn't know what his reaction had been. They were staying as far away from each other as possible. All they could do now was wait for Buck to join them, and possibly Jesse as well. Then, Lou didn't know what would happen. It would be difficult to fight an enemy who was, so far, invisible.

Lou was keeping herself busy caring for the wounded men of the Vigilance Committee, but her mind continued to churn with her fears that someone could still try and kill one of her friends. Just because she had found them didn't mean they were safe, and Lou was worried.

Celinda finally came to talk to Lou that night, after finding her on the porch swing that wasn't on the porch, but tied to a large tree branch behind the house. "This seat taken?"

Lou smiled and shook her head. "Please, I'd like some company."

"Me too." Celinda said, handing Lou a steaming mug of coffee to hold off the slight chill in the night air. "It's nice to have another woman around, I must admit."

Lou bit her lip, and then asked, "What about Rosemary?"

"Rosemary?" Celinda frowned. "I think she's in Denver, now." Celinda nodded in sudden understanding. "Oh, I see. The last time you saw Jimmy he was with her, wasn't he?" Lou nodded. Celinda sighed, "Well, they tried to make it work, but after Rosemary nearly got Noah and Cody killed, there was a lot of tension, as you can imagine. She left soon afterwards."

Lou nodded, keeping her opinions on the subject to herself. She had never liked Rosemary, and she couldn't say she was sorry to find her gone. She turned to glance over at Celinda and was surprised to see Celinda looking at her.

Celinda's eyes were soft and full of understanding when she said, "You love Jimmy, don't you?"

Lou's own eyes became as wide as the full moon above them. "Excuse me?"

"You heard what I said." Celinda said, a slight smile on her lips. "That's what tearing you apart isn't it?"

Ordinarily, this was Lou's cue to stand up, deny everything and stomp off in a huff. But she was getting too old for those games. And besides, Celinda wasn't playing a game. She was only offering her understanding and friendship — both of which Lou needed badly now. So she sat extremely still and nodded, whispering, "Yes."

Celinda reached over for her hand. There was nothing she could say to make the situation any better, but her eyes spoke volumes. Lou smiled at her new friend with undying gratitude, and held onto her hand as she silently pondered her unlucky fate.

She was in love with two men. Two men who were as close as brothers. She had married one of them, and he had died. She still loved the other, but her conscience couldn't allow it. She had always felt guilty about her love for Jimmy, and now that guilt continued to eat away at her. She couldn't even contemplate a life with Jimmy, because it would still be a betrayal to Kid.

The two women sat in silence, each lost in their own thoughts, still holding hands. They had made a connection that was beginning to help them heal. It was a road they each had to go down alone, but their roads were side by side, and they needed each other for support.

The next morning, Celinda had to go into town and Lou decided to go with her. Lou had run into Jimmy in the kitchen and he had gone out of his way to avoid accidentally brushing up against her. Her heart broke when she realized she was that repulsive to him, but then she reminded herself that she deserved it. But when an opportunity came to get away from there, she jumped at the chance.

Once she was gone, Noah found Jimmy at the same porch swing that Lou and Celinda had sat upon the previous night. "You're being awfully hard on her." He said, sitting down.

Jimmy just sighed. "I have my reasons."

"It's not her fault Kid's dead." Noah told him.

"I know that!" Jimmy snapped. "But it is her fault that Kid's been dead and buried now for five months and I only now find out about it."

Noah shrugged. He had his own guesses about why Lou hadn't wanted anyone else — most of all Jimmy — to know about Kid, but he didn't think Jimmy would want to hear those opinions right now. "You know, she could use your help." When Jimmy just scoffed at the idea, Noah started to lose his temper with his stubborn friend. "Jimmy, her husband's dead. Lou's all alone again, and we're her family. She might not have told us right away, but we can't turn our backs on her."

"Maybe you can't." He said. "But I can."

Noah didn't care about offending Jimmy anymore. He just wanted to knock some sense into his thick skull. "Do you have any ideas on why she's taken this long to tell you?"

Jimmy's mouth upturned into a sneer of disgust. "The only reason she came to see us was to tell us about this crazy nonsense story about a vendetta. Without that, she probably would have never told us!"

Noah shook his head. "Do you have any idea what kind of feelings Lou has for you, Jimmy?"

Jimmy suddenly became very quiet. Then he dropped his head in his hands. Finally, he said in a very low, dangerous voice, "I hope you're not saying what I think you're saying, Noah."

