-By Gizmo-

Copyright 1999

CHAPTER 1

NEAR SMOKY HILL RIVER, KANSAS, 1868.

Late September, the Kiowa tribe had just settled in their winter camp, where there were lodges instead of tee-pees and thick buffalo hides covering the ground inside.

The sun rose above the treetops, waking the Indians up with its warmth.

Buck felt a woman's hands on his back, giving him gentle squeezes. She pulled his hair back, kissed his face.

He was only half-awake, saw through blurry eyes how she was getting dressed. He sighed, turned around, slept some more.

Several hours later, he heard the familiar sound of the buckskin flap being pulled aside.

He was awake, but didn't care to open his eyes just yet. He couldn't wait to hear the light footsteps of his wife, and if he was lucky she might even crawl down beside him again.

But instead he received a hard kick in his right leg. He looked up, mighty surprised.

Red Bear told him to get up.

"What for?" Buck asked, thinking of the promise the tribe had given him and his wife when they got married.

No hard work would come to them during the first six months of their marriage, they would be treated with respect and no one would tell them what to do and when. They would only have time for each other.

He wiped at his eyes, rubbed them hard.

"I know I may be out of line, but I need you right now," Red Bear said, throwing a buckskin shirt in his brother's face.

"Get dressed and come outside."

Buck stood up outside his lodge. He looked around, found the whole village full of motion, everyone seemed to be up working.

It was not far from winter, all services were needed. He almost felt guilty for not working, but he didn't really miss it. On the contrary! he thought.

Red Bear approached him, pointing in the direction of the Medicine man's lodge.

"Your wife is in there. She has been for many hours now. I think she might have some news for you this time," he smiled, clapping his brother's shoulder.

"Think so?" Buck asked, more worried than he was happy.

"Why else would she wait so to come tell you? I remember when my first wife was pregnant. She didn't dare to tell me for almost a week. Go see her now!"

His brother was still smiling, bragging about his many wives. So far they were four. Buck hoped from the bottom of his soul he never needed to take himself another wife. He had been lucky, who had married for love. His three sisters-in-law had all married to provide the tribe with new population, the word called love was unknown to them.

"Was that all you needed me for?" he asked.

His brother shook his head, placing a hand on Buck's left shoulder.

"I have some more news for you, but there is nothing you can do until tomorrow. I will tell you later, now go see what your wife has to say."

Red Bear turned around, walked slowly down the main street of the village, soon a woman came up by his side, walked with him until Buck could no longer see them. He knew it was the first wife, she was much taller than the other wives in Red Bear's lodge. And older.

He shook his head, turned instead to the Medicine man's own selected spot in the outskirts of the village. His lodge was surrounded by a circle of smaller rocks, one similar to what White Feather told him was for protection, that time ages ago when Camille was sick. Or whatever she was, he thought.

He had been the Medicine man's student for almost five months, right after he got married to Sings-In-The-Morning, the woman who knocked him back two steps first time he saw her. He called her Morning Bird, as she really was a such, though her real name was from all the mornings she woke her family up, by very close to singing, as a child.

He found himself standing outside the lodge, just staring at a blind spot, inhaling the strange smells coming from inside. He thought he should be used to them by now, but this time they were very clear and strong.

He took a deep breath, pulled the buckskin aside.

"Don't you know how to knock?" an old man's voice asked sternly, but when he saw who it was his eyes softened a bit under the gray brows.

Buck looked at his wife, sitting like a scared rabbit on the other end of the lodge. He smiled at her, she smiled back, though very distracted.

"What do you want?" the old man asked, giving his student - who he nearly saw as the son he never had - a sign to sit down. He was welcomed.

"Red Bear told me she might be here," he started carefully.

"No, no, he didn't!" the old man cut him off.

"He said she was here and now you want to know if she is pregnant."

Buck nodded, knew old Eagle Moon could see right through him, always had.

"She is not."

A short sentence, that nearly shocked the young man as he sat down by the fire. He glanced at his wife. She held a very guilty face, he wished he could just reach out and comfort her, it wasn't her fault. But he couldn't hide he was a bit disappointed after all.

"I'm sorry, Running Buck," she said with a thin and almost shivering voice.

"Don't be," he said softly.

Eagle Moon watched the two, eyes darting between them for almost five minutes.

"Your marriage has just begun. You don't have to follow the old ways of this tribe if you don't want to. You have been given six moons to produce a child, but that is only an old custom. You are young, let it happen with time."

With those words of wisdom, Eagle Moon stepped out of the lodge, leaving Buck and his wife staring at each other. They knew he was right, and they would give it more time.

Together they went outside, his arm around her shoulders.

Red Bear waited patiently until the two were close enough to tell the news. He was already smiling, ready to hear he was to become an uncle.

But when they just passed him, he understood. He wiped the grin off his face, followed them to their lodge.

Morning Bird went inside, but Buck stayed out in the sunlight, knew his brother was right behind him.

"Not this time either?" Red Bear asked, though he knew the answer.

Buck shook his head, then left it all behind him, he had heard the same news for five months, had no reason to get depressed this time more than any other time.

"You said you had more news?" he asked instead.

"Yes. Walk with me," he suggested.

They started to walk down to the Smoky Hill River.

It took several minutes before Red Bear finally said what was bothering him.

"I received this letter this morning," he started, holding the mentioned item up, so his brother could see he was telling the truth.

"My scouts returned this sunrise, telling me an old man had walked straight at them. He had held this letter up in the air, shouting it was for the man carrying the name on the envelope. That man is you. I know this old man, he is a friend of mine. He wants us no harm, therefor I trust him."

He gave the letter to his brother.

He read the single line that was written: Buck Cross.

A name he hadn't cared for since he left the station back in 1862.

He was trapped in his own thoughts and memories for a while. Then his older brother gave his shoulder a gentle squeeze.

"You all right, my brother?" he asked.

"Hmmm..."

Red Bear then continued,

"He said also that he had been asked to leave this letter to the nearest Kiowa tribe, somebody hoping to find you there. The reason I didn't tell you sooner, is that." he said, pointing at the sky. A big cloud, dark as the night, was rolling over them. A sudden breeze stirred up the dry sand, only made the layers of dust on their faces thicker.

"I do not wish to see my brother get hurt in this weather. Do not leave until the thunder is gone."

"Leave?" Buck asked.

"Yes. Somebody is looking for you, the Spirits has told me so. You must leave, and there will be trouble on the way. But you will return if the Spirits wants you to. That is what the Medicine man told me last time the moon was full."

"Last month?!" Buck cried.

"Yes. I had a dream, and the Spirits told me this, in their own way. The Medicine man translated it for me."

"How nice of you to let me know!" Buck cried even louder.

"My brother, you cannot control your own destiny. It is meant for you to leave now. Tomorrow." Red Bear said calmly, ignoring his brother's temper.

With that, Red Bear turned back to the village, leaving his brother behind, again trapped in memories and deep thoughts.

His thoughts, however, were abruptly cut off as Morning Bird laid a hand on his shoulder from behind.

He jumped, his wife carefully stroking his neck.

He turned to her, calming himself from the surprise, put his arms carefully around her waist.

"My husband is troubled," she observed, knowing her husband well enough to know he was not easy to scare otherwise.

He looked away, pretended he hadn't heard her.

"What is in your hand?" she asked instead.

He removed his hands from her, hid the letter behind him.

"It is nothing that concerns you," he said, started to walk back to the village.

Morning Bird was very worried. Her husband only held her on the outside when there was trouble. Otherwise he let her in on anything. When he had been sick almost seven months ago, he hadn't told her. That nearly cost him his life, she remembered.

She followed him for a while, but he turned for the hills, she knew he didn't want her company at that moment.

Puzzled, she turned back to their lodge, took the opportunity of collecting a few branches for her fire on the way.

Buck had read the letter at least a hundred times, when the rain finally came. He knew better than to sit out in the wet grass, as he had just recovered from a serious double pneumonia, but he felt he needed some privacy. It was getting late, he still hadn't eaten, but it didn't bother him much. What was in the letter was far more important. It was written on the 27th of August, almost a month away. He read it once more,

"To Buck, anywhere you might be,

I don't know really how to tell you this, but the stationhouse was hit by lightning two weeks ago, leaving me no other choice but to move. I have been thinking of Europe for a long time, but I'm still not sure. However, I want to meet everyone before I leave, I have sent for all of you. This is the third letter I have written to you, I hope you finally got it this time. If you can, please come by the old station in Rock Creek as soon as possible. It will be a reunion to remember, I promise you that!

With love,

Rachel Dunne"

He sat in deep thoughts again.

The rain washed his face, letting the tanned skin shine through the dust. His clothes were getting mighty wet, soaked. He decided to walk home, couldn't wait to have one of his wife's wonderful meals.

Eagle Moon sat in his lodge, mixing together two dry herbs in a bowl of water. He then handed his visitor the bowl, told him to drink.

Buck did so, hoped it would make things more clear.

"Drink it all, then tell me what you see."

Strange images started to appear in his head - or as he saw it, in front of him - pictures of a flying blackbird, a steep mountain and buffalo-grass softer than silk.

A few minutes later Buck opened his closed eyes.

"What did you see?" Eagle Moon asked with a lot of curiosity in his voice.

"I saw... I don't know what I saw."

"You are not supposed to know, that's what I'm here for! Now tell me what you saw," the Medicine man said eagerly.

"I saw a mountain and a bird, and maybe... maybe a grassy hill on the bottom of a deep canyon. What does it mean?"

Eagle Moon took a few seconds to think. Then he started to explain,

"The mountain means you are on the edge of falling. You would not have climbed the mountain, unless you knew there was a chance of falling. You seek adventure. The bird is tricky. It could mean you want to fly, or it could mean you want a safe journey home. I cannot answer for sure. But the grass you saw, the hills, they mean you will land softly, if only you allow yourself to fall where the Spirits wants you to fall!"

Buck tasted the translation, saw no sense in it. He had heard a lot of funny things, being Eagle Moon's student ever since he left the war-party. He had decided to stay out of trouble with the other tribes and the army, now when he had a wife to protect.

"It doesn't matter, I'm not going," he said.

Eagle Moon looked at him with both anger and concern.

"You are not going, Running Buck?!" he asked, leaning forward a bit so he would hear the answer correctly.

"No, I'm not. The letter was written all too long ago, the reunion is over, Rachel is gone."

"Running Buck. My student. You cannot say this and seriously mean it! The Spirits are telling you to go! You must, there is no other way."

"But I don't understand why it is so important! What is so special about me leaving? I want to be with my wife now!"

He decided the conversation was over, turning to the door.

Eagle Moon sat quiet, nodding slightly.

As Buck stood in the door, the old man spoke with a strong and in the nearest forcing voice,

"If you turn your back on this, Running Buck, your lessons in this lodge are over!"

He ignored him, walked outside.

He turned for his own lodge, tried to calm himself.

"What is wrong with my husband? Why won't he tell his wife?" Morning Bird asked with a calm and caring voice.

He put his hands on her shoulders, as she was sitting beside him on the buffalo-hide, kissed her lips.

He didn't answer her questions, just let her hands caress his skin. She slipped her hand down his spine. A pleasant shiver went through him, his head falling backwards.

She carefully kissed his neck, felt his almost feverish warm skin.

"I must leave," he said.

"When?" she asked, kept kissing him.

"Tomorrow, after the rain."

Her lips searched for his, they kissed passionately.

"We can talk later," she whispered in his ear, felt his hands behind her head, untying the knot keeping her dress together.

When Morning Bird woke up, Buck was not there. She wondered if he had left, or if he had only went out. She hoped for the latter, but saw no reason for him to get up before her, unless he was doing something very important. It never had happened before...

She stepped outside, was nearly run down by three children playing. She smiled, managed to give one of them a pat on the head.

She felt how a strange feeling came over her. She felt how she more than anything longed for a child of her own. She knew she could handle it.

The rain was gone, leaving the ground wet, the familiar smell of a late summer came to her nose.

As she looked up, Red Bear stood in front of her.

"You are just in time, Running Buck is leaving now," he said gently, lead her to her husband by the horses.

Red Bear looked at the two as they hugged, kissed.

They stood close for several minutes, not saying a word.

Then Morning Bird broke the silence,

"I don't want you to go," she whispered, then immediately took it back.

She had learnt from her sisters that women had no saying in their husbands behavior, decisions or acts. Women meant nothing, they told her, a woman should have great respect for her husband and expect nothing in return.

"Why are you apologizing?" he wondered, kissing her forehead.

She didn't answer, leant her head against his shoulder.

Red Bear was getting a bit impatient, holding the reins to his brother's horse.

"The sun sets in only about sixteen hours, my brother!" he called, smiling.

Buck flashed him a smile in return, turned back to Morning Bird.

"Will you return?" she asked with a strong voice, independent as she was.

"Of course..." he answered, couldn't really see why she asked that.

"Will you return alive?" she asked, again with a strong voice.

"Stop it, Morning Bird! I won't get myself killed, I swear."

"There are pony soldiers out there, they wouldn't think twice about killing you."

He turned away, left her screaming his name.

"Running Buck! Listen to your wife!" she called after him, but he ignored her, knew what he was doing. He would keep a careful eye out for army soldiers, though he knew he had to travel right through them to get to Rock Creek.

He swung himself up on the strong mare he had received as a wedding gift from his brother. She was much higher than most ponies in the village, and faster.

He stroked her copper mane, patted her strong neck.

