Lou walked aimlessly through the once-busy streets of Rock Creek and sighed. The town was emptying rapidly of it's abled-body men, and even some of the older boys. War was beckoning to the citizens, and most were ready to answer the call, though not all on the same side.

   It had only been a week since she and Kid had returned from their honeymoon in Chicago, but the changes in the town were perceptible. It seemed a lot quieter now, even the once-rollicking saloon was silenced, emanating an eerie stillness.

   The Way Station came into view and she was filled with a strange foreboding. It felt so empty now that Cody had ridden off with the army, and Jimmy spending all of his free time in town with Rosemary. She had decided to stay in Rock Creek for a while, though Lou didn't know her reasons. Kid suspected that she was waiting for Jimmy to return with her to Kansas and join the abolitionists. Jimmy was determined to see the express to the end however, which wouldn't be very long.

   Lou shook her head sadly as she thought of Kid and Jimmy's deteriorating friendship. A shaky truce had been called shortly before the wedding, but she knew it was only for her benefit. Kid had told her how Jimmy and Rosemary hadn't trusted him with the encrypted code of southern sympathizers and their locations, and although he tried to downplay his feelings, she knew he'd been wounded to the core. Sure they didn't always agree, but through everything, Kid and Jimmy had always trusted eachother, until that incident.

   She turned around and was about to head to Tompkin's store to pick up some supplies when she caught sight of a lone figure in the graveyard. She knew immediately who it was and didn't hesitate as she walked across the street. The woman didn't notice Lou's presence until she was right beside her.

   "Oh...Louise, I'll go now." Rosemary said guiltily as she turned to leave.

   "Don't be silly Rosemary. You have as much right to be here as any of us." Lou replied firmly as she held her hand.

   "You may be the only one who thinks that." Rosemary returned as she glanced back again at Noah's grave.

   "I...I don't blame you for Noah's death..."

   "No, but your husband does."

   Lou let out a heavy sigh and shook her head sadly. "Kid doesn't know what he thinks. He just lashed out...I don't think he really blames you Rosemary. he's just hurtin'... Noah was a good friend."

   "Yeah, well why is Kid so eager to fight for the South, huh? Those men are slavers, people Noah hated. If they were such good friends, how can Kid even think about joining them?" Rosemary spat as she pulled her hand free.

   Lou was a bit taken aback, but she was too stubborn to let Rosemary get away so easy. "The South is Kid's home. He wouldn't be fightin' for slavery. That ain't the issue of the war and you and I both know that. It's about control, and who gets it. I know that there are bad men aligned with the south, but there are also bad men fightin' for the North too...Besides, I don't even know if Kid wants to fight in this war anymore."

   "Oh, is he a coward too?" Seeing the look on Lou's face, Rosemary softened her tone. "I'm sorry. I had no right to say that. I know that Kid is a good man."

   Lou was about to respond when Jimmy approached the pair and smiled. "Well hey stranger, how you doin'?" Lou asked Jimmy half-serious, half-teasing.

   Jimmy had the grace to look ashamed at that. He had been avoiding Kid like the plague, and in turn Lou. He didn't know how to treat her anymore, now that she was married. He missed both of them terribly, but his pride wouldn't allow him to apologize to Kid. He knew he had been wrong for withholding the information from Kid, but it hadn't been his decision. And what Kid had said about Jimmy wanting to take Isaiah place was out of line. Still, a small voice told him that maybe Kid had been right. Maybe.

   "Uh...hey Lou. I'm sorry I haven't really been around lately..."

   "Well, you do have a chance to make it up to me." She said, raising her eyebrows.

   Jimmy felt a pang in his heart as he looked down at Lou. Her short auburn hair was dancing in the wind, framing her face, and her dark eyes looked huge. He had missed looking into her eyes. He quickly caught himself and felt guilty for thinking of Lou like that. He and Rosemary were... well, what were they? They certainly had a special bond, but she was still grieving her husband's death. They'd agreed to take things slow, and they were doing just that.

   "How's that?"

   "You and Rosemary can join Kid and I for dinner tonight at that new fancy restaurant in town."

   "I don't know Lou. Kid and I ain't exactly on the best of terms."