Noah wasn't afraid of Jimmy Hickok, or of any man for that matter. And if he felt as though someone needed to hear something, he wasn't afraid of telling him the truth. "She loves you, Jimmy."

Jimmy sprang up and pounced on his friend, throwing his back up against a tree. "I'm warning you." Jimmy growled, inches from Noah's face, "You're talking about Kid's wife, Noah!"

"No, I’m talking about Kid's widow." Noah corrected him. "It's the truth, and you know it."

"No I don’t." Jimmy said, suddenly releasing his friend and walking away, his shoulders sagging.

Noah shook his head, suddenly understanding the whole situation a whole lot better. "So that's it." He could see, plain as day, that Jimmy loved Lou, too. And he could see how their loyalty to Kid was continuing beyond the grave. Kid's death hadn't brought them together for another chance at finding love together — it had driven them even further apart.

Suddenly very sad and tired, Noah walked up to his friend and put his hand on his shoulder before leaving him alone. Jimmy stood, listening to Noah's receding footsteps crunching the leaves that had just begun to fall. September in Kansas could be very pretty as the leaves changed and cooler weather brought relief from the scorching summers.

He sat back down in the swing and put his head in his hands, not knowing for the life of him what to do. Lou McCloud was suddenly back in his life, but if she had been beyond his reach before, she was completely unattainable now.

Jimmy's heart twisted when he thought of Kid, and he still couldn't believe his friend was dead. He could see him so clearly still. He could imagine him coming down the hill and sitting down next to him, coming to talk to him just as Noah had done. He had been the brother Jimmy had never had. And he had been a good man. There was no one on Earth Jimmy had loved more than Kid. No one, that is, except his wife.

"God help me, Kid." Jimmy whispered as a tear escaped his eye. "The last thing I ever wanted was to love her, because I know you did. I know you loved her with all your heart."

There was too much pain and too much undirected anger at his friend's senseless death for Jimmy to think clearly. And he hated not being able to think clearly. And so his anger hardened and focused in on one easy target: Lou. If he couldn't love her — and he couldn't — then he would hate her. It was a thin line, and Jimmy was barely aware that he had crossed it.

Lou wandered out onto the boardwalk while Celinda paid the shopkeeper for her supplies. It was a beautiful Fall day and people were enjoying the good weather in town, stopping to talk with their neighbors and friends. She watched them all, envious of their normalcy.

And then feeling a sudden urge she turned and looked down the street. She shaded her eyes to see better, but she could just make out two riders coming from the south. As they drew closer at a steady canter, Lou's heart jumped. She recognized Buck immediately, and then realized with amazement that the tall, handsome man riding beside him was actually Jesse James — all grown up.

Jesse had always held a special place in her heart, ever since she had offered to give him a ride into town. There was just something about the boy that had needed someone to love him, and watch over him. Even though he always resisted their efforts to care for him, deep down Lou knew it had meant something to him.

Even though he'd been much younger than her, he had still been taller than her — even then. But now he was no longer a boy, and he didn't look less than six feet tall. Lou had a sudden attack of shyness. She didn't know how he would react when he saw her — if he'd even remember her very well at all.

But Lou's shyness didn't last. She was too happy to see him to care about anything else. She jumped off the boardwalk and began running over to them. "Jesse?" She cried.

He turned and looked to see who had called her name. But just as the look of recognition lit up his face, a shot rang out, missing him by inches. Another shot followed closely, this time aimed at Lou. The bullet landed at her feet, kicking up dust.

"Lou!" Buck yelled.

Lou pulled her gun from her holster and looked around her as the bullets continued to fly. She was heedless of the danger — she was too outraged and furious to care about anything except finding the person who was shooting at them. No one shot at her friends and got away with it. They could kill her if they wanted to — they'd be doing her a favor —but she'd be damned if she saw Jesse or Buck cut down right in front of her. She shaded her eyes and located the sharpshooter on the roof of one of the buildings.

She aimed with a steady hand and hit her target. The man fell backwards and the street fell silent. Lou stood there, her arm still outstretched, a little surprised that she'd been able to hit him. "Thank you Cody." She whispered. She had no doubt that he'd given her a little help from above.

Jesse and Buck ran over to her, exchanging looks on the way. They had been horrified to see Lou just standing there under a rain of gunfire, not even trying to shield herself from danger. If Buck didn't know any better, he'd think she was trying to get hit. Luckily, she had had better aim than the enemy.