"She will carry you safe to your destination, my brother. But perhaps your wife is right, there is danger out there. Please be as careful as you can be," Red Bear said, receiving a nod from Buck.

"I will take care of your wife, don't worry. When you return she will move back to your lodge, but she will stay with my family when you are gone," Red Bear promised, saw his brother was pleased with that.

He carefully pressed his heels in the horse's sides, immediately she carried him in a steady walk.

As he passed Eagle Moon's lodge, the old man nodded, smiling.

"You are doing the right thing, Running Buck," he said, then went inside again.

Buck was afraid to look back, knew his wife was staring at him, pleading for him to stay. He hadn't mentioned to her about the Spirits and Red Bear's dream. He felt he had to do this on his own, even if he didn't understand a thing of what was going on. He just knew it was important that he left, the Spirits had said so. But he was worried about the "chance of falling" he had heard his old friend say. What did that mean?

Almost nightfall, Buck sitting by his campfire, eating some dried meat and corn. It was a diet he had gotten used to again, after moving back to the Kiowas. But that didn't mean he liked it.

His horse stood just a few feet away, eating her oats. She had carried him far that day, they were only five miles outside Rock Creek. The next morning he would sneak through a line of soldiers, hopefully in one piece. He threw a last eye at his horse, before he pulled the blanket over his shoulders and went to sleep. Somehow he didn't think he would find anyone he knew in town, but still he would go there to make sure. Then he would go straight home to his wife, he had promised her that much.

The night was cold and clear, the moon and the stars shining brightly, above a sleeping Indian and his horse. All was silent.

CHAPTER 2

He was awake, just waiting for his wife to start give his back gentle squeezes, like she always did. It was like a ritual, something that probably never would change. She did it every morning, as if to make sure he was still there. He himself was never worried that their marriage was just an illusion, however, but she was, thought it all was just too good to be true.

When nothing happened, he thought perhaps she was still asleep, though they always seemed to wake up at the same time. He opened his eyes, expecting to see the rawhide wall of his lodge, but all he saw was a big tree, a horse and a bright light, piercing his eyes, forcing him to close them again.

He looked up again, forcing himself to remember. As it all came back to him he sat up, throwing a caring eye at his horse. She looked back at him, as if to say "are you finally conscious enough to give me my breakfast?"

He grabbed his backpack, crawled over to her by the tree and gave her the last of the oats he had brought.

After a refreshing cup of coffee and some more of the dried meat, he jumped to his feet, stretched his legs for a bit.

"How about it, girl, are you ready to go?" he asked his horse.

She gave him a calm eye, liked when he spoke to her. That was something no one else had done, something that made their long rides more interesting, not only walk, trot and gallops.

Buck couldn't really understand why he had suddenly started to talk to his animals, but it was the same thing with the dog Morning Bird got as a wedding gift, from her father. He had meant for it to keep her safe whenever her husband was not around. He wondered if perhaps he was getting old, as talking to dogs and horses was something he had started doing just recently.

He shook his head at the thought, gave his face a look in the spoon he always carried with him. He didn't know why, but it was seen by the others in the tribe as something valuable, something they would never get their hands on. Perhaps that was why he kept it, as he was given some respect from the others.

He collected his things and got up on his horse. He knew he had to be very cautious now, close to an army field camp as he was. But he had been both a warrior and a scout, felt certain about what he was doing. There wouldn't be any trouble, sure it wouldn't. Or would it?

SEBASTIAN CREEK, COLORADO.

A young man stepped out on the porch outside the hotel. He was tired, as the night before had been a wild one. The townspeople had been very generous, buying him drink after drink. But perhaps they were just afraid he would give them trouble if they weren't nice to him, he thought.

His aching head was getting tired of his wild nights in saloons, but the young man himself liked it. It was the way he lived nowadays, and it had been for quite some time.

He started to walk down the street to the livery stables, hoping his horse was ready as he had asked for the day before. He had planned an early start, hoped he would get to Rock Creek before the week was over. He had received a letter from Rachel Dunne only three days earlier, apparently she had been trying to locate him for quite a while.

He guessed the letter had followed him around, without really reaching him, for about four weeks. That was as long as he had been travelling from Seattle, to Portland, Sacramento, Las Vegas and then to Denver.

He had visited a few of the largest cities the country had to offer, hoping he would find something that would make him stay longer. But they had all grown to be very boring in the end, he had continued on to another place.

He came by the stables right on time to see a man pat his horse. The man wore a buckskin outfit and a light brown hat. A rifle hung over his back, in one hand he held the reins to his own horse.

When he heard he was no longer alone in the stable, he threw an eye at the man standing in the door. What he saw was someone in a black coat, a black hat and a gun in one hand.

"Step away from my horse," the man said calmly, approaching.

"Jimmy?!" Cody cried with his still very shrieky voice, despite the years had made him look more like a man than a boy.

"Do I know you?" the man in black asked, still calm.

"It's me! Cody!" he cried, running to meet his old friend.

"Cody? Is that you, Cody?!" Jimmy asked, putting away his colt.

"Didn't I say so?" Cody laughed, hugging the gunfighter.

They laughed, hugged, smiled, hugged again.

"What a coincidence!" Cody said, throwing an eye at Jimmy's new way of clothing.

"You sure haven't changed," Jimmy smiled back.

"Not a bit! But what have you been up to?"

"This and that. Not too much," Jimmy sighed, as if he wanted the answer to be different.

"I have been up to everything you can imagine!" Cody smiled.

"I will tell you some other day, but I really must get going!"

"Where to?" Jimmy asked, hoped he could talk his friend into staying just a few more minutes.

"To Rock Creek. But I suppose you've already been there?"

"No, that's where I'm going too," Jimmy smiled, knew now he would have some company riding the last miles.

"You kiddin'? I thought ya'all had to have been there by now?!" Cody cried, again sounding just like he used to.

"No, not me. I got the letter from Rachel this week. I just started off yesterday."

"Really? I be damned..."

"So, what's your reason to be late? For the reunion, I mean?" Jimmy asked, went inside the horse's stall, checking the saddle was put on all right.

"My wife kept me home. I don't really stay home all that often."

"Where is it you live now? I have heard quite a lot about you!" Jimmy smiled.

"I must say the same! You ain't exactly unknown yourself. No, I live sometimes in New York, but my wife came to meet me in Denver."

"No way! I was just there!"

"Really? I never had a clue!" Cody laughed.

"I thought you said I wasn't unknown..." Jimmy sighed.

There was a silence, Cody wondered if he had hurt his friend's pride by saying so, but on the other hand, he hadn't really been in Denver. He and his wife had stayed in a big house right outside the city, a house they had just bought, like so many other big houses in the country. Cody figured it was a good way of spending all the money he made.

"But anyway..." Cody said, trying to wipe the grin off his face.

"Are we going or what?"

"To Rock Creek? I'm right on my way, why don't you join me?" Jimmy asked, hoped for a positive answer.

"Wasn't that the idea?" Cody smiled.

The went outside, mounted.

"Ready?" Jimmy asked, more out of old habit than anything else.

"Let's go!" Cody shouted back.

"Last one to Rock Creek is a rotten egg!"

Buck sat quiet on his horse, watching the soldiers down the hill.

They were too stupid to keep guards longer than twenty feet from the camp, which made his sneaking easier.

"The only way around 'em takes a half a day to go, so what do you say? Shall we go through 'em or around 'em?" he asked his horse, of course not expecting an answer.

He waited for the right moment, when the guard closest looked away.

When that finally happened, he came down the hill like shot out of a cannon.

He stormed the "camp" - a fourthy feet wide and ten miles long line of tired soldiers, all coming back from their outposts, where they had waited for orders since the war - in full gallop. The soldiers closest didn't know what had happened, until he was already through, but the alert sergeant who stood a few feet away spotted the Indian and immediately reached for his rifle.

Buck heard horses behind him, soldiers screaming. He had hit a few slow ones passing through, but there were a hundred others who were all in position behind. Rifles and guns fired, but no one seemed to be able to hit the escaping Indian.

"Get him!" the sergeant called, sending more of his men after the rider.

Due to the hills they had to climb to get away, Buck and his horse were both getting tired already, with the fresh horses belonging to the army on their trail. They had to keep a tough tempo, almost too tough.

Buck prayed for his horse to find some extra strength, to run faster than she had ever run before.

The sergeant thought for himself that no Indian would disturb his peace, now when he was finally ordered to come back home. He and his men had been marching for weeks, they were all tired, just wanted to get all the rest they could. But an Indian sure put some spice to the hard life in the army, he thought, smiling. He couldn't wait to see him hung.

"Serge, it is only one Indian, why waste bullets?" a smart young soldier asked, though he knew it was death to question a superior's orders.

"Because... it's fun! Don't be smart with me, boy, I want this Indian!" the sergeant laughed, kept his horse in a steady gallop after his prey.

Buck kept pushing his horse forward, biting his lip to keep focused. He had spotted a few rocks ahead, knew the soldiers would not follow him any longer than that. - They were already way too far from their camp. Behind those rocks was a deep and wide river, a horse could barely walk across, the army could not waste their fine horses trying, just to catch an Indian who hadn't done much wrong anyway. Thinking that, Buck kept his heels pressed against his horse, hands going rapidly up and down the mane, pushing hard.

More guns fired, one bullet touched the sleeve of his buckskin shirt, giving it a brand new hole, as if there weren't enough before. The thought of he was almost hit, made his mind go blank. He couldn't think at all, just kept his horse going, had to make it to the river. Just had to.

"Alright, men! Hold up..." the sergeant said, cursing himself for not catching the Indian.

"We have to turn back now. But if he comes back this way, he'll be a dead Indian, you got my word on that!"

They turned back to where they came from, leaving Buck smiling behind the rocks.

The rush was over, blood started streaming to his head again, he could think clear. He jumped down on the ground, left hand covering his face. He kneeled beside his horse, collecting himself for a moment.

Then he got up again, looked at his new best friend.

She was all wet, blowing hard, frowning at him. He didn't like doing these kind of things to his horse, but this time it had been necessary. Or hadn't it? Could he had sacrificed a day to go around the soldiers? It was too late to think about that, he decided. It was all over and done with now.

He walked his horse on the beach for a few minutes, letting her cool down, so the cold water in the river wouldn't give her a shock. The streams didn't look as bad as he thought and remembered, but he knew he would think different when out there.

He turned and gave his horse a nice hug, talking gently to her.

"You never have to do anything like that again, promise!" he smiled, saw in her eyes the trust and comfort he had always admired about this horse. Perhaps that was the reason his brother had given him this fine animal, because he liked her so. He had never thought it was possible to like and care for an animal this much, but he was ready to change his mind about that.

He jumped up again, carefully turned the animal towards the river. They started a hard but not impossible wade.

Jimmy and Cody were both tired, the sun burning their backs and necks.

"Why don't we stop here and get some rest?" Jimmy suggested, glancing carefully at Cody.

"Guess it wouldn't hurt, huh?" Cody smiled, still couldn't understand he had actually met James Butler Hickok again, after all those years of fame.

He never expected Rachel to actually invite him to her home again, though he knew in his heart she would never forget him. Or his stomach.

They dismounted, Jimmy immediately looking about for some branches for a fire.

NEAR KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI.

A quiet afternoon, a wife and her husband sitting by a fire, two horses grazing beside them. Louise put her arm around Kid's neck, hugging him gently.

"I missed this..." she said, dreaming back to the days when she was a Pony Express rider.

"Yeah, me too. Thank God for Rachel, huh?" Kid smiled, hearing the comforting laughter of his wife.

"What if she's not there anymore? It took much longer to get here than we thought. And the letter was late to begin with. Perhaps she's already in Europe, seeing all the big cities? Paris, London... Rome..."

Louise sighed, her husband pulling her closer.

"Would you like to go there? To all the big cities of Europe?" he asked, smiling at the thought.

"No... I don't think so. Not without you, anyway."

Kid noticed Lou was still dreaming, not really answering in the way she used to.

"I'm sure Rachel would never leave without saying good-bye to us first," he assured, smiling at her.

"Perhaps we should get going, if we want to be sure of that!" Lou laughed, pulling her husband to his feet.

"Then you can get the horses ready for a change! That would be a sight!" he laughed back, looking at her big round stomach.

"The doctor said I shouldn't even travel in my condition, so shut your big mouth!" she snapped, laughing even more.

Kid smiled, slowly taking the harness on the ground, walking toward Katy.

Buck watched the station from a distance of almost a hundred yards. It looked bigger than he remembered, but thought perhaps his mind was just playing tricks on him. He approached the bunkhouse, flashbacks going through his head. He remembered a lot of things he thought he had forgotten, good things and bad things.

His eyes soon fell on the remains of the old stationhouse, it was only half the bottom floor and one wall left of it. Just like Rachel had written in the letter, it had burnt to the ground.

The place hadn't changed much, otherwise, only the bunkhouse had a broken window and the barn a new set of doors.

Suddenly he both heard and sensed that someone was coming up behind him.

"Grab some air, Indian!"

He spun around, facing an old man keeping a rifle between them.

The man was perhaps Teaspoon's age, Buck thought. He was wearing a half-opened blue shirt, exposing a scared chest. This man had been through a lot, the Indian guessed. Perhaps that could also mean he would rather shoot than ask questions. Buck hoped he would get out of this without getting himself hurt, but the surprise caused him to an exclamation,

"What?!"

"I said, stick 'em up!" the old man repeated, making sure the Indian had seen the rifle.