   "He misses you, you know?" she said softly, not meeting his gaze.

   "I...I miss him too-"

   "Great. Meet us at six, then." Lou said as she rushed off, not giving Jimmy and Rosemary the chance to decline.

   He looked over to Rosemary and she smiled back ruefully. "How does she do it?" he asked.

   "I suspect it takes practice, and with the way you and Kid act, she's gotten plenty of it. Now, what are we goin' to wear tonight?"

   Lou smiled as she opened the door to her room and found Kid sprawled on the bed. His brown hair was still damp from his recent shower and he hadn't even bothered to get under the covers before falling asleep. She closed the door gently behind her and thought about leaving him to sleep, but she had missed the sound of his voice over the two-day period he'd been gone on his run. She felt silly, but she couldn't explain it.

   She silently crept up to the bedside and sat on the edge. She leaned over and began tracing his jawline with gentle kisses. His electric blue eyes opened and he smiled as he pulled her down beside him, repositioning himself so that he was staring down at her.

   "You miss me?" He asked smiling.

   Lou didn't reply, but instead pulled him down for a kiss. He responded in kind, basking in the warmth of her embrace. She pulled back suddenly and smiled at her husband as he began to unbutton the top of her dress.

   "Kid, it ain't even dark yet."

   "Well, close the curtains then." he murmured as he nuzzled her neck.

   She laughed, but pulled free from his embrace. She took his large hand in hers and looked at him seriously. He sat up suddenly, knowing the expression on his wife's face. She had something to tell him, something important. He didn't think it was terrible news because her brown eyes were dancing in merriment.

   "Kid...we uh need to talk about somethin'."

   "What is it Lou?"

   "I...when I was in town today, well, I stopped by to see the doctor." Kid nodded, Lou hadn't been feeling well since their return from Chicago. "He ...he said that..." She stopped to take a deep breath.

   Kid was beginning to get worried now. She was hesitant to tell him whatever the doctor said. She suddenly stood up and walked to the dresser. Her back was towards him as she picked up something from the shiny surface. When she turned back to him, she was holding the needles that Jesse had given her in jest only weeks before.

   "Well, it looks like I'll be putting these to use pretty soon." she beamed.

   Kid stood up as well, his brow knitted in confusion. "I...I don't-"

   "I'm goin' to have a baby."

   Kid's jaw dropped, literally. He stood staring at Lou, her eyes now filled with doubt as his silence. Before she knew what was happening, Kid had crossed to the other side of the room and was twirling her around the room. She laughed while Kid began kissing her profusely. He knelt on one knee and caressed her still flat abdomen.

   "How much longer?" he finally managed.

   "Six months."

   "Six months-? But I thought-- oh..." Kid blushed brightly.

   Lou laughed and bended down beside Kid. She kissed him deeply and looked lovingly into his eyes. "You should have seen his face when he told me. He was as red as an apple Kid. He was more embarrassed than I was." She said, smiling now as she remembered the older man's face when he realized that Lou hadn't been married long enough to be three months pregnant.

   "Does anyone else know?" he asked quietly.

   "No... but I guess we'll have some explaining to do." Lou replied mischievously.

   Kid smiled and stood up, helping Lou to her feet as well. Suddenly, he picked Lou up and gently placed her on the bed, kissing her neck. She smiled at Kid and looked at him playfully.

   "You know, this is how I got in this condition in the first place."

   Kid's only response was to bring his mouth to hers, silencing any further protest. She relaxed and brought her arms to rest behind his neck, reveling in the warmth of their embrace, and the feel of his hands as they roamed expertly over her body. He again began to unbutton the top of her dress, and this time, she didn't stop him.

   Lou awoke to find Kid staring intently at her, his blue eyes full of adoration. She smiled and brought her hand to caress his smooth cheek. He caught her fingers and brought them to his lips.

   "What are you lookin' at?" She asked.

   "You're so beautiful."

   Lou blushed a bright shade of red and lowered her eyes for a moment. She noticed how the sun light in the room was fading, and she wondered how long she'd been asleep. She'd been so tired lately because she hadn't been getting much sleep. She glanced back at Kid and wondered how she was going to get him to dinner tonight.