"Lou, are you okay?" Jesse asked.

She turned to him and her face immediately softened at the sight of him. He towered over her now, and his rugged face wore the traces of a beard from a few days without shaving. His chestnut hair fell to his shoulders in soft waves. The biggest difference, however, were his eyes. They had lost all of their innocence and were instead world-weary and wise. He had certainly grown up.

"Jesse!" Lou cried, flinging her arms around him. "I can't believe it's you!"

He hugged her back, marveling at how much things had changed and yet still stayed the same. His heart still fluttered when he saw her, and his knees still got a little weak when she smiled. "Gosh, Lou, have you actually gotten shorter?" He teased, hiding his own nervousness with a mischievous smile.

She swatted at him playfully. "You've just gotten to be a giant, that's all!" Her eyes shone when she studied him. "Look at you! If only Rachel were here. She'd love to see you again."

His eyes softened. "I miss her."

And there was the stab in Lou's heart again, catching her by surprise. Silently, she echoed Jesse's words, "And I miss Kid."

The pain was so sudden and sharp it almost took her breath away. And she couldn't help but think that Jesse still had a chance to go and visit Rachel. All he had to do was ride west and he'd be able to take her in his arms after about a day's ride. But she could never see Kid again for as long as she lived.

"Lou?" Jesse lightly touched her arm. She looked like she was a million miles away.

"Hmm?" She instantly assumed a false cheer to throw them off the scent of her silent misery. "I'm sorry. Seeing you just brings back so many memories, Jesse."

Jesse nodded. Buck had told him Kid had been killed. He was about to say something when Buck interrupted them, "I'm going to go see who was up on that roof."

"I'm coming with you." Lou said. And with that, all three of them hastily made their way up to the roof of the building across the street, hoping to find a clue as to who was trying to kill them.

But they were shocked and dismayed to find the rooftop empty. The only trace of their assassin was the smears of blood that led down the back stairs. He had disappeared. "I thought I had killed him." Lou said, annoyed that she hadn't.

"Well, you might kill him in the end." Buck said, examining the trail of blood. "He's wounded pretty badly."

"Now we're no closer to finding out who's trying to kill us!" Lou said, discouraged.

"I wouldn't say that, Lou." Jesse suddenly said, his eyes looking particularly old just then. When she looked at him questioningly, he said quietly. "I'm afraid I know who it is."

##########

Jimmy didn't know what he had done to deserve this, nor could he decide if he was being punished or rewarded. Suddenly, all the people he cared about most in the world were showing up on his doorstep. Too bad it took an assassin to bring them all together.

He stood on the other side of the room and watched Jesse talk to Noah and Buck. He couldn't believe how the little pipsqueak had grown into a man. Jimmy had always loved Jesse like a little brother. But his young protégé had always worried him tremendously because they were too much alike, and Jimmy didn't want the young man following in his heavy footsteps.

But now Jimmy breathed easier. It appeared as though Jesse had turned out all right — joining the Texas Rangers rather than enlisting in the war. Jimmy shook his head. He had to admit it — both he and Jesse seemed to have beaten the odds. Who would have thought both of them would still be alive?

Jimmy never thought he'd live to see his 21^st birthday and yet here he was — an old man at 22. The low profile he kept in Kansas, working anonymously with the Vigilance Committee, had done the trick. His reputation as Wild Bill Hickok had gradually and quietly faded away. And Jimmy couldn't be happier. His one regret was not having anyone to share his now calmer life with.

Now that he was on the subject, he automatically thought about the three great loves in his life. The first was Alice. Jimmy was tempted now and then to venture out to try and find her — very tempted. His love for her had surprised him, and he had no doubt he had been a better man around her because she had brought out his best. But as much as he'd like to believe that they had a chance together, he knew it wasn't meant to be. Alice was better off without him, wherever she was.

He thought of Rosemary, too. She had been the one to leave him, probably for the same reasons he had left Alice. Rosemary had realized that she just wasn't good for him. Jimmy wanted to disagree and say it wasn't so, but deep down he knew she was right. Rosemary had her own demons to face, and he wasn't the one to help her fight them. But she was a good woman, and he wished to God, sometimes, that she'd come back to him.

Jimmy's gaze traveled from the three men in the corner to the young woman standing by the window, just a few feet away from him. Lou was the third woman — and the only one whose image haunted his dreams. Only now her image was real. She had come back to him, but they had never been so estranged as they were now.