Buck doubtfully raised his hands shoulder-high. He had a thousand thoughts going through his head, but not one made sense.

The old man came closer, still keeping the rifle loaded and ready to fire. He grabbed his own chin, rubbing the beard.

"Who are you? What are you doing, sneaking around here, huh?"

"I'm looking for Rachel Dunne, she used to live here."

Buck decided to ignore the rifle for a second, just keep himself calm.

"Well, she ain't here. She left me a note, saying I should take care of the place while she's gone, see. You're coming with me, I'm taking you to the sheriff. He will sure make you talk, tell us all about your plans to invade this town together with your Indian friends. It ain't gonna happen, I tell ya! Ain't gonna happen... Move over there!"

The man pointed with his chin towards the barn, Buck backed in that direction without hesitating.

"Now you wait until I get my horse in order. Your I'll just let run free."

He took the reins from Buck's left hand, tying a knot over the mane, so she would not step on them as she ran.

He screamed and shouted, but the horse stood still, calm as ever. Buck couldn't help smiling a little at the man's foolish attempts to scare her.

"What are you grinnin' at?! I don't care about her, she'll just have to take care of herself. Now, make yourself ready for a hard run into town. I'm riding, you on foot!"

The man was about to mount, when Buck made the biggest mistake of his life - he kept talking, keeping the man on the ground, although he had learnt to always make his opponents mount. Then a close fight would be out of the question, and they could not reach him if he was still on the ground.

"Who rules Rock Creek now? Teaspoon Hunter?" he asked, didn't realize his mistake.

"Who? No, our marshal is Frank Thunder. He'll make you talk, be so sure!"

Buck now thought he had to get away, in town he would only get himself into more trouble, if that now was possible.

He threw himself at the man, who may had been old, but he was still strong as a bear.

The man hit the Indian as hard as he could with the rifle, giving his head a nice deep wound, right above his left ear.

Buck reached for his knife, but had already lost balance.

He fell to the ground like a ton of bricks.

CHAPTER 3

Louise carefully jumped down from the wagon, looked around. Though it was only an hour past lunchtime, the town was full of motion, people everywhere.

Kid fastened the horses outside the livery stable, went inside to find the manager.

Louise smiled, felt all warm inside thinking of the town she used to live in, the town where she now was with her husband. Their four children were back home in Virginia, looked after by her brother and sister, and just in case something would happen, the school teacher - who had become Louise's very best friend - looked after Jeremiah who otherwise was in charge.

She felt good about being in Rock Creek, though her big stomach constantly reminded her of the bumpy trails and roads they had to travel on. Hopefully, they wouldn't go home until the baby was born, which she expected to be real soon.

The Kid came back out, took his wife by the shoulders.

"Finally we're here!" he smiled.

"Let's get a room for the night, and we'll go down to the station later, when the horses are fresh."

"You don't think Rachel will let us stay in the bunkhouse?" Louise asked.

"Maybe, but we can't know for sure. Come on!"

At the other end of town, two riders came in, dusty and tired.

"I just want a hot bath and some fresh new clothes!" Jimmy groaned, smiling at Cody.

"Who doesn't after a ride like our?" Cody smiled back, pulling his horse to a halt.

"Really think Teaspoon has left?" he asked, landing on the ground.

"Yeah, he had no better reason to stay here than we did. But I'm sure curious to find out who became marshal after him!" Jimmy replied, jumping to the ground, landing on two sore feet that hadn't touched the dust for almost ten hours.

They walked down the boardwalk to the office that used to belong to Teaspoon.

"Good evening," Cody greeted, the young man - younger than himself - immediately standing up in surprise.

"William Frederick Cody... My God! What a pleasure to meet you, sir!"

He threw his hand out and took Cody's, Jimmy smirking from the door.

"Wow! The legendary Wild Bill Hickok! This must be my lucky day!" the young man continued, shook Jimmy's hand as well.

"James Butler Hickok is the name, but you can just call me Jimmy," the gunfighter answered, smiled a little to not sound to harsh.

"This is just... wow!" the young man breathed, sat down in his chair again.

"Tell me, um, are you the marshal now?" Cody asked before the silence gave the youngster a heart-attack.

"That I am," he answered proudly, giving his badge a touch.

"What can I do for two legends like the you?"

"Well, perhaps you can tell me what happened to the marshal before you? Teaspoon Hunter."

"Never heard of him, but if you two know him..."

"Don't worry, he's not as big a legend as us," Jimmy answered, tried to calm the young marshal down. But almost, he added to himself.

"Then what is it you want with him?"

"We know him, that's reason enough," Jimmy said, feeling a bit hard.

"Certainly," the marshal nodded.

"Oh, I didn't introduce myself, I'm Frank Thunder."

The young man smiled widely as the two in the door nodded.

"Then could you tell us if Rachel Dunne still lives here?" Jimmy asked.

"Miss Dunne? I hate to say it, but no one has heard from her for at least two or three weeks..." Frank sighed, couldn't believe he wasn't able to help two legends like the ones he was facing.

"So her place is empty now?" Cody sighed, wished his wife hadn't kept him home when that letter came. If she hadn't, he would have seen Rachel before she left.

"That's the strange part. She left everything behind, the place looks just like it did before. Part from the burnt down house, of course..."

"She just left?!" Jimmy cried, Frank nodding.

"I wish she hadn't, her stuff could sure be needed by the church... If she ain't coming back, that is."

Jimmy and Cody turned around, ready to leave.

"Hey!" Frank called after them.

They spun around again.

"Why do you want to see Rachel, if I might ask?"

Jimmy looked at Cody, then back at Frank.

"She's a friend," he answered, turned back to the street.

"I don't mean to poke my nose into other people's business, but the reason I'm asking is... well, an Indian came by yesterday, Hanson said he had asked for miss Dunne too."

Frank looked rather puzzled, both Cody and Jimmy noticed.

"An Indian?" Cody asked, eyeing Frank with a sharp look.

"Yes. Hanson said he hit him on the head, pretty hard too..."

"Where is he now?" Jimmy asked curiously.

"Hanson?"

"No, the Indian!"

"Oh. He's right inside, if you want to see him. He's still unconscious, but doc was very positive when he left. He'll come around. The Indian…"

Jimmy stared at Cody again, then walked inside the jailhouse, Cody soon on his tail.

"Here he is," Frank said, pointing at the man inside the cell, laying on the floor.

"My God, Jimmy, if that ain't Buck!" Cody cried, threw the unlocked door open.

"You know him?!" Frank asked, looking puzzled again.

"He's a friend," Jimmy repeated with a deep voice, followed Cody inside the cell.

Cody kneeled beside Buck. Jimmy looked around, surprised as he didn't find a bed anywhere, all cells were empty.

"What happened here?" he asked, Frank looking that puzzled once again, as if that was the only expression he knew.

"Nothing happened here, what do you mean?"

"He needs a bed, but there aren't any here!" Jimmy cried, turned to Cody.

"He's bleeding mighty well, Jimmy. Are you sure he's gonna be okay, Mr. Thunder?"

"That's what the doctor said, he just needs to rest."

Cody sighed, turned back to Buck.

He had changed, he thought, at least on the outside. He was wearing light buckskin clothes, boots were made of some light brown rawhide, his hair long with some small braids in the back, a feather attached on the top of his scalp. The feather was cut in a "V" at the top, Cody observed. He knew that meant the carrier was a brave warrior, who had preformed very well in battle.

Now his head was bandaged, though a red patch of blood was seen on the left side.

Cody sighed again, got up on his feet.

"He can't stay here on the floor, Jimmy. He needs a bed and a blanket."

"That's what I said, but there is no beds!" Jimmy cried again, turning to Frank.

"I'm sorry, but I don't have any beds here, this is a jail!" Frank said, eyes darting between the two in front of him.

"Come on, Cody, let's get him outa here!" Jimmy said, turning to Buck on the floor.

"Where are you taking him? No, you can't, he's an outlaw!" Frank cried, trying to stop Cody from helping Jimmy.

"Come on, Cody!" Jimmy shouted, lifting Buck by his arms.

Together they carried him outside, Frank still trying to stop them.

Both Cody ad Jimmy noticed how light his body was, as if he hadn't eaten since they last saw him.

"Let's get him to the hospital, Jimmy. Where he will be treated in the way he deserves."

Frank looked after the two legends as they went down the street. He did not dare to keep them any longer, they were obviously very eager to get this Indian to the hospital.

People turned their heads, surprised to find two so respected and well-known people in their town. And they didn't even know they were coming in!

Thanks to their reputation, people turned to help Cody and Jimmy as they continued towards the hospital, only a few more steps down the street.

Buck looked up, half-conscious, as he was carried into a room where a man in suit gently placed his hands on his head. The pain came back, just like it had the last time he woke up, then in jail. But that was just a mere memory, perhaps even a dream? His first thought was to fight himself free, but that remained a thought. He could hardly move at all, muscles and bones feeling like heavy rocks, spread over his body. Every move seemed to take forever, numb limbs slowly pulling themselves to the sides, he couldn't control them at all. He tried to focus on the other two men in the room, but they were too far away. Just faintly, as if miles away, he could hear voices. He heard them talk about a "deep cut," but that was as much as he could understand. Slowly, he closed his eyes again, felt the dizzy feeling he had just been waiting for. Head pounding and body aching he began to drift again.

"Will he be okay?" Cody asked, looking with concern on Buck's rolling eyes as he lost conscious once more.

The doctor nodded, sighed. Cody didn't like that sigh, but figured he had to trust the doctor. What else could he do?

"He will feel a little groggy for awhile, but he'll be fine if he rests."

Cody and Jimmy stood in the street again, looking around.

"Perhaps we better take care of our horses and get a room at the hotel?" Cody suggested.

"No, we better take care of our horses and get two rooms at the hotel," Jimmy smirked, Cody sighed in good nature.

They walked for their horses.

"Lou, how about we get down to the post station before dinner?" Kid asked, waiting for his wife to come down to the hotel lobby.

"Yes, why not…" she breathed, embracing her husband.

"I should think the horses have rested enough for a small trip like that one," Kid said, kissing Louise.

"Let's go then!" she said eagerly, turning her head so that the kiss landed on her cheek.

She pulled her husband out through the door.

She didn't notice the man coming inside, bumped right into his chest.

"I'm sorry, sir, I wasn't looking where I was going," she quickly said, looking up at his face. Before she recognized him to be Jimmy, Kid spoke up,

"Jimmy?! Cody?!"

"Kid?" Jimmy looked up from under his dusty hat, then saw Louise standing by his side.

She hugged him hard, before he was able to even grasp they were actually there. Then she turned to Cody, hugged him too, her dress getting all dusty from their clothes.

"I can't believe you are here!" she smiled, turning happy smile to Kid.

He too made his way to the two long lost friends, hugged them both.

"What on Earth are you two doing here?!" Cody asked, smiling widely - couldn't help it.

"We're here to see Rachel, of course! How is she?" Louise exclaimed, eager to hear the answer.

"She isn't at all, I'm afraid," Jimmy said gravely, glancing at Kid.

"What do you mean?!" Louise asked, franticly patting the dust off her skirt.

"The marshal says she left weeks ago. Just like that!" Cody replied, making his way through the door, approaching the desk clerk.

The elderly man behind the counter acted as if he hadn't been eavesdropping on them, greeted Cody politely.

"What can I do for you, sir?"

"I would like two separate rooms for me and my friend here. And a bath!"

Buck hesitantly opened his eyes, had no idea where he was. His head was still pounding hard, but not as bad as before. He felt a certain weakness spread over his body, forced him to stay staring up in the ceiling. Where was he? Why was his head aching so terribly?

The door opened carefully, a young woman came inside the room.

"So you are awake? Good, the sooner the better…" she smiled, came closer to his bed.

"Where are we? And why?" he asked, relieved to find some strength in his words. Perhaps he wasn't as weak as he first thought…

"You are in a hospital in the town called Rock Creek. I see you are a stranger…" she said, throwing a careful eye at his long hair.

He saw fear in her eyes, felt how she was disgusted by the very look of him. He was familiar to this reaction among the people he met, but still it was hard to cover he was offended by it.

"I am no real stranger to this town," he answered slowly.

"I see. Anyway, the doctor says you will be out of here tomorrow. Then you will be feeling better, too. Now you should rest."

With that said, she left the room.

Buck knew it was better to not argue, ignored her looks at him. He tried to relax, though one question remained: Why was he in a hospital?

He couldn't remember anything from when he stood by the barn at the old station. Why had he been there, anyway? he asked himself. He could remember no reason for it, only saw the images of the plank wall and the new doors - that didn't seem to fit in against the old wood - in his head.

He closed his eyes again, tried to rest, like she had said. He eventually fell asleep, dreamed of any reason possible for himself being in hospital. But no conclusion was good enough…

"Jimmy, you say that the marshal told you all of this. Have you actually been there to see for yourselves?!" Kid asked, they all noticed the disappointment in his voice.

"We were going there, when we ran into you guys," Cody cut Jimmy off.

"It more looked like you were going inside the hotel…" Kid smirked, finally losing the sad look for a moment.

They sat in the saloon, eating a smaller dinner. It was getting late, but none of them really cared. They wanted to see the station, but knew they had to wait until the next day anyway.

Jimmy nodded, trying to keep the strict look on his face, failed miserably.

They all broke into a laughter, though Kid's remark hadn't been all that funny.

"I miss the Express days…" Jimmy sighed, wiping the grin off his face.