   "Kid... we better get dressed."

   Kid pulled her closer and kissed her lips softly. "I was thinkin' we could stay in bed for the rest of the night."

   "Well... that would be rude considerin' we're supposed to meet some people tonight for dinner."

   Kid pulled back and looked at his wife questioningly. "What people?" he asked suspiciously.

   "I ran into Jimmy and Rosemary tonight...and well, since it's been awhile since we've seen them, I thought-"

   "Well you thought wrong. I don't even want to see them, much less eat with them." Kid grumbled as he sat up on the edge of the bed, his back turned towards her.

   Lou detected the anger in his voice, but she wasn't going to give up so easily. Pulling the thick comforter around her, she sidled behind Kid and placed her chin on his tan shoulder. "Kid... you and Jimmy are best friends, surely you can put aside your differences for one night."

   "It ain't Jimmy I got a problem with, it's Rosemary." he replied bitterly.

   "Jimmy's got a right to be happy Kid."

   "I know that Lou." Kid said as he stood abruptly, pulling his trousers on as he did so. "But she ain't goin' to make him happy. Everything that woman touches falls apart."

   "That ain't fair and you know it."

   "It's the truth Lou. Now...I know what you're tryin' to do, but I ain't goin' to dinner tonight." he said quietly as he looked out of the window.

   "Well... I guess I'll have to go by myself then."

   Kid turned around to protest, but he saw the determined look on Lou's face. her jaw was clenched tightly, and her eyes were filled with defiance. Sighing loudly, Kid grabbed his shirt and hat and slammed the door as he exited. Lou sat still for a moment, debating whether she had made the right choice.

   Jimmy looked up from the table in time to see Lou enter. he tried to hide the pleasure he felt upon seeing her, but Rosemary didn't miss much, he knew. Lou smiled as she approached them, and Rosemary felt a pang of envy upon seeing the young woman. Her hair was gather gracefully in a bun, and she was wearing a pale pink dress that accentuated her decidedly-feminine figure. Rosemary also noted Kid's absence, but she wasn't really surprised.

   "Hey you two, sorry I'm runnin' a little late."

   Jimmy stood up to kiss Lou's cheek, and looked behind her for Kid. Lou noticed and smiled in apology. "Kid wasn't feelin' well, so he decided to stay at home."

   "Sorry to hear that." Jimmy stated as he sat down, his face as stony as ever.

   "Would you rather postpone this?" Rosemary asked, not believing her story for one minute, but also not wanting to come between husband and wife.

   "Don't be silly. Kid's a big boy, I'm sure he can handle himself." Lou said almost bitterly. "Now...what shall we order?"

   Jimmy sighed in contentment as he left the restaurant, both arms occupied by the two women who held a special place in his heart. Dinner had gone smoothly, despite Kid's absence and the tension it caused. Rosemary and Lou seemed to get along great, and that eased his mind. He wanted everyone to see that Rosemary wasn't a bad person, but somehow, he didn't think that was ever going to happen. Lou however seemed to have taken a special liking to the other woman, trying her best to make friends.

   Jimmy hadn't seen Rosemary laugh like she had tonight in quite some time. Even now the two women were laughing about something Lou had said when suddenly Rosemary came to a halt, gasping in surprise and shock.

   "What's wrong?" Jimmy asked as he looked up, then stopped dead in his tracks. Three dangerous looking men stood before them, leering openly at Lou and glaring at Rosemary.

   "Been a long time Mrs. Burke..." the tall one said as he stepped forward menacingly.

   Jimmy quickly pulled his gun, startling Lou, and pointed it at the trio. He didn't have a good feeling about these men. Maybe it was the way they stared hatefully at Rosemary, or just his instinct. Maybe a bit of both, but they were up to no good.

   "Don't get excited fella... we're old friends...ain't we Rosemary."

   "Get away from me." Rosemary said with so much hate that chills ran down Lou's spine.

   When they made no attempt to move, Jimmy stepped forward, waving his gun. They paused for a moment, but seemed to think better of it. They walked off in the other direction, but not before calling to her tauntingly.