But even as he stood there with his heart turned to stone, he couldn't help but notice how slight a figure she was. She almost disappeared into the shadows of the room. It wasn't her stature that made her appear so small, though, he suddenly realized, it was because her spirit had diminished. Jimmy could remember when Lou seemed to fill up an entire room, even though she was the smallest person in it, just because her personality was so on fire.

Now, she looked as if she could float right through the window, out into the night sky. Jimmy felt his heart begin to melt, looking at her. But then Kid's face flashed through his mind and Jimmy froze. His anger returned and he suddenly wished she would float right through the window and get the hell out of his life. She'd been nothing but trouble to him anyway.

"Who'd have thought I'd be the one still alive," Jimmy mused silently, fuming, as if Lou were somehow responsible for his friend's death. As if sensing his thoughts, Lou glanced over at him. Her eyes were empty as they looked at him, and then she hastily looked away.

"Jimmy, we need to talk."

For a minute, Jimmy thought it was Kid's voice he heard beside him, having come back from the dead to talk about Lou. But then he realized it was Jesse standing next to him, and that it was time they all discussed the reason they were all in that room together: the vendetta. He nodded, grateful to get the show on the road, and he gestured to Jesse for him to begin. "All right, Jesse. I guess it's time you told us who wants to kill us and why."

Jesse took a moment to look at every single one of them in the eyes before bowing his head. "It's my brother, Frank. He's the one who wants all of you dead."

A stunned silence filled the room. Finally, Jimmy said, "Frank?"

Jesse nodded, miserable. Lou looked just as miserable, and she fought an urge to go over to him and comfort him. "What makes you think it's him, Jesse?" She asked.

"Because I was the one who took that picture of all of you — the one that your friend Ike drew." Jesse confessed. "I took it the day I left because I wanted something to remember all of you by. You were my family. I didn't realize how much so until I left. And that picture, well, it got me through a lot of rough times when I was on my own.

"Later, Frank and I had a falling out." Jesse continued. "He wanted me to join up with the South and fight the war. But I couldn't do it. I couldn't fight on one side when my friends were fighting on the other." Jesse's face twisted with the pain of the memories — it hadn't been easy, choosing between one family and the other. "And Frank figured it all out. And he just couldn’t stand the fact that I wouldn't fight with him, side by side. He just about killed me over it. And then he disappeared."

"He didn't join the army, then, either?" Noah asked.

Jesse shrugged. "I don't know. I never knew what happened to him. The next day, he was gone. And so was my picture. I figured he had just destroyed it out of spite. But now…when Buck told me that man had a copy of it in New Mexico, I just knew it had to be Frank. He's always hated all of you, because he felt you stood between him and me. So now, now he wants to kill all of you."

"But it wasn't Frank who shot at Buck." Lou pointed out.

"No," Buck agreed. "He must be hiring out people to kill us. Since we were so spread out, he couldn't get to us all at once."

The room fell silent as they each contemplated the situation. It was uncomfortable and infuriating, and no one felt any relief in knowing the identity of their enemy. On the contrary, it was even more disturbing, knowing it was Frank James.

"Well, if Frank's paying all these other folks to kill us." Noah finally asked. "Then who's Frank going after?"

"Who else, but the father of our family?" Jimmy said in a low voice. "Teaspoon."

There was another terrible silence. The only movement in the room was the exaggerated shadows in the candlelight, dancing on the dark walls of the living room.

"We've got to warn him." Lou said quietly.

"We've got to find him first." Noah pointed out. "And no one's heard from him since we all left Rock Creek!"

"But we've got to try!" Lou insisted. "We'll just have to track him down. We'll start in Rock Creek. We'll upturn every rock West of the Missouri if we have to, we've got to help him!" Her voice because stronger with every word, until the spirit and stubbornness of the old Lou started to resurface.

"That won't be necessary." Jimmy said quietly. All heads swiveled towards him, and he met their expectant stares with a short nod. "I know how to find him. That is, if he's not dead already."

They were just about to ask him where Teaspoon had been hiding out for the past two years, when a window was suddenly blown out by a bullet shot into the room. "Get down!" Jimmy yelled, but everyone had already hit the floor. The first shot was followed by a barrage of gunfire that kept them all pinned to the floor.

"Son of a bitch!" Noah cursed, as shots rained down on them. "Well, we've made it awfully easy for someone to wipe us all out at once, haven't we?"

"It must be the man who was shooting at us earlier." Jesse surmised as he crawled over to be closer to the others.

"I thought you said he was wounded." Jimmy said.

"He is." Buck guessed. "Maybe he has friends."

"Great." Noah said. The attack was still so fierce they didn't dare try to shoot back yet.

"Anybody got any suggestions?" Jesse asked, loading his gun.

"Yeah." Jimmy nodded grimly. "I'm going out — around back."

"What for?" Buck asked. "To get shot full of holes?"

"We need a distraction." Jimmy said. "I'll sneak around their backs and try and pin them in — trap them right back."

"I'll go with you." Jesse volunteered.

"No, I'll go." Noah said. "Jimmy and I know the property. We'll be able to find our way in the dark easier."

Jesse nodded. "All right then. I guess we'll stay in here and try to draw their fire."

Buck cracked a smile. "Shouldn't be too hard."

"Be careful." Lou said, almost choking on the words as if she were afraid of saying them. The others didn't blame her. Given the mood Jimmy was in, he'd probably get himself killed just because she told him not to.

He ignored her, but Noah smiled reassuringly at her. Then he and Jimmy darted away, keeping low. Lou, Buck and Jesse each moved to a window and then brought themselves up and fired blindly outside. Then they had to duck out of the way as more gunfire rained down on them.

"How much money does Frank have?" Buck asked. "It sounds like there's at least 5 men out there!"

Jesse shrugged helplessly. He already felt partly responsible for his brother's reprehensible actions. The shots died down, and as the three were about to shoot back, they heard a man shout, "All right, listen up in there! We've got you surrounded so come out with your hands up!"

The three friends looked at each other, baffled. "Since when do killers take prisoners?" Lou asked under her breath.

"You hear me?" The man continued. "If you're not out of there in 30 seconds, we're coming in!"

Lou's eyes got wide. "I know that voice!" She said. "It's Henry — he's a part of the Vigilance Committee!"

"What?!" Jesse asked.

Lou nodded. "I'm sure of it. He nearly shot me in the back when I first got here. But why is he doing this?"

"It sounds like he thinks someone's broken into this house." Buck said. "Like some kind of attack on the Vigilance Committee."

"Or he's doing this on purpose." Jesse pointed out solemnly. "To kill us for the money."

Buck nodded. "He's pretending there's an attack to get help from his friends."

"That, or they're all going to split the reward for our heads." Lou pointed out. "There's six of us, after all. That's probably a lot of money."

"What are we going to do?" Buck hissed. "They're going to come in at any minute!"

"We'll have to shoot them." Jesse said. "We'll have no choice."

"But what if the others are innocent?" Lou asked. "We can't murder them."

"It's us or them, Lou!" Jesse said, but he knew she was right.

"Maybe Noah and Jimmy are having better luck." Buck said.

The three of them sat in tense silence for several seconds, realizing that whatever happened was out of their hands. The decision of what they could or could not do would be made for them. And it made them all uneasy.

"Your time's up!" Henry bellowed.

And so they held their breath, waiting for the attack.

##########

Lou, Buck and Jesse sat in suspense, waiting for Henry and his posse to barge in on them and start a shoot out between them and men who may or may not be their enemies. But then they heard a familiar voice yell, "Stop!"

"It's Jimmy!" Lou said softly, hardly daring to breathe.

There were noises of confusion outside as the others no doubt recognized his voice as well. Finally, the all-clear was given, and Lou, Buck and Jesse slowly got up and went outside. Besides Jimmy, Noah and Henry, there were seven men from the Vigilance Committee who all looked furious. Apparently, Henry had tricked them into thinking there was an attack — the men had no idea they were shooting at their friends.

Jimmy had Henry by the collar. "How could you?" He growled. Lou noticed Henry had his arm in a sling and a wound in his shoulder — proof that it had been him on the roof earlier that day, shooting at them. Once again, Lou wished her aim had been more accurate.

Henry didn't say anything, and Jimmy pushed him away. Lou saw his hand tremble, as if resisting the reflex to grab his gun. But he controlled his instinct to kill and turned his back on him instead. "Take him away."

Noah accompanied one of the others to take Henry to jail — just in case. That left the rest of them with the unwitting traitors and the damage that was done. "I don't know what to say, Jimmy." One of the men named Walter said. "We had no idea — "

"I know." Jimmy said. He was angry but he was trying not to take it out on the Committee members.