"Who doesn't?!" Cody and Kid chorused, Louise laughing harder.

"I never thought I'd actually see any of you again!" she said after a while, smiling at them all.

"Well, you did, Lou!" Cody smiled back, Jimmy placing a firm hand on her shoulder.

They stayed silent for a while, just smiling at one another. Then Louise remembered who she hadn't seen yet.

"But what about Buck?" she asked, the others looking at her as if she had a big tarantula on her forehead.

"What about him?" Jimmy asked, then realized he had sounded a bit hard. He found himself speaking with very hard words from time to time, why he didn't know.

"Is he all alone in hospital? I feel so sorry for him…"

"No need for that, he was quite unaware last time I saw him!" Jimmy smiled, tried to bring their spirits up.

They laughed again, just to have something to laugh about. Louise still felt sorry for her friend, but figured she couldn't do much for him. Not yet, anyway.

Deep down they all wondered about Rachel. Had she really moved just like that? Why, in that case, when she had asked for them to come? It didn't make any sense to either one of them, made them all look as puzzled as Frank Thunder the marshal.

Then there was another question yet unanswered: Where was Teaspoon?

CHAPTER 4

The town had barely woken, when Buck saw the first glimpse of sunlight outside the hospital.

The young woman who had spoken to him the other night - whoever she was - had been right. His head was much better now. The bandage was to stay on for another week, the doctor had told him, but it didn't seem all that important to Buck. Well outside, he removed the bandage and replaced it with the wine red bandanna Ike had when he was alive. He always carried it around in his backpack, almost as if he thought it would bring him good luck.

He looked down the street, the first thing he saw was the grocery store.

"Great…" he sighed, as he saw the sign still said "Tompkins."

He still felt like going there, just to get one more look at the man, who seemed to hate him more than anyone else he had ever met. He did remember the time he helped to clean up the store, when Tompkins actually shook his hand. But it was not very likely that Tompkins remembered it as well.

He hesitantly walked down the dusty street, eyes fixed on the big sign above the store.

He opened the door, looked inside.

No one there.

He thought it was just a bad idea to stay around, turned to leave again.

"Can I do somethin' for ya?!" the familiar voice called from behind the counter. He had only leaned down to pick up some tomatoes from the cool floor.

Buck didn't have to answer, the look on Tompkins face told him he would not be served.

"I don' want your kind in my store!" he yelled, Buck almost nostalgic at the memories from both Sweetwater and the town which he was now in.

He smiled.

"You got no reason to smile in my store, get outa here!" Tompkins carried on.

Buck smiled even wider, approached the man in front of him.

"Don't you recognize me, Tompkins?" he asked gently, didn't know what he was hoping for.

"Now when you say it… Hey, wait a minute! You're one of those damn Express riders, ages ago!"

Buck nodded, had learned not to pay any attention to the mans bad language.

"What the hell is your name? You half-breed…"

Buck smiled again, thought finally he recollected the memory of the "smart-mouthed Indian lovers" who once wrecked his precious store.

"I'm sure you remember if you try!" he grinned.

"Buck… Buck! That's your name! What the hell do you want?" Tompkins asked, Buck saw he felt very awkward being all alone with a real-live Indian.

"Just figured I'd come by, say hello. For old times sake!" he smiled.

"Old times sake, huh? Yeah, it sure was long ago…"

Buck nodded again, didn't know whether to be mad or happy the old mans bad words started to disappear. He was almost calm!

"Six years… Or is it seven?" Buck teased, eyes growing wider.

Tompkins didn't like to see the Indian with the upper hand, but had no choice. Buck wouldn't let his guard down yet for a while. He knew the word: Revenge!

"Now you've said hello, what else can I do for you?" Tompkins asked, almost nicely.

"I didn't. Say hello, I mean. In fact, you were ready to throw me out before I could make it."

"I'm sorry, um… Buck. I got a little carried away, you being Indian and all..." he tried to twist the situation.

Buck decided to ignore it, didn't want the old man to feel worse than he apparently already did.

"You could always just tell me where to find Rachel or Teaspoon…" he said, hoped that Tompkins wouldn't get all frantic again.

To be honest with himself, he had had enough of that.

"Teaspoon left at least four years ago, Rachel I haven't seen since last Tuesday. She just disappeared all of a sudden, no one has heard from her since."

Buck drew a deep breath, held it for a few seconds.

"Are you sure?" he asked after a moment of silence.

"I'm tellin' ya, Buck - I'm probably the only one who can be absolutely sure of that! When people disappear, they don't buy groceries. When they don't buy groceries I go bankrupt. Like now…" he sighed.

"I'm sure that's not all Rachel's fault… Last Tuesday…" he sighed, exhaled loudly.

"I wish I could do more for ya, but… Sorry, that's all…"

Buck backed to the door.

"Guess I'll see you sometime…?" Tompkins said questioning.

Buck nodded, opened the door, went outside.

"Where are you going. Lou?" Kid asked as his wife was getting ready to leave the restaurant.

"I have to check up on Buck at the hospital," she answered, they all seeing the anxiety in her eyes.

"He's fine, Lou," Jimmy assured, taking another bite of his bread.

Cody and Kid nodded in agreement, Lou sat down again, sighing deeply.

"I sure hope you're right…"

Buck figured the only place left to search was the marshal's office.

If he could only get a clue to where Rachel had gone, and better yet - what had happened to him at her place!

He entered the jailhouse, a young man standing up to greet him.

"Wait a second!" he stopped himself.

"You're that Indian who came in yesterday, aren't you? The one who was taken to the hospital?"

Buck looked questioning at him, brows wrinkled.

"I am what?"

"You came in yesterday after Hanson clipped your head, then your friends came to get you outa here. Boy, you actually know Wild Bill Hickok and Buffalo Bill!" the young sport gazed.

"Excuse me?!" Buck exclaimed, looking almost furious.

"They said they knew ya, that you needed a hospital bed to recover…"

"They are here?!" Buck asked, almost falling head over feet in surprise.

"Sure! They came by yesterday, actually talked to me, too!"

Buck closed his eyes, the bad headache coming back. He wondered if the man in front of him was telling the truth or not, and in that case did that mean he wasn't alone in this world after all?

"Um… exactly where can I find them?" he asked, opening his eyes.

"At the hotel. I'm thinking of going there myself, after I finished breakfast. But to tell the truth, I'm a bit scared. What if they think I'm just stupid? Mr. Hickok seemed a bit angry last night, but I suppose I would be too, if I looked like I had been riding for the past century!" the marshal smiled, Buck just nodding quietly. Sure sounded like Jimmy!

"Thanks anyway," he said, turned to the door.

"Will you put in a good word for me?" the young man shouted after him, but Buck paid no attention. He had already forgotten why he really came to visit Frank Thunder.

"Let's go!" Jimmy said as he rose from the table.

Cody was the last to leave the plates behind, as always. He jogged up to Jimmy and Kid, placed his hands on their shoulders, almost made them drag him behind them.

"Get off me, Cody!" Jimmy groaned, though in good humor.

"Your mama didn't teach ya how to walk?!"

Longer down the street, Lou began running slowly. She thought she saw a familiar face in the crowd. Not so strange, either, as Buck was wearing very uncommon clothes, at least comparing to the rest of the town.

"Buck!" she shouted, running faster despite her heavy belly.

He looked up, heard her but never saw her until she had already embraced him, squeezing his body tight.

"Lou?!" he cried, hesitantly putting his arms around her.

He had barely recognized her looks, if it hadn't been for her voice. That hadn't changed.

"I knew it was you!" she breathed, taking a step back.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, though he knew the answer.

"I'm here to see Rachel, of course! Ain't you?"

He nodded.

"But she ain't here…" he sighed, hoped Lou would have the explanation.

"I know, but I can't see why she ain't," she said, very much bothered by it.

"Me neither, I'm bound to find out," he said, looking up to see Kid and his companions come closer.

They all held out their arms for a big bear hug, stopping up the motion in the far too narrow street.

"What have you been up to?" Jimmy asked Buck, pointing at the bandage.

"I don't know, to be honest. The marshal… or whatever he was, told me someone hit me. Hanson, or something…?"

"Yeah, that was his name, right, Jimmy?" Cody put in.

Jimmy nodded, continued the walk, that seemed to lead to the stables.

The others talked about the past, catching up on each other, as they followed the gunfighter without really caring where they were going. Now when they were reunited it didn't matter at all!

Jimmy remained quiet, deep in thought.

Well by the livery stable, Jimmy tended to his horse, getting ready to saddle him up.

"Where are you going?!" Buck and Cody chorused, Kid and Lou standing like two troubled statues between them.

"I'm going to the station to find out more about Rachel's disappearance!" he near shouted.

Kid and Cody went for their horses as well, leaving Louise and the Indian glancing questioning at each other - should they go too?

Buck suddenly stopped up all thoughts. Where was his horse? He looked franticly through all stalls, but no chestnut mare with copper mane and tail was to be found.

"What are you doing, Buck?" Cody asked, dropping his heavy saddle on the ground outside his horse.

"It can't be happening!" Buck exclaimed, the others staring at him with big eyes.

"What do you mean? What are you on about?!" Jimmy shouted back, couldn't really figure why he felt so irritated by the Indian's behavior. Perhaps it was the fact that he hadn't had a single drink since he left Sebastian Creek…

"My horse is gone!"

Buck looked at them all, one at a time, almost accusing them of stealing his horse.

"You actually have a horse?" Kid teased, receiving a hard elbow in the guts from his wife.

Buck gave him a hard glare, went off to find the manager.

But off course, he hadn't ever heard of a such horse!

The Indian returned to the stables only to find the others all ready to go.

"Are you coming, Buck?" Kid asked.

"I believe I told you, my horse is gone!" Buck said, very annoyed, feeling his head pounding again.

"What do you mean, it can't just be missing…" Louise started calmly.

"But she is!" Buck glared back, jumping up on their wagon.

"Are you sure you even had a horse with you here, I mean, you did hit your head quite hard…?" Cody commented.

"You take care of your business, and I'll worry about mine!" Buck said harshly, signing to Kid to drive.

He figured he would find any clues there was by Rachel's station. Otherwise he had no idea where to search…

"God, it looks just like before!" Kid gazed.

Buck ran across the hard-packed dust, looking with frantic eyes for any signs of his precious horse. But there were none.

"These doors are new," Cody stated, looking at the barn.

"Otherwise it looks just like before," Kid repeated, helping his wife to the ground.

They walked around for a bit, recollecting old memories.

"Alright, nobody moves!" a sudden voice called, Buck feeling a certain breeze of recognition blow across his mind.

"Stick 'em!" the old man yelled, pointing his rifle against Jimmy.

The gunfighter drew his gun, pointing it right back.

"I don't mean to hurt you, old man," he said calmly.

"Who are you people?!" the man asked angrily.

Kid stared at his wife on the other side of the yard, wished he had her closer. Cody tried to talk the man out of the situation, to make him put down his rifle.

"We mean you no harm, mister, take that gun away…"

"I ain't takin' no gun away, no siree!" the man promised, once again pointing it at Jimmy.

"You take that away!"

Jimmy did so, wanted a peaceful solution. Buck approached them, looking with curious eyes at the man.

"I know him…" he started, walking up between Kid and Cody.

"Are you Hanson?" Jimmy asked, suddenly remembering the conversation with the much too young marshal.

"I might be… What's it to you?" the man answered, his piercing eyes moving on to the Indian.

"Who the hell are you? Aren't you the fella I struck down yesterdi'?"

Cody and Kid moved one step each toward each other, blocking Buck's view, but also any possibility of him being shot. You never know with old men and rifles, Kid thought.

"Yeah, he is, and we wanna know why the hell you did it!" Jimmy snapped.

"He was, like you are now, trespassing!" the man shouted.

"Now take a step over to the barn! All of ya!"

"We are not trespassing on your land, a friend of ours own this place," Kid said calmly, glancing at Jimmy who was tapping his fingers on the gun again.

"You all know miss Dunne? That don' change nothin', you're comin' with me!"

The argument was interrupted by a horse and rider coming in from the south.

He wore a brown jacket over a white shirt, black trousers and boots like no one had ever seen before - with details of silver and handmade patterns all over. The hat was also black, a band of reddish leather with silver patterns on it. The saddle was brown, conchos and other fancy details in silver, but still it was not a heavy saddle, perfect for long runs.

The male rider looked up from under the classy hat, gave them all a steady eye. He removed the cigar from his mouth, took a deep breath.

"I sure am glad to see you boys all alive!" he said, dismounting.

The men and woman stood like statues, staring at him as he a approached Kid.

"What's the matter, boys, never seen an old station manager from Texas before?!" he smiled, giving Kid's shoulder a pat.

They all looked at each other, almost as if waiting for one of them to say it first. Then they all said it in chorus, both surprised and relieved,

"TEASPOON?!"

CHAPTER 5

"Surprised to se me? Not so strange perhaps, I've changed, I know. What are ay'all waiting for? Come over here and let me see you properly!" Teaspoon ordered with a smile, the others close to doing so, when Hanson called out,

"Nobody moves! Who the hell are you?"

He pointed at Teaspoon with the rifle, Jimmy about to pull his gun again.

"My name is Teaspoon Hunter, what seems to be the problem here?" he asked in his own calm way.

"You are my problem! Every one of ya!" Hanson exclaimed, walking slowly towards Teaspoon.