   "We'll come back and see you when you ain't got company Mrs. Burke."

   The other men laughed as they made their way to the saloon, and Lou looked at them with a feeling of dread. She looked back to Rosemary and saw her hands were shaking wildly.

   "Are you o.k? Who were those men?" Lou asked in concern.

   Rosemary looked at Lou with venom in her eyes. Jimmy stood in front of the two women, waiting for an explanation. She took a deep breath and looked in the distance.

   "Those men are the Smith brothers. They uh... they had a small, but prosperous farm a few miles from where we were operating the underground for slaves. Seems they caught wind of what we were doing and didn't like it too much. They confronted Isaiah, and even had fist-fights with some of our associates. Well, one night, they snuck onto our property and set fire to our house, and the barn where the slaves were. We got out of the house in time, but when we went to help the others, Michael ran back into the house to get something-or-other. I didn't realize until it was too late, and then the house just crumbled under the fire." Tears were running freely down her face now, but she didn't stop. "Isaiah just went crazy... he knew it was those men, so he retaliated by burning their entire property down. They lost everything...including their youngest brother. They couldn't prove anything ofcourse, but they knew it was Isaiah... they swore they'd get revenge, and now they've come to collect."

   She didn't protest as Jimmy pulled her into a tight embrace. She began to sob uncontrollably, and Lou could only look on helplessly.

   "Oh James...what am I going to do?"

   "You're coming to stay with us at the waystation, that's what." Lou said firmly as she met Jimmy's troubled gaze.

   Jimmy held Rosemary's bag in his hand and looked around the waysation in apprehension. It had taken a lot of convincing on Lou's part to get the woman to agree to come stay with them, where she would be relatively safe. Rosemary knew she wasn't welcome there, and didn't want to make anyone uncomfortable. But once again, Lou had won.

   Lou took the bag from Jimmy once they reached the porch steps and grabbed Rosemary's hand. "C'mon, I'll get you set up in the guest room and you look like you cold use some sleep."

   Rosemary followed her obediently, looking back at James to give him the faintest smile before turning back around. Lou led her up the narrow staircase to a door at the end of the hall. Judging from the lack of lights, it was obvious that the other occupants were asleep. Lou opened the door and lit the lamp.

   "My room is right next door. If you have any problems, just come on over. There are blankets in the closet over there, and don't worry, I'll explain everything to Rachel in the morning." Lou said as she placed the bag on the bed.

   "Thank you so much Louise... I really appreciate it." Rosemary said, almost shyly as Lou turned to leave.

   "Don't mention it." Lou said with a wink as she shut the door softly behind her.

   Lou entered the dark room and saw immediately that Kid was seated next to the window, waiting for her to enter. She couldn't make out his face, but she knew he wasn't happy, anger seemed to be emanating from him. She sighed in frustration, preparing herself for the coming fight. Without a word, she turned the lamp on and sat on the bed across from Kid.

   "What's she doin' here?" he asked quietly

   "It's a long story Kid. Can we talk about this in the mornin'?"

   "No."

   Lou looked at him in surprise. His tone was furious, but his face remained unreadable. "Look, on the way home from dinner we ran into some men. They were responsible for killing her son. Well, they kinda threatened her, so I thought it would be better if she stayed here, where we could keep an eye on her."

   "Lou! You've gone too far this time. If those men are dangerous, then you could be putting the rest of us in danger. Let her deal with her own problems, hasn't she caused enough damage already?"

   "I can't believe you're sayin' this. She needs help -"

   "Well, let her get it from somewhere else. We have enough to worry about."

   "What's happened to you Kid?"

   "What's happened to me? What's happened to you? We made vows to eachother Lou...first Jimmy turns against me, now you?" Kid stood up angrily and headed for the door.

   Lou stood up as well, Kid's words spurring her on. "We're not against you Kid. Why can't you see that? I love you Kid." Lou said as she grabbed his arm.

   He shook her hand off, and turned the door knob. "You coulda fooled me." was all he said as he descended down the stairs.

   Lou watched him from the window as he stormed to the barn, and then into the darkness on Katy. She sat on the bed heavily and wrapped her arms around herself, trying her best not to cry.

On to part 2!