Another man named Robert shook his head sadly. "Celinda's going to have our heads." She had gone to a friend's house for a few hours to give the Riders a chance to reunite. She was due back any time.

"We'll help you fix up the house, Jimmy." Walter said quickly. "We'll have it back to normal in no time."

Jimmy nodded. "I know. But that'll have to wait. It's getting late. You all should go on home."

The men reluctantly left after apologizing some more. Jesse raised his eyebrows. "Well, that was a close one, wasn't it?"

"Let's get some sleep." Jimmy said in a low voice. "We'll ride out tomorrow to find Teaspoon."

Jesse, Buck and Lou exchanged glances. Finding a traitor in his midst was not apt to make Jimmy happy, and they could tell he was still extremely upset by it. Lou knew that he had wanted to kill Henry, and the fact that he couldn't irritated him. But whereas before she would have gone and talked to him about it, now she knew he didn't want her anywhere near him. Her heart caught in her throat when she realized that perhaps in Jimmy's mind right now, she was no better than Henry.

Seeing the look on her face and reading it correctly, Jesse put his arm around her shoulders. "Come on Lou. Show me where I can lay my head tonight."

Buck began to follow them, then paused when he realized Jimmy hadn't moved. "You comin'?"

"I'm going to wait for Celinda." Jimmy said.

He didn't even turned to look at him, and Buck knew that if Jimmy didn't want company, it was best not to push the issue. He shrugged and went inside. It had been a long day anyway, and he was ready to get some rest.

Lying in the bed she was sharing with Celinda, Lou heard her come in the room about 30 minutes after they had all turned in. "Lou?" She whispered. "Are you awake?"

"Yeah." Lou whispered back. "I'm sorry about the house. But I'm sure it'll be as good as new — "

"Lou!" Celinda's voice was urgent. "It's Jimmy."

Lou sat straight up in bed. "What?"

"He went into town." Celinda said fearfully. "I don't know what he's going to do!"

Lou leaped out of bed and, after pulling on some pants underneath her nightgown, grabbed her coat and gunbelt. "Don't worry. I'll find out."

Celinda merely nodded, sinking down on the bed. "Be careful."

But Lou was already out the door.

It only took Lou a few minutes to reach town, and she pulled up next to the sheriff's office, which was aglow with lanterns. Visions of Jimmy standing in front of the jail cell, ready to execute Henry, nearly made her trip over her feet with urgency. She ran up the steps and through the doorway, pausing inside the office, not knowing what to expect.

She saw Henry sitting behind bars, looking sullen but surprised to see her. The only other person in the room was the deputy, who was also surprised to see her. Jimmy was nowhere to be found. "Can I help you, ma'am?"

Lou looked from one man to the other in confusion. "No. I was just looking for a friend." She glanced over and saw Henry leering at her. She snapped at him, "What're you looking at?"

Henry's sneer didn't leave his face. "You're one of them, aren't you?" He said. "You're the girl in the picture."

Lou's cheeks grew hot, realizing he was referring to the picture he'd been given as a guide to their execution. But she didn't say anything. She thought it best to leave, but Henry continued. "That boy on your left — he was the one they called Kid, right?" His sneer spread into a terrible smile. "Your dead husband, right?"

"You be quiet." Lou said, although she was so upset her voice was no louder than a whisper.

Henry nodded. "Frank told me all about him. Said he was off fighting for the South, so he wasn't going to kill him, but then he done got himself killed, didn't he? Shot right through the heart if I'm not mistaken. Or was it one of those cannon balls that got him? I hear they can tear a man's body right in two!"

The deputy stood up. "That's enough!"

But Lou had crossed over to the jail cell in two steps. "I'm going to tear you in half if you don't shut up."

Henry stood up as well, glaring at her with contempt. "I should've shot you when I had the chance!" And then he spit on her.

Lou's hand went to her gun, but the deputy came between them. "All right!" He grabbed Lou and shuffled her outside, glaring at Henry. Once they were outside, he offered her his handkerchief. Lou's hand shook as she wiped her face clean.

"I think you should leave, ma'am." He said, obviously concerned. "He's just a bad sort. There's nothing you can do except deprive him of the opportunity to upset you." Lou nodded, hearing and understanding his words, but at the same time, still hearing Henry's words echoing in her mind over and over again.

"Ma'am?" The deputy touched her shoulder to get her attention. When she turned towards him, he said, "If you're looking for your friends who brought him in, I think they went straight home."

"I'm actually looking for Jimmy Hickok." She said, her voice still hoarse.

The deputy's face softened a bit in sympathy. "Well I haven't seen Jimmy tonight, but you might want to check the saloon."

Lou's eyes widened in surprise. Jimmy, in a saloon? And it sounded like it was a regular event. Lou managed to nod. "Thank you." The deputy tipped his hat, and then left her alone. Lou scanned the small street and easily found the saloon just a few buildings away. She began walking towards it, but she was still in another time and place.

Henry's words had hurt her deeply, and had brought back memories that she would have rather forgotten forever. She had never received Kid's remains. She was too far away, and the war was draining all available resources anyway. And so she never got the closure she needed by seeing him one last time. They had had a memorial service, but it wasn't the same.

Lou was haunted by the fact that Kid's body had never been brought home, and when she wasn't dreaming of Kid coming into her room talking to her, she dreamt of his spirit, broken and bloodied, wandering across the country trying to find his way home to her. And she dreamt of him dying all alone on the battlefield, crying out her name. She always woke up from those nightmares screaming, bathed in cold sweat.

And now, Henry's words brought on the same sensation. She felt dizzy and sick to her stomach. Her skin was cold to the touch and beads of sweat lined her brow. But she had come to town to find Jimmy, and she wasn't about to leave until she found him.

When she reached the saloon, she pushed open the doors and walked inside, heedless of what she was wearing and her strange appearance. Springfield was a small town, and there weren't many people inside the saloon, so Lou immediately spotted Jimmy.

He was at the bar, alone, drinking whiskey. Her entrance attracted everyone's attention, and he looked over at her too. Seeing it was her, he nearly fell off his barstool. He quickly got up and crossed over to her, pulling her outside. "Lou!" He hissed. "What are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same question." Lou retorted.

"Are you all right?" He asked, realizing that she was so pale she was almost gray.

"I'm fine." Lou lied. "Don't tell me you've taken to drinking, Jimmy."

"That's none of your business, Lou." He said, finally releasing her arm.

"Drinking never did Rachel any good." She said.

"I'm not in the mood to hear a lecture from you." Jimmy said, moving to go back inside.

"I'm not leaving here without you." Lou said stubbornly, folding her arms across her chest.

Jimmy shrugged with his back to her. "Then I hope you don't mind waiting." And he went through the doors.

Lou stood outside feeling like she wanted to scream. But realizing that wouldn't do any good, another idea clicked in her mind. It occurred to her that perhaps Jimmy had the right idea. Lou entered the saloon again, this time sitting down at the bar a few seats down from Jimmy. He glared at her, but Lou ignored him. When the bartender came up to her, obviously curious about her, she ordered a shot of whiskey, pulling out some money she had stashed away in her gunbelt.

He came back with her drink, and Lou didn't hesitate to tip it back and drain the glass. She had never cared for liquor, but she remembered how Rachel had said it had begun to erase her memory. And while Lou didn't want to forget all the good times she and Kid had had, right now she needed some temporary relief. Since she was here, she might as well take advantage.

But then Jimmy had grabbed her arm again. "What do you think you're doing, Lou?" He growled.

"Waiting for you, Jimmy." Lou said dully, reclaiming her arm and signaling the bartender again.

"All right." Jimmy said, obviously fed up. He pulled some money out of his pocket to settle his bill, and then he practically carried Lou outside with him. "I hope you're happy." He muttered as he went to his horse.

"Happy?" She said, feeling the whiskey burning a hole in her stomach. It also lent a sharper, harder edge to her voice. "Don't insult me any more than you already have, Jimmy. In case it isn't obvious, I died right along with Kid, and now I'm only biding my time until I can make it official. In fact, the only thing keeping me around is making sure none of you are killed too."

She stormed off towards her own horse, but Jimmy caught her and spun her around. "What are you saying, Lou?"

"What do you care?" She answered. She backed away from him. "I know you despise me, Jimmy, and that's fine. Because I despise myself. So let's do each other a favor. You stay away from me and I'll stay away from you." And then she turned and walked away, feeling nothing. She was neither sad nor angry — she was just very, very tired.

Jimmy stood in the street feeling as if his feet were rooted to the ground. It wasn't often that he was rendered speechless, but Lou had managed to do it just now. Suddenly, he was no longer angry, but he was left feeling confused. Most of all, he was frightened, because of what he had seen in Lou's eyes. She had been telling him the truth — a part of her had died with Kid, and now she had lost any will to live.

Jimmy thought back to the time when he had killed an innocent woman, after she had run into the street when he'd been called out. He had been out of his mind with self-hatred then, and had been almost begging to die. Luckily Kid and Noah had come after him, or else he might have gotten his wish.

As he watched Lou gallop away, Jimmy realized with enormous guilt that he had only driven Lou further into despair since she had gotten there. He would never forgive himself if something happened to her, and he was suddenly terrified of losing her. He'd already lost Kid and Cody. He didn't know what he would do if he lost Lou as well. He couldn't imagine the world without her.

Jimmy willed his legs to move and he went back to his horse. He swung into the saddle and galloped home, resolving to mend things between him and Lou.

############

"So where are we going, Jimmy?" Jesse asked as they assembled at dawn, ready to ride out. "Where's Teaspoon been hanging his hat these days?"

"Colorado." Jimmy said, unable to keep from smiling slightly at Jesse's way of talking. "A town called Glenwood Springs."

"Where is it?" Noah asked, frowning. "I've never heard of it."

"It's West of Denver." Jimmy replied, waving once more to Celinda who stood watching them from the porch. "In the Rocky Mountains."

"Then we've got quite a trip in front of us." Buck commented. "Especially since there's probably already a few feet of snow up there."

No one said anything — there was nothing to say. They had no choice but to go and try to rescue Teaspoon from an unfair fate. They would ride through a blizzard or a desert — whatever it took — to reach the father of their unusual family.

They galloped away, grim with determination and resolve. No one said much of anything all day, even when they stopped to let the horses rest. A strange mood had settled over them all like a large, gray cloud, heavy with rain that hadn't fallen yet. And it was all due to Lou.

Everyone knew something must have happened last night after they had all gone to bed, but no one — including Jimmy — knew what it was that had driven her to complete despair. She had been sad before, but now she was almost completely despondent. Her eyes lacked any light, and her mouth was perpetually turned down. She didn't say a word to anyone, and if they tried talking to her, she didn't even seem to hear them. It was like she had retreated to another world.

And even though no one knew what had happened, they all automatically assigned the blame to Jimmy. And so they were not a happy party as they galloped across the Midwestern plains. By the time they stopped to camp, everyone's temper was a short fuse. All it took was a single spark to set everyone off.

Needing some time to be truly alone, Lou slipped away from the others to wash up in the nearby creek. Once she was gone, Jesse turned to Jimmy, "What the hell happened between you two, Jimmy?"

"I don't know what you're talking about, Jesse." Jimmy snapped back.

"All you have to do is look at her and you know something's happened." Buck joined in. "And we all know you're determined to make her feel as bad as possible."

Jimmy sighed, not wanting to fight with his friends even though his temper was boiling along with theirs. "Look, you're right. I was mad at her, and I wasn't being nice to her. And I’m sorry." He dropped his eyes so he wouldn't see the surprise in their eyes. "And I'm worried about her too."

"Then why don't you do something about it?" Noah said, exasperated. "Talk to her!"

Jimmy shook his head. "She doesn't want to talk to me."

"She doesn't want to talk to anybody." Jesse observed.

And then Jimmy had an idea. His face lit up with hope, but when the others asked him what he was thinking, he only smiled enigmatically, saying, "You'll find out tomorrow!"

Lou returned and they all bedded down for the night, their bad moods temporarily abated by Jimmy's mysterious promise of a reprieve. And the next day they rode relentlessly, driven by Jimmy to push their horses — and themselves — to the limit. Their curiosity increased when Jimmy directed them a little off course to a town that held a lot of history for all of them: Sweetwater.

"Jimmy, what are we doing here?" Lou asked sharply, uttering her first words of the trip.

"I figure we need to switch out our horses." Jimmy replied, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth, and his eyes alight with anticipation. "I know of some folks who might be able to help us."

He led them, of all places, to the place where they had all first met each other so many years ago — the Pony Express Way Station in Sweetwater. They were all silent as they regarded the humble little building that held so many memories for all of them. But then their attention was soon averted to the tidy house that stood beside it — and to the woman who stood on the porch, having come out to see who her visitors were.

"Emma!" Buck gasped.