Cody saw in Jimmy's eyes something had to be done. He slammed his fist in Hanson's face as Jimmy drew his gun. Hanson fell to the ground, immediately surrounded by them all.

"Why are you pointing a rifle at me and my boys?" Teaspoon asked, still calm, but a certain stern tone had crept in.

"Get off of me!" Hanson yelled, but Kid and Cody held him firmly to the ground, not prepared to let go until they knew what was going on.

"I'm asking again, why are you pointing a rifle at us?" Teaspoon repeated, the kindness he had shown earlier totally gone.

"You are trespassing on Rachel's land! Get outa here before I'm forced to do something really mean!"

Hanson refused to let go of them, though he was very much the loser already.

"Get him up," Teaspoon ordered.

Kid and Cody jerked the man up on his feet, still holding a firm grip of each arm. The rifle stayed on the ground a few feet away.

"What are you saying? We are very close friends of Rachel, and you have no right coming at us with no rifle," Teaspoon said, walking up really close to the man.

"You know Rachel? That's what he said yesterday!" Hanson shouted in Teaspoon's face, looking with piercing eyes at Buck.

"Rachel left me a note before she left, saying I should take care of the place while she's gone. I found the note on my doorstep. Dammit, I'm just doing my job!" Hanson explained, Teaspoon eyeing him carefully.

"What do you mean?"

"What I said! She told me to take care of the place."

"Where is she, then?" Jimmy cut in, taking his gun away.

"She never told me that much. She just said she was going to celebrate her tenth anniversary with her husband. Never said how long she'd be gone, or where she went."

There was a silence deeper then the grave between them.

"Rachel can't be celebrating nothing of the kind!" Cody shouted in mere surprise.

"No, she can't. What are you talking about?" Teaspoon asked Hanson.

"Get off me, or I won't say another thing!" he exclaimed, trying to break free.

Teaspoon signed to Cody and Kid to let go, but kept an alert eye on the rifle. Buck went to pick it up, just in case of further trouble.

"Now, Rachel ain't married, she specifically told me so in her last letter to me, so… why are you saying she was celebrating her tenth anniversary?" Teaspoon asked, remaining his calm.

"That's what the note said! I don't know Rachel all that well, I thought for sure she was married!"

"But she ain't!" Jimmy said eagerly, wished there were any clues to where Rachel had gone. He knew she would never leave without telling at least someone whereto.

"Calm down, all of ya!" Teaspoon ordered, the others feeling just like when they were all riders for the Express, having the manager yelling at them just like that.

"What's your name, anyway?"

"Newt Hanson, that's my name."

Teaspoon nodded, looked at the man, studied him.

Then he walked around the group of men, Louise still standing a bit further away. He gave her a smile when he saw her, then immediately returned to the riddle he was facing. Where on Earth was Rachel, and why hadn't she left them a proper message? They all knew she wasn't married, so why had she told Hanson that?

The whole thing seemed too strange to be true, even though they all had seen many both strange and unreal things. Where could she be?

"Can you show us the note?" Teaspoon asked, trying to find some kindness again.

"And perhaps my horse?!" Buck cut in, suddenly remembering how he had laughed at the man the day before, as he tried to spook her.

"I don't have the note, but the horse is in my barn. She wouldn't leave here, so I took her home with me. She's a fine looking horse, too."

Buck grinned angrily at the man, just wished he could have his horse back and then return home. Somehow the business with Rachel wasn't important at all to him. Not much, anyway. Not right at that moment, his wife at home, his new life just beginning. Why now?! He asked himself, found no answer.

Together they left for Hanson's ranch outside town.

Buck stroked his horse's face, gave her a careful look, making sure she was okay. Then he mounted, as she was already bridled and ready to go.

"Where the hell do you think you're going?!" Cody asked, giving him a dirty look.

"I'm going home, Cody," he stated calmly with a sigh.

"Like hell you are!" Cody cried.

"I am, Cody. You don' need me, besides, I have a family now."

He turned his horse to the big gate.

"You can't!" Cody shouted, running along his side.

"Watch me!" the Indian argued, but was forced into a halt at the gate.

Teaspoon took the reins from him, pulling him down.

Somehow he didn't dare argue, just slid down on the ground, patting his horse by the withers.

"Son, I have no right to keep you here against your will," Teaspoon started calmly.

"But I'm asking ya to stay and help. We do need you, you are the only one who can track in any terrain."

He gave Cody a cautious look, saw he wasn't really offended, Teaspoon was right.

"Buck, I have this gut-feeling something is wrong, therefor I want to know what it is before I let you go, you got me?"

Buck shook his head.

"Not really…"

"Doesn't matter, I know what I mean. Well, if ya wanna go, I guess I can't stop ya."

Teaspoon turned around, Buck knew he just wanted for him to feel guilty about leaving.

"Dammit, Teaspoon!" he called from where he stood.

The old fancy-dressed man turned around.

"What?"

"Alright, I'll help. But why are you so sure you're gonna need a tracker?"

"Oh, as I said. It's just a gut-feeling!" Teaspoon smiled in his triumph.

Back at the old station, Louise and Buck sat on the porch outside the bunkhouse. She was cleaning his wound, despite his protests.

"It has to be done, Buck. You know that," she smiled.

Kid and Jimmy were looking around inside, making sure they could spend the night there if they wanted to.

Teaspoon and Cody looked through the barn.

"Hold still!" Louise said through clenched teeth, as Buck tried to avoid her caring hand.

The Indian sighed, leaned back against his chair. He really didn't want any other woman than his wife this close. It felt strange to have Lou touching him, almost forbidden.

"Buck, are you afraid of me?" she asked, tried to keep from smiling, but failed miserably.

He gave her a dirty look.

"Then why are you acting very much like it?"

"I'm married, Lou. There are rules about marriage in my world. Rules you wouldn't understand."

She sighed, put the cloth down, reached for Ike's bandanna.

"Maybe I wouldn't understand, but you are my friend, and I am your friend. Doesn't that count for something?"

He shrugged, the instant she had dressed the wound he got up, walked to the barn.

She frowned, thought he was just being stupid. But then again, she thought, perhaps he hadn't changed all that much since the Express days. She could remember all the times when he had closed up on her, just like now, hid everything on the inside.

She sighed again, turned inside to her husband.

"Teaspoon, you still haven't told us why you look so… I don't know, great!" Cody said as he and Buck lifted a pile of wood.

"Well, I guess you have the right to know. After the Express was cancelled, I moved down to Texas, also spent some time in Mexico. I bought myself a piece of land, started on my own business. Two years later, I found oil on my land."

He paused, saw the amazement on Cody's face. Buck didn't seem to care.

"You found oil?!"

"Yepp, I did. I was just building a new barn, when the black gold came out of the ground, just like that!" he smiled.

"Ever since, I've lived like a king."

Cody still couldn't grasp it, though he had done very well for himself too.

"I be damned…" he gazed.

"What about you, Buck? How's your life been?" Teaspoon asked with great curiosity.

"Nothing much…" he sighed, moved yet another pile of chopped wood.

"Really? I heard Louise say you married…?"

"I did…" he sighed again.

He dropped the wood hard on the ground, Teaspoon and Cody realizing he didn't want to chare his story.

"You have any young?" Teaspoon insisted.

The Indian shook his head in silence. Went towards the bunkhouse, hoped for some peace there.

"Wonder what's eating him…" Cody sighed.

"A lot of things, as usual. There ain't no man who hasn't demons in his head, eating his soul. Though he is exceptional…!" Teaspoon smirked.

With those words of wisdom, he also turned for the bunkhouse, leaving Cody behind. He soon got up and followed the others.

"Will it be any good?" Teaspoon asked, looking around inside the old bunkhouse.

"No reason why it shouldn't be! But of course, good ol' Cody here might find it a bit primitive!" Jimmy smirked, forced even Buck to smile.

"Don't you worry," Cody assured from the door.

The others laughed anyway, Kid helping Lou to sit down on a chair. Buck leaned against the wall, noticing how Lou glared at him strangely. Almost as if angry with him.

He shrugged, turned to Cody.

"I've heard quite a lot about you, you're pretty mixed up with both the army and the Indians now, aren't you?"

"I know what you're getting at, Buck! Don't, okay?" Cody begged, showing his great respect for Buck.

But the Indian wouldn't stop just yet, wanted to see his friend squirm a little first.

"I thought you knew the Sioux might see you as a liar and no good! They might think of killing you, if only you gave them reason enough!"

"Buck!" Lou spat out.

"Buck, I know all that. I'm being as careful as I can, I won't mix them up on purpose!" Cody said, near trembling.

"Mix who up?" Kid asked curiously.

"The Sioux and the army. Buck, I swear, I would never try to hurt the Indians. They are my friends, always will be!"

"Ha! The soldiers are your friends as well! I can't believe how Tatanka Ioytake let you into his tribe!" Buck exclaimed.

"Who?" Cody asked, scared to death.

"Sitting Bull! I thought you knew that!"

"Sorry… But seriously, you have my word on I would never hurt your Indian friends! Buck, I don't know what you want me to say?!"

Buck frowned, then his face broke out in a smile.

"Your word isn't good enough for me! But I'll forgive your sorry soul anyway!" he laughed.

Cody stood paralyzed. The others laughed around him, understood it had all been a joke, but Cody couldn't grasp it.

Underneath the laughter, Buck hoped Cody understood what could happen if he wasn't careful. Maybe he could actually get himself killed, by Sioux or the army.

CHAPTER 6

By dinnertime the bunkhouse looked better than ever, for once it was actually clean. Lou stood by the stow, the others sitting by the table.

"You guys are deeply mistaking if you think I'm gonna cook for you every day!" Lou smiled.

"Not every day, Lou, not with your skills!" Cody teased.

"She is getting better…" Kid smirked, Cody and Jimmy laughing at the memories they all chaired.

Lou's eyes fell on Buck as she turned to put the last pot on the table.

"You okay?" she asked, wondering where his sudden apathy came from.

He cleared his throat.

"I'm fine. Just a bit tired from all the cleaning."

"Is that right?" Lou said sarcastically.

"Suppose you are a bit spoiled there, Buck! I'm sure you haven't cleaned anything up since you left Rock Creek!" she laughed, the others smiling with her.

"No, not much…" he sighed in good humor.

"Hope you're hungry, anyway. You haven't forgotten how to eat, have you?" She gave his stomach a teasing pat, sat down between him and her husband.

"Um, no… " he said distracted. It was obvious her question had given him something to think about. She wondered what it could be, but said nothing. Instead she and the others threw themselves over the food, ate with big appetites.

Somehow Buck felt very much like an outsider, the others seemed to know everything about themselves and the other, but he was unknown to them. And they were unknown to him. He felt a very deep and wide opening between them, an opening he had never felt before. Not in those proportions. He had always been on the side, but not like now. They spoke to him as if he was a stranger, but to each other they spoke just like when they were riders for the Pony Express. They were friends, he was just the ghost of someone who used to be there. Someone they used to know. He ate in silence, the little he had on his plate. Lou hadn't been too far from the truth, he nearly had forgotten how to eat. Food was something luxurious, something he was pretty much unfamiliar with nowadays. But he said nothing about it, instead tried to follow in their conversation, tried to become one of them again. Though he knew in his heart it was useless.

Lou opened her eyes, the sound of someone stirring waking her up. She was ready to throw a pillow at her husband, but soon realized they were not at home. And the sound did not come from her husband's bed.

Her tired eyes searched the room, saw Jimmy fast asleep in his bunk, underneath him Cody. She remembered Kid slept in the bunk above her, and he too was silent. Teaspoon snored by the other end of the room, made her turn the other direction. Her eyes fell on Buck, realized in the dim light he was staring right back at her.

"Sorry…" he whispered.

She could have told him it was alright, but was too curious to find out why he was awake in the first place.

"Why aren't you asleep?" she asked.

"I'm not all that tired," he answered, sat up.

Lou rubbed her eyes.

"It's really late, Buck…" she yawned.

"Really early, to me!" he smiled.

He got up, sneaked to the door, grabbed his boots.

"Where you going?"

"Just out. Need some air."

He opened the door, went outside in the cool night air.

"Wait!" Lou whispered eagerly, but he didn't hear her.

Not until she came out, wrapping Kid's coat around her shoulders.

"What are you doing here?" he wondered as she came closer.

"Perhaps I just needed some air…" she teased.

He smiled, to her big surprise. Somehow she had thought it was impossible for him to smile. He had seemed so distracted ever since they met, she thought. She had seen him smile a few times, but she hadn't thought he actually meant it. There was something in his eyes that failed his smiles, something that made her heart heavy with sorrow. But this time, though it was dark, she saw that light in his eyes that always used to be there. She knew now she had to keep his spirit up, if she wanted to break down the wall he had so tenderly built around himself. Perhaps the ice was beginning to melt, she thought.

"So, could you tell me about your life?" she asked, smiling widely.

"I think I told you before, it hasn't been anything much to talk about. But your life, though…"

"No, Buck, I want to hear your story first! I'm sure a life like yours can't be all that dull!" she smiled, forced a smile upon his face as well. - Though she was almost certain he only smiled to please her. Once again the light disappeared, she noticed.

"What do you want to know, then?" he sighed.

"Everything! Tell me about your wife, for example. Or better! Tell me what you did when you left the Express!"

He remained silent for awhile, as they started to walk round the barn, Buck giving his mare in the corral a caring pat on the neck. She put her head under his arm, playfully pushing it up, causing him to back a step to remain standing.

"She's really beautiful," Lou said enviously.

"Yeah, I hope to take a foal after her one day," he said.

As if to answer him, the horse neighed loudly, the other horses in the barn answering by neighing as well.

"Why don't you have her in the barn with the others?" Lou asked, though she knew the answer. She just wanted to keep the conversation, and with that his spirit, up.

"She could never stand in a box all night. She's too use to the wild, I guess. Even this corral is a bit too small…"

He sighed deeply, pushed the horse gently to the side, turned around, leaning against the fence.

"Now tell me, Buck, how has your life really been?" she tried again.

He shook his head.

"Tomorrow, Lou. You need to sleep now. If not for your own sake, for the baby."

He turned and walked away, Lou standing surprised, looking after him.

Suddenly a sharp pain stabbed her in the side, moaning she called his name.

"Buck! Come back! You gotta help me!"

He spun around, mighty surprised.

"Lou?"

"I think it's time, Buck! The baby's coming!"

Kid paced nervously back and forth on the sidewalk outside the doctor's office.

"Calm down, Kid, she'll be fine!" Cody said, expressing his irritation over his friend's behavior.

"What if something's wrong? She's been in there all night and all morning!" Kid cried, throwing an eye at Buck.

"Thanks for helping her," he said softly, nodding in the Indian's direction.

"What would you have done?" Buck smiled.

Kid smiled too, though distracted, started pacing again.

"Dammit, Kid!" Jimmy groaned.

"That sound is giving me a headache!"

To tease Jimmy, Cody started picking his heels on the planks, making even more noise.

"Ooh! Cody!" Jimmy cried, then smiled.

Teaspoon chuckled, pulled Cody's arm to make him stop. What Jimmy had said about a headache wasn't all wrong, he thought.

The door opened, the doctor stepping out to meet them. Kid pushed himself through between Jimmy and Cody, a wild look on his face as he asked,

"How did it go?"

"Easy, young man, both mother and daughter are fine!" the doctor smiled.

He showed Kid the way inside, the others staying where they were.

Kid carefully opened the door to Lou's room, peeked inside.

His wife lay in bed, eyes closed, a small cradle by her side. He smiled widely just from looking at her. He approached the bed, carefully sitting down on a chair by her head.

"Kid?" she mumbled, opened her eyes.

"Yes, Lou, I'm here!" he smiled, grabbing her right hand carefully.

He kissed it, then turned to the tiny body in the cradle. A girl, he knew at once, lifted her up with shaking hands. She was almost asleep, eyes closed. Probably not at all aware of him, he thought.

"She's beautiful!" he said, smiled at her.

"She is. She reminds me of you, actually!" Lou smiled back.

"Maybe… But she has your eyes…" he said slowly, studying the baby, then carefully putting her down in the cradle again, saw Lou wanted him to.

"She needs to rest now, she is so little," Lou reminded.

She sat up, looked at her husband.

"How are you?`" he wondered.

"Just fine. Oh, Kid, I'm so happy!" she said, throwing her arms around his shoulders.

He hugged her back, smiling widely again.

"Lou, I love you," he said calmly, the light in her eyes brighter than ever.

"I love you more!" she said, nearly laughing.

"You need to rest as well," he suddenly said, breaking free from her embrace, got up.

"I know, but can't you stay for awhile?" she begged.

He nodded.

"You know I will!"

The day passed slowly, everyone tensed, hoped Lou would come out of hospital soon. They all wanted to see the baby, waited impatiently. Jimmy and Cody stood by the stow, trying to make a proper meal for themselves and the others.

"You know, Jimmy, I remember a certain time when you cooked,-" Cody began, was cut of by Jimmy.

"Shut up, Cody!" he growled, but smiled at the others over his shoulder.

They all smiled at the memory too, started on a smaller discussion about it.

Teaspoon cleared his throat, straightening himself by the table.

"Boys, I will contact a friend of mine tomorrow, who works for the army. He has some information about a certain gang, which might just have something to do with Rachel's disappearance," he said.

"What gang? What for?!" Cody asked from the stow, where he stood stirring in a stew.

"I will tell you when this friend answers, but I can tell you I wish this gang never existed. They are ruthless!" Teaspoon said, then turning to Jimmy.

"Um, d'ya mind if I skip dinner today, Jimmy? I don't feel too good…"

"What now? You think I can't cook? I have been cooking for myself for the last six years, thank you very much!" he said, smiling widely at his own joke.

The others chuckled, glanced at Jimmy and then back at Teaspoon.

"But what if this gang has something to do with Rachel? I mean, what do we do then?" Cody asked.

"That depends, but…" Teaspoon paused.

"Why not what we always did, the only right thing to do - we go get 'em!"

The morning broke through the gray mist, the sound of a horse with a wagon waking the men from their sleep. Cody sat up, looked out through the window.

"It's Kid and Lou!!" he cried, Jimmy tossing a pillow in his face to shut him up.

"It's them, I swear!" he insisted, got up.

Buck stood already on the porch, welcoming the couple and their newborn.

"Good morning, and congratulations…" he said lazily as they came closer, Lou holding the child in her arms.

"Good morning, and thanks!" she responded, nodded at him with a smile.

She went inside, only to be welcomed again by another three men, they much more interested than Buck. He instead went by the corrals, stopped to give his mare a friendly pat. She was impatient, wanted something to happen, didn't like standing around all day.

He sighed, caressed her neck and ears, something she just loved when he did.

"What do you say, girl? Going home?" he whispered lazily.

"No, you're not!" Lou said from behind.

For a second Buck almost thought his horse was the one answering, therefor jumped.

"You're not going home," Lou repeated, approaching him slowly.

"What are you doing out here, I thought you were the big heroine around…" he said, teasing her a little.

"No, but my baby is!" she smiled.

"I just thought Kid could take care of her for a moment… she mainly sleeps anyway."

Buck watched his friend, saw her looking around for a place to sit down.

"You must be tired…?" he said, motioning for her to sit on the bench outside the barn.

"A bit maybe, but I'm doing alright."

She sat down, Buck right behind her, sat down also.

He sighed, hoped she would say something soon.

"Buck? Can I ask you a question?" she carefully said.

"You just did," he teased some more.

She gave him a grimace, sighed in good nature.

"I mean, can I ask you a real question, about your life?"

"I guess you will ask me no matter what I say…" he sighed.

"Mmm, I would!" she smiled, then collected herself.

"What I want to know is what you did when you left Rock Creek, back in 1862? Where did you go, what did you spend your time with?"

She looked at him curiously, trying to read the emotions in his eyes. They were sad, she noticed, looked like he must have been through hell and back, but why? She waited patiently for his answer, her heart jumping with joy when his mouth finally opened to say something…

CHAPTER 7

Lou watched him with great curiosity as he began his story,

"I guess you would call me a stray back then…" he sighed, then paused.

"Why?" Lou had to put in, her eager growing bigger.

"I decided I wanted to see the north, get away from the war and all. So I left for Canada, but I never got there."

Lou felt her brows wrinkling, wondered why he gave up a journey like that. Then he continued, though the light in his eyes was gone completely, if it had ever been there in the first place.

"I fell off my horse before I reached the border, broke my leg. I thought I would die, but a Nakota warrior brought me to his village. He saved my life."

Buck cleared his throat, didn't really want to continue. But Lou made him, throwing a curious and almost angry glance his direction when he stopped.

"I stayed in the village for almost two years. I was to marry a young Nakota woman…"

He looked carefully at Lou, wondered what she was thinking.

"You were? What happened?!" she wondered eagerly, briefly smiling.

"We starved," he said simply, tears glassing his eyes, though he tried hard to stay calm and steady.

Lou's chin near fell to the ground, she gave Buck a glance full of respect and sympathy.

"What happened?" she asked again, this time her voice shrieked high in the cool morning air.

"She died. And half the village with her."

Lou gazed, covered her mouth. She never thought she would actually find this scary, had heard a lot about the Indians and their struggle for food. But when her friend told her about it, he made it sound so real, so horrible. And indeed that was what it was!

"So I left for my brother's village in the south-west instead. We managed to escape the soldiers and their reservations, but I wonder if we will get away with it one more time…" he stopped at that, though Lou wanted to hear more.

He got up hesitantly, didn't want to leave her behind, though his eyes were near flooded with tears. He turned his head away from her, but she already knew he was crying silently. She got up too, put a friendly hand on his shoulder.

"I'm glad you told me this," she whispered.

She turned away for a moment, but left her hand on his shoulder.

"You never told anyone, did you?" she asked, turned back to him.

He shook his head, but didn't look at her.

"I'm glad you told me…" she repeated, then turned for the bunkhouse, thought she'd best leave him alone for awhile.

Buck wiped at the unwelcome tears, started on a brisk walk towards the hills in the east of the station.

He sat down in the thick grass, images starting to flash before his eyes. He saw himself lying on the cold tundra near the border to Canada, his left leg broken badly. His horse had nearly fallen too, as he stepped on a loose rock. But instead Buck had fallen himself, that much he could recall. But then was a black hole, as he lost conscious after two days out in the wild, without a fire or a blanket. From what he had heard later, he had a high fever when the Nakota brave Silent Arrow found him. He would have died without the Sioux, he knew, wished he could have thanked them in a better way than he did. He then remembered how awful he felt, when he finally woke up after three days of fever-like coma. The feeling of not knowing where he was, or even why. He saw his left leg on a soft pillow, supported by two firm branches and a lot of tight bandage. Then images of the Nakota woman he fell in love with came, causing him to wipe at his eyes again. Her name was Smiling Flower, daughter of the tribe war chief. It took a lot of efforts to make him finally accept Buck as his son in law, though they never got that far in the end.

He recalled the tribe wasn't actually starving when he first came, that didn't happen until later. And that the Ojibwas attacked and stole all there was to eat, didn't exactly make things better, he thought.

He nearly smiled at the memory of himself and Smiling Flower, when she desperately tried to teach him the Nakota accent. Before he only knew Dakota and Lakota, but she was determined to teach him even the third accent of the Sioux nation. Smiling Flower's technique when she, more or less, forced him to learn the Nakota accent, was to pull his hair every time he said something wrong. That made him a fast learner, she said. He tried to remember what she taught him, but the words were too many.

When he sat there, thinking of his past life, he couldn't help thinking of his wife too. She was somewhere far away, but at least she was alive and waiting for him, he thought. The ache in his heart thinking of his wife, made him long more and more for her tight embrace. He remembered he promised himself never to fall in love again after Smiling Flower's death, but when he came to his brother's village, another Kiowa village joined them, thought it would be easier to find more food if they were many. And that probably saved them from the terrible destiny the Nakotas had to face, he speculated. Morning Bird was the only woman his age in the new village, and she was more beautiful than anyone else he had ever seen, though he hated to compare Smiling Flower with anyone. She was dead and he tried hard to honor her memory, though he couldn't lie to his wife. She was the most beautiful woman in the village! And she's my wife! he thought as if confronting her lover.

Lou stood on the porch, looking at the tiny figure by the horizon. She felt so sorry for Buck, she thought she'd cry. But she didn't, instead hugged her newborn baby carefully, threw her husband a careful glance. He was asleep in his bunk, tired from the night before. He had been awake watching the baby, when she had been asleep. And when Lou woke up, he had spent the time suggesting names for the baby.

"I think we call her…"

"No, Kid, I have already decided!" Lou had said after several hours of childish nagging.

"You have?" he asked.

"Mmm-hmm. We will name her Emma. We already have a Rachel, so this is Emma!"

Kid laughed at first, a very friendly and satisfied laughter. Then he had nodded in agreement.

"This is Emma!" he said, giving the sleeping baby a careful pat on the head.

Lou chuckled, then sat down on a chair. She looked at Buck for another moment, then turned to Cody and Jimmy by the corrals. They were apparently still fixing things up, working hard though they just got up. She found it strange that she wasn't really tired. She had been sleeping at the hospital, but not all that much, had she? She shook her head, rose.

She started across the dust towards her two friends, little Emma in her arms.

"Guys, you don't have to overdo it!" she called out softly, trying not to scare the baby.

They laughed, continued with their work.

"We know, Lou, but since you are busy with the little one, and Kid is asleep, well… Then we just have to overdo it!" Cody smirked.

"Where is Buck, anyway?" Jimmy asked.

Lou pointed up the hills, explained he would like some privacy.

"Why?" Cody wondered.

"What has he done?"

"He's a bit upset, I think, leave him alone!" Lou ordered, the two men in front of her noticing a certain anxiety in her voice, an anxiety they knew from many times before.

"Alright, we won't disturb him then!" Cody promised.

"But he'll have to make it up to us!" Jimmy smiled, grabbed a plank that matched perfectly between two poles in the broken fence, addressed the next words to Cody,

"Now help me, lazy!"

Lou turned back to the porch, the baby giggling in her arms when she moved. She smiled at little Emma, hugged her.

"You are just the cutest! Together with your sister and brothers, of course. Hope you'll meet them soon, I'm sure they can't wait to see you!" she smiled, giggled with her child.

Buck finally left the grassy hills, came to assist his two friends. He kneeled to grab another plank that had fallen to the ground.

"What's wrong, Buck? Where've you've been?" Cody asked, though he knew at least one of the answers.

"Nothing and nowhere!" Buck answered, smiled.

"What are you waiting for, give me a hand!"

Jimmy left the water-bucket, wiped at the drops around his mouth.

"So you decided to help now, did ya?"

"Mmm, you looked a bit shorthanded! Thought you needed some help…" Buck quickly replied, then added,

"Besides, someone has to fill in for you, when you decide to take a brake like that!"

Cody smiled, helped Buck with the plank.

"You…!" Jimmy said, failed miserably as he tried to look angry.

Their laughter was interrupted by Teaspoon coming from town. Somehow they had forgotten about him, forgotten that he left before dawn to get the message to his friend through in time.

"Boys!" he called, jumped off his horse.

"What did you find out, Teaspoon?" Cody asked.

Teaspoon approached them hastily, holding a note in his hand.

"My friend says, as I guessed, that this gang I told you about is pretty close by. If the army scouts are right, that is!" he said, a frown on his face.

"Would you like to tell us what kind of gang this is?" Jimmy asked.

Teaspoon nodded hastily, motioned for them to come inside the bunkhouse.

The men and woman all gathered by the table, Teaspoon cleared his throat.

"This gang is called the 'Slave Traders' and they kidnap men and women and make them into slaves. They are later sold by the same gang, and will never be free again."

Teaspoon paused, the others eagerly ushered him to go on.

"How can they kidnap free men and women?!" Jimmy wondered.

"They forge a few papers here and a few witnesses there… I told you they are ruthless!" he said, nodding to assure them of his story being true.

"They actually do this? And you think Rachel is involved with them?" Kid asked, glancing at the others.

"I can't know for sure, but there is only one way to find out!" Teaspoon said.

"You're suggesting we go after them?!" Buck spat out.

"Not me!"

Teaspoon sighed.

"What else can we do?"

"How can you say Rachel might be involved with these guys?! She left Rock Creek, she said so in her letter!" Buck insisted.

"She said she was thinking of leaving Rock Creek, she never said she had!" Cody corrected matter-of-factly.

Buck gave him a hard glare, sighed.

"Listen! I know this sounds strange, but my friend says more people from this area has disappeared, no one knows whereto. I'm as worried as you, but we can't forget about this gang, they're here and they kidnap people. Why not Rachel?" Teaspoon said, looking at their questioning faces, trying to figure out what went on in their heads at the moment. Did they believe him? Buck, was he the only one with doubt?

The conversation ended there, Teaspoon begging them to consider what he had said, decide if they believed him or not.

"I told you I have a gut-felling something is wrong, and when I heard of this gang I froze, I tell ya! I just know they are involved in this, somehow!"

Kid and Jimmy sat on the porch, watching the sunset. Kid held his coffee-cup with one hand, the other pointing at the red-orange-yellow ball glowing by the horizon.

"I love this! Sunset…" he said, sighing.

"Mmm, it has a certain ring to it!" Jimmy teased, drank his coffee.

"Have you thought of what Teaspoon said this morning?"

"Not much… I find it a bit absurd, to be honest!" Jimmy replied, rose.

"Did you see where Buck went? Lou made me promise to keep an eye at him, he's a bit… You know…!"

Kid smiled.

"Yeah, I know what you mean, but it's not all his fault, you know! And no, I didn't see where he went."

"I did!" Cody said from the door.

"I'll go get him!"

He went off towards the hills, knew Buck was there again. He had left after a thin dinner, saying he wasn't hungry. Cody knew he was lying, but at the time ignored him. But now he figured he would get him back, time for some sleep as it was.

He walked up behind his friend, called his name carefully.

No answer, he didn't move at all.

"Buck?" Cody repeated, came closer.

"What?!" Buck shouted back, to what it seemed angry.

"Are you coming? It's getting late, you know…"

Buck rose, turned around slowly.

"I know, therefor I thought I'd get some privacy!" he said, still angry.

Cody wondered if his anger was pointed at him, or if his Indian friend was mad at something else.

"Sorry…" Buck said, turned around again.

"No, that's okay, if you come with me!" Cody tried, briefly smiling.

"No, I'm not coming with you. I need to think."

Cody thought for a moment, then sat down by his friends right side.

"It seems that is all you do, think."

Buck grunted.

"Please, Cody, leave me alone."

"Nope, no can do!"

Buck gave him a lazy look, irritated.

"Why not?!" he sighed.

"Where are you gonna sleep?" he asked, smiling his confident smile.

"Here, maybe. I don't feel much like sleeping in a bed."

"That's what I thought! And I'll keep you company!" He smiled even wider, how that could ever be possible, Buck thought.

"What?!"

"I'll stay here too, we need to talk!"

"No we don't…" Buck said, shaking his head, turned away.

"Yes, we do! That joke you pulled on me the other day, to name one subject!" Cody cried, the smile disappearing.

Buck sighed deeply.

"You're not gonna give up, are you?" he said, looked at Cody.

"Nope! It's gonna be you and me out in the wild tonight!"

Buck couldn't help laughing.

"You and words!" he chuckled.

"What?" Cody wanted to know, laughing too.

"You and me in the wild? Jeez, Cody!" he laughed harder.

They laughed for another minute, then calmed themselves. For the first time since the reunion, Buck started to feel like one of them again. Not totally, that would never happen, he knew, but at least he didn't feel all that much like a stranger anymore.

"What are you gonna sleep on?" Buck asked his friend sarcastically.

"Sleep on? Um… You?"

"The ground, I'm quite used to that, but I bet you ain't!" he smiled.

Cody sighed, then straightened.

"If you can, so can I!" he said proudly.

"Perhaps you better tell the others you ain't gonna join them?" Buck said suddenly, growing serious.

"Hmm, maybe. But what about you? Have you told them?"

He shook his head, Cody thinking hard.

"I think we better tell them," he said, Buck smiled.

"In that case we can just as well sleep indoors tonight! No point going back here if,-"

A sudden thud from behind cut him off. They both turned around, thinking it was one of the others.

"Lou? Jimmy?" Cody called.

No answer.

"Teaspoon?" Buck tried, still no answer.

They both realized they were not alone anymore, someone was watching, but who? Why? Buck felt chillers down his spine, Cody did too.

"Who's there?" Cody called out in the darkness.

Branches cracked, echoing in the night, the moon shining silvery above them. Buck grabbed Cody's arm, but too late. He had already jumped to his feet and pulled his gun.

"Who's there?!" he repeated angrily.

CHAPTER 8

The Kid and Jimmy soon went inside, feeling it was time to go to bed. They found no reason to wait for Buck and Cody, thought they would come when they were ready. Perhaps they decided to chat for awhile, Lou suggested, though she knew Buck wouldn't want that. It had taken a lot to make him open up to her, and she doubted it would be any easier for Cody. She threw an eye over to the hills, where she had last seen Cody standing over Buck, but the darkness made it impossible to see anything. She sighed, gave little Emma a caring pat on the head, then planted a kiss on her tiny chin. She was already asleep, not at all noticing her mother. And even if she had noticed her, she wouldn't have known what she was mumbling,

"Mama will wait for uncle Cody and uncle Buck to come back. When they do, I'll make sure they don't forget to give you a kiss good-night."

Then she lay down on her bed, smiled at Kid who was now taking his turn kissing their baby. He smiled back, right before he let his finger touch the sleeping child in the temporary cradle, that was made out of a box that used to contain vegetables. It was probably from Tompkins' store, he thought with a smile.

Lou woke up with a start, the morning sun shining through the window, flashing right at her face.

"Cody? Buck?" she called, but the room was empty. No Kid or Jimmy, and no Teaspoon.

"Where are they?" she sighed aloud, looked at the cradle. Emma was not in it, Kid must have taken her with him, she thought - hoped!

She got up, got dressed.

"Kid, are you here?" she called out on the porch, thought she heard a noise coming from there.

"No, it's me, Jimmy!" a familiar voice called back.

"Where's Kid and Emma?" she wondered.

"In the barn," Jimmy said, approaching the tired young woman in the door.

Her hair was in a mess, her cheeks blushing hot.

"You slept well?" he asked, though the answer was obvious.

"No. I dreamed something happened to Cody and Buck. Something bad… Where are they, I just wanna make sure they're still alive!" she smiled.

Jimmy's face hardened, jaw squared. He swallowed.

"They're not here, they didn't come back last night. We've been looking for them all morning."

Lou's smile disappeared.

"What are you saying? What do you mean 'not here'?!" she cried, pushing him aside to look across the yard to the barn.

She spun around, after stating their horses were in the corral.

"But,-" she started, then paused, had to look again.

"They're not here, Lou!" Jimmy said harshly, pulling her arm.

He hugged her from the side, until she broke loose, ran to the barn.

Jimmy stood still, watching her as she ran. He sighed deeply, just as confused as she was. Where were they? He knew they would never leave without saying so first, besides, they had no reason to leave, did they?

"Kid?" Lou cried, ran up by his side. Emma in his arms, he turned confused and surprised to his wife.

"What's the matter, Lou?" he asked.

"Buck and Cody! They're gone! Why didn't you wake me?!"

"Calm down, Lou. I'm sure they're not 'gone', just out for a walk or something…" he answered softly, his hand on her shoulder.

"But… Why would they do anything like that? They never have before…?" she insisted.

"Lou, they haven't met for almost seven years, they have some catching up to do!" he smiled, though a certain darkness invaded his eyes.

"Kid? What's wrong? I know you, you never look like that without a reason!" she cried, taking the baby from him, looking deep into the eyes of her husband.

"Lou… There's something I didn't tell you!" Jimmy called, had been watching the two in their conversation.

"What's that?" she wondered, saw Kid's eyes growing even darker.

Jimmy glanced at Kid, he glanced back.

"There was blood out by the hills. Right where Cody and Buck were last night. And gun-shells…" Jimmy explained with a fallen face.

"What do you mean, they shot each other?!" Lou asked franticly.

"Doubt that. But something happened that made them disappear!" Teaspoon interrupted.

Cody looked up, the morning mist rising over the grassy hills. He had a bad headache, knew a wound was by his left temple. He tried to recall the night before, but there seemed to be nothing to remember. All was black. Instead, he decided to figure out the situation.

He was apparently lying on a wagon of some sort, his hands tied behind his back. He tried to break free, but the ropes cut into his wrists like knifes. His legs on the other hand were untied, he kicked loosely on something behind him.

A body, must be! he thought, some hope rising in him.

He kicked again, but the body, or whatever it was, didn't move. He weakly turned himself more over on his back, trying hard to figure out who or what was beside him, and why he was tied up like an animal. What had happened, who was driving the wagon?

"Hey!" he called.

"Shut up!" growled a man, evidently he was alone.

"Who are you? Why are you doing this?!" Cody tried, but the man again told him to shut up.

Cody moved his hands, reaching out for the motionless item by his side.

"Aow…!" somebody moaned weakly.

"Buck? Buck?! Is that you?!" Cody cried, couldn't keep himself from smiling.

"Cody…?" Buck asked, again the weakness obvious in his voice.

"It is you!"

"Shut up! Both of ya!" the man driving growled again, throwing a fast glance over to the two men behind him.

"Where are we?" Buck asked, yet not aware of the fact that he was tied up.

"Haven't got the slightest! How are you, you okay?!" Cody asked, again reaching for Buck's hand.

He pulled the Indian's arm, just to make sure he was actually there.

"Ah!" Buck screamed, wishing Cody would let go of his evidently injured arm.

"You're not okay… Are you hurt?" Cody insisted, slowly letting go of Buck's arm, to the Indian's great relief.

Buck sighed, fighting the pain from his paralyzed and very swollen arm. It was bleeding, he felt, but why he couldn't answer.

"Shut up, I'm not gonna tell you this one more time!" the irritated man yelled, slapping Cody's head over the back of his seat.

"We're there soon!"

"Blood?" Lou said, still hadn't accepted the fact.

"There was blood and shells up there?"

"Lou, we'll find 'em!" Jimmy promised, but Kid shook his head.

"Teaspoon, tell her about your theory," he said, again patting Lou's shoulder carefully.

"No!" Lou spat out, angrily turning to her husband.

"What is it, Lou?" Kid asked, concerned and surprised.

"Why are you always trying to protect me like that?!" she snapped.

"What do you mean? 'Protect' you?" Jimmy said, glancing worriedly Kid's direction.

"You are! First you didn't wake me up, and then you 'forgot' to tell me about the blood up by the hills, and you are practically denying, to my face, that Cody and Buck are missing!" she shouted angrily.

Kid and Jimmy glanced at each other, shuffling their feet. Teaspoon sighed, looked at Lou with caring eyes, wanted her to calm down. But before he could utter, Kid beat him to it,

"We keep these things from you, so that you won't get all hysterical!" he said harshly.

"Hysterical?!" Lou defended herself, immediately confirming Kid's words.

"Yes, hysterical! You need to stay calm now when Emma is born! She needs you, that's why we're keeping all this from you!" he assured, still harsh at voice.

Lou stared at him in a frown, ready to punch him right on the nose if he came any closer.

"So you are going out after them?" she asked finally, looking over at Jimmy and Teaspoon.

They nodded, said they had to.

"We are pretty sure the Slave Traders are involved, at least so says Teaspoon," Jimmy said, turning to the older man.

"So you are going after them, and you're leaving me here!" she snapped, tears in the corner of her eyes.

"Easy, Lou…" Kid comforted, hugged her tenderly.

"You are leaving me! Dammit, what if you don't come back?!" she sobbed against Kid's shoulder.

"We will come back, Lou, why shouldn't we?" Jimmy asked, placing a hand on her shoulder, carefully glancing at Kid.

"I had such a bad dream! Cody and Buck were dead, and you went after them. You died too, all of you!" she sobbed even harder, Kid comforting her in the best way he could, Teaspoon carefully taking the baby from her arms.

Little Emma was close to tears, but Teaspoon saved her in just the right moment, took her outside, talking to her in a way only Teaspoon Hunter knew how. Jimmy near chuckled from just looking at and listening to the older man with the baby in his arms. He then turned back to Lou, Kid now letting go of her.

"Lou, it was just a dream. We won't die, and I'm sure Buck and Cody are just fine…" Kid comforted, though he looked worriedly in Jimmy's direction, hoping for some help.

Cody was grabbed by the arms and legs, drug from the wagon to a building nearby.

"Where are we?!" he asked angrily, trying to look over his shoulder to see Buck.

"You don't need to know that!" a new voice said.

"Now get 'em inside!"

The man who had been driving the wagon stepped out in front of his boss and the other two men he worked with.

"Did they give you any trouble?" a man in gray suit and black hat asked - he was apparently the boss, Cody thought.

"Nope. Worked like a charm, all of it," the man answered simply, very self-confident.

"I think we better get 'em inside," the same new voice repeated, the man in charge moving over to Buck's side.

Buck fought whoever was holding him, but his aching arm and the tight grip made him give up, at least for the time being. The boss looked at the Indian's face, then at the bleeding arm.

"Didn't you just say they didn't give you no trouble?" he asked his employee.

The older man shrugged.

"Trouble and trouble… They got very cooperative when I shot the Injun!" he smiled, the other two men laughing.

"I didn't tell you to shoot anyone, Mr. Franks," the boss said, spitting on the ground, almost too close to his employee's boot.

"Hey! Don't do that!" the man who's name was obviously Franks snapped angrily, kicking some dust at the man in suite.

"That… Mr. Franks, could cost you your life some day!" the boss said calmly, though with a threatening voice.

"My life… Ha!" Franks said, then turned to the two men holding Buck and Cody.

"Get 'em inside now," he said, voice deep.

The men drug their new prisoners to a smaller building on the other side of what seemed to be a quite large ranch. Mr. Franks walked slowly behind them and when they reached the door, he said,

"Hope you watched the sun go down last night, 'cuz you won't see no other sunset as free men!"

They were then taken inside, a dark room welcoming them, surrounding them. They both wondered what would happen next, but also why they were prisoners, and by who? But they didn't have too much time to wonder about that, as they were chained to the wall by their wrists, and then standing completely exposed and helpless in front of three strong men, all with an endless desire for blood.

CHAPTER 9

Cody couldn't do more than watch as Buck was brutally beaten by Franks and his men, then released from the chains, dropped on the floor. He moaned, though his spirit was on fire with anger and humiliation. Franks and the other two turned to Cody to continue their assault, thinking the Indian was unconscious. But Buck clenched his teeth, struggled for his shaky feet, thought this could be their only chance to get out of that hell-hole. He managed to punch Franks in the face, but was just as brutally thrown to the floor one more time, weak from his injured arm and the bruises that were now starting to show. One of the two men with - so far - no names, gave Buck a kick in the back of his head, the Indian immediately loosing conscious, for a few hours escaping the unspeakable horror of the situation he and Cody were in.

Cody tried to scream, wanted to, but seemed to have lost his voice for the time being. Nothing but a sigh was heard from him, as Franks stood up in front of him, ready to finish what he had started.

Outside, the big boss, he who thought he was God himself, walked slowly across the yard. He was thinking hard, knew he recognized the blonde one of the two new prisoners. He muttered to himself as he went inside the building,

"Gotta find out who that guy is, or I'll…"

As he stepped inside, he saw Franks standing by the wall, blowing hard from the 'exercise' as he called it. In front of the almost half-dead Cody stood now one of the other two men.

"What the hell are you doing?!" their boss cried out, looking at Cody's bloody face.

"They're just having some fun, let them keep it up! That way they'll sleep well tonight!" Franks said, laughing with the other two, who were now stepping away from Cody, in respect for their leader. He now stood with his chin inches from the floor in surprise and anger.

"Did I order this?! Did I tell you to beat my prisoners to death? My prisoners! Don't you dare get in my way, Franks, I run this place! Get out of here! Now!" he yelled, pointing with a shaky finger at the door.

He watched as the two younger men left, Franks stayed behind for a minute, just staring at his boss, piercing eyes moving from the boots to the scalp, trying to figure out how this wimp could ever have become the boss.

"Out, Franks!"

Franks sighed, threw a last eye at the two new prisoners, both bloody and unconscious.

"Mr. McMikee…" he nodded as he left.

Teaspoon stood with his hands resting on his hips, inspecting the two men as they tacked up their horses.

"Let's go, boys! We got no time to loose!"

Jimmy glanced at Kid, who was looking over at Lou. She stood motionless by the barn door with little Emma safely in her arms. She stared back at Kid, tried to make him see her worry. But he soon turned away, tended to Katy again.

"Ain't she getting a bit old?" Jimmy teased, but then realized his own horse was older.

"Shut up. Leave me alone, Jimmy!" Kid said, calm though a fire was slowly burning in his eyes.

"Whatever…" Jimmy sighed, tightened the girth to his saddle.

Five minutes later, they stood outside the barn, ready to mount.

"Boys - if you don't min' me callin' ya that - we have a long ride ahead of us. We must keep in mind, Buck and Cody are out there, and we will find them!" Teaspoon said calmly, eyes darting from Jimmy to Kid.

"And for as long as they're out there, I won't give up! If you do, I can't blame ya, but I would like you to join me…" the older southerner continued.

"Sure we will!" Jimmy assured, but Kid again glanced over at Lou, who had now turned from them, trying to giggle with the baby. Failing miserably, she walked over to the bunkhouse, ignoring Kid calling after her.

"Dammit, Lou!" he exclaimed, trotted up by her side.

"What?! You want me to watch as you go kill yourself?!" she snapped, turning to him.

"No, Lou, I just,-" he began but she cut him off.

"Don't Kid, just don't…" she said, went inside, closed the door behind her.

"Want me to go talk to her?" Teaspoon offered, but Kid shook his head.

"No, she needs some time, that's all. She'll calm down once we've left."

With that Kid turned Katy to Jimmy, walked up to the gunfighter.

"You know, this isn't gonna be like one of your great adventures, this isn't a gunfight!" he pointed out harshly, trotted past the questioning Jimmy.

"What are you talking about?"

But Kid didn't answer, was already to far away to even hear Jimmy. Teaspoon joined the dark-haired man, together they went after the rider with the baby-blue eyes on his pinto.

When Buck finally opened his eyes again, all was dead-silent around him. The first thing he saw through his blurry eyes, was a window nailed shut and covered with planks. Only one string of light forced its way through, but that was enough to make the tired Indian see the silhouettes of a man and a little girl by the other wall. A little further to the right, in the corner, sat someone else, rocking back and forth. Whoever it was couldn't be feeling to well, he thought. Though he also was sure no one could feel any worse than he was at the moment. He managed to see three more silhouettes by the wall, though his bruised left eye was reminding him of his condition. He closed his eyes again, thoughts drifting off - like so many times before - to his wife in the village, at home! What would she say when he came home with a body shifting between all colors possible from black to red? Would she still love him then? He knew that last thought was unnecessary, he knew she loved him, but still he wondered. How could anyone ever love him at all? It seemed so absurd at times, now especially. His thoughts were interrupted by a very familiar voice,

"Buck? Buck, say something!" a woman pleaded - a woman he knew from before, though her voice seemed older now, croaky from many days without enough water.

"Rachel?!" he asked as he opened his eyes again, looked at her pretty face. She hadn't changed a bit, he thought, though her clothes were torn, filthy, and her eyes weary.

She broke out in a vide smile, one hand touching his face. He shied, the pain making itself reminded again, though he tried to smile too.

"It's me!" she nearly laughed, again touching his face, despite the bruises.

"My God, Buck, it's really you!"

After a long moment, Buck managed to grasp Rachel's story. She had been taken away by a certain Mr. McMikee, who also said he sent a note to her nearest neighbor. A note saying she wouldn't be back for some time. After that she had been kept inside the room they were now still in, only four other people to keep her company. There was John and his daughter Isabelle Ryder, and there was Nadine Simmons, who only sat in the corner, cursing the world.

"She's just afraid like the rest of us, I guess," Rachel said.

And then there was a woman called Honor Dykes, who was perhaps a year or two older than Rachel, but the only one she could talk to. John was constantly trying to comfort his daughter, and Nadine only spoke when she decided the world was deaf. And she used a strange language too, Rachel explained.

"No! Never will I let this happen to me one more time! Never will a man do with me what he wants! Never again!"

Buck nodded, closed his eyes. His head was aching worse than ever, and it wouldn't get much better for awhile, he speculated. His face was also quite a big source of pain, but his ribcage most of all. He wondered if he didn't have a broken rib or two, but before he could ask, the woman called Honor came closer, for a second taking her eyes off of Cody.

"You mustn't move," she started.

"You will be quite sore for awhile, and I suggest you get some sleep. Your arm…" she paused, Buck suddenly both remembering and feeling his injured limb, moaned just from thinking about it.

"Your arm is in pretty bad shape, I'm afraid. The bullet went right through, but the wound is infected and swollen. You can't move it, 'cuz if you do, you might loose too much blood to live. I know this sounds hard but please… trust me, I've seen both good and bad men die from these things, thinking they are strong enough to pull through. So for your own sake, be still!" she said, gently touching his shoulder, giving Rachel a cautious glance.

"Thank you, Honor," she nodded gently, then went to get a blanket from her own corner.

"Just be still, and you'll be fine!" Honor repeated, both for her own sake and for the Indian's.

Rachel returned with the blanket, spread it over Buck's body, he for the first time realizing how cold he was, and how much he longed for a thick buffalo hide, his lodge in the village. Again he thought of his wife for a moment, then he remembered Cody.

"How is he?" he wondered, noticing how is own voice was just as croaky and dusty as Rachel's.

"Cody? Kind of like you. I guess that says it all, huh?" she said, a brief smile passing her lips.

Buck nodded, understood how Cody must feel, knew he himself was feeling fare and square awful.

Once again he closed his eyes, wanted to rest, needed to rest. He was tired, and his body - right arm especially now - aching badly. He sighed deeply, wished the plank floor wasn't so hard, wished the blanket covering his trembling body wasn't so thin. Soon he fell asleep, dreaming nightmare after nightmare, both Rachel and Honor holding him with all the power they possessed, trying to keep him still. He mustn't move, they thought, he can't move!

Cody woke up just minutes before nightfall, body cold and aching. He tried to sit up, but his muscles wouldn't answer to the orders. He struggled hard, until Honor came to his assistance and helped him up.

"I encourage a fast recovery!" she smiled gently, his questioning face making her introduce herself.

"I know who you are, by the way, you're Buffalo Bill, aren't you?" she said after that.

"Um, yeah, but William F. Cody is my real name…" he said, still confused, but he always told people his real name. It was a reflex, nothing more.

"How are you?" Honor asked.

"Where are we?" he asked, ignoring her question.

"If I knew, I would tell you!" she smiled, Rachel approaching them hesitantly.

"You don't like guessing?" Cody wondered, couldn't help himself.

Honor smiled, Rachel lightly touching Cody's arm.

"Welcome back!" she smiled, then also asking how he was feeling.

"I've been a whole lot better, I must say!" he assured.

"Kiddin'? You look great!" Rachel teased, happier than she ever had been in years, thought she'd never see any of the Express riders again.

"I'm so glad it's you and Buck!" she said, smiling wider with true happiness.

"Buck? How is he?" Cody wanted to know, Rachel and Honor both looking over their shoulders to make sure the Indian was sleeping safely now.

"He'll be fine, Cody. Sure he will."

"Teaspoon, we've been riding all day, all we found was a wagon trail that ended abruptly, vanished! If Cody and Buck were on that wagon, they're long gone by now!" Jimmy argued.

"Don't be such a baby, Jimmy! We'll find them! I promised Lou!" Kid said harshly, throwing a fast glance over his shoulder.

"Maybe over here!" he called, trotted Katy over to some bushes.

"Kid!" Teaspoon said, hoping the now grown man would listen for once.

"What?!"

"Calm down, we gotta find a place to stay tonight. It's late, the horses are tired. I'm tired, you're tired!" he assured, but Kid wouldn't give up that easily.

"No, I think we may have something here!" he called, jumped down on the ground.

"Like what?!" Jimmy argued, throwing an angry glance at Kid.

"Look, Teaspoon, tracks!"

Teaspoon carefully kicked his horse in the sides, rode up beside Kid.

"What is it?" he asked.

"Look! Wagon trails covered by bushes… They've been here! They're trying to cover their tracks!" he exclaimed, looking wildly at the older man by his side.

Teaspoon nodded, thinking harder than ever.

"It's the same trails alright! We rest here tonight, then we'll follow the tracks in the morning, okay with you, Kid?"

Kid nodded, thought it was a fare deal. Jimmy looked even more doubtfully now, but didn't argue.

"Okay, we rest here," he stated.

They gathered wood for a fire, drank a cup of coffee each, then lay down on their bedrolls to catch some sleep. But Kid couldn't sleep. Not knowing he had left Lou all alone at the old station with their newborn baby. All alone, he thought, all alone in the world.

CHAPTER 10

Complete darkness. Rachel was awake watching both Buck and Cody. They slept heavily, though the Indian stirred often, even moaