Kid and Lou did their usual bed tuckings that night. Despite their grief, they still showed smiles on their faces as they tucked their darling children to bed. It was Maggie first.

Lou kissed the brown haired little maiden on the head as Kid took the little angel in his arms and laid her down to sleep.

Joseph, obviously trying to prove his maturity, went to bed all by himself. Lou and Kid still followed him to his room. Kid took the hat off Joseph's head and placed it next to the table by the bed. Lou leaned down and kissed him good-night.

Then it was Timmy's turn. As Kid arranged his pillow and Lou tucked him in, Timmy spoke up.

"Story! Story! Wild Bill! Story!" Lou tried hard to hold back a tear. Kid shook his head.

"No, Timmy. Not tonight. C'mon Lou," Kid said.

"No, that's all right, darlin'. I'll tell him a story," Lou insisted. She swept back her long brown curly hair as she leaned forward onto her son's bed. She pressed her lips and stared down a moment. Before she could even tell Timmy a story, Lou looked over at Kid who was waiting for her to tell it. "Could you leave for a while darlin'. I want some time alone with Timmy here."

Kid lifted an eyebrow but seemed to understand a bit. He nodded and kissed Lou on the forehead. He stepped outside and into their bedroom. Lou turned back to Timmy.

"Story, Mama. Story!" Timmy shouted.

"Well, a long time ago....before the war, there was a station called the Pony Express. You had to be a great rider to be a part of the express. Only the best joined. Not only were you supposed to be good at riding, but you also had to be a good fighter."

"Gun fighter!" Timmy shouted.

Lou sighed. "Yes. A gun fighter. It wasn't a glorious job. But it sure did let you see things no one else would be able to see overnight. They rode all day and all night delivering the mail. Not just any mail. We...they had to treat the mail like gold. To send the gold, it had to be sent quickly.

"One such rider was a young boy named Jimmy Hickok."

"Wild Bill!"

"He wasn't called Wild Bill then. The folks then called him Jimmy. He was a beautiful boy. Fast with the gun, sharp with the mouth. Honor and loyalty spread through his heart. He had a lot of pride and a lot of courage.

"Jimmy used to seem to always get into fights. Big or small. Lately, he was known as a man who could fend for himself and fight on his own, but back then, he depended on his family. His friends at the Pony Express. They were all like brothers. All of them equally loyal and vulnerable as the other.

"Oneday, Jimmy Hickok met a man that wanted revenge on him after Jimmy killed his accomplice that robbed a stagecoach full of gold. That man had friends. Big scary men. The man challenged Jimmy to a duel. Thinking that it was only going to be him and Jimmy, Jimmy went.

"Jimmy was then outnumbered one to seven. Jimmy was fast with the gun, but not fast enough to kill all seven at the same time. Just when he thought it was goin' to be over, there behind were six of his best friends. Ike, Lou, Cody, Noah, Buck, and Kid. Now all in a long fierce row of six fighters, Jimmy and his friends walked down the dirt path towards the other seven fighters.

"There was a lot of blood. Yes, some of Jimmy's friends got hurt, but not enough to kill them. We beat them. We were all so much alike then. The same heart. Same spirit. All part of a family. Each protecting one another. And there stood Jimmy. The future Wild Bill Hickok.

"Jimmy..."

On to Part 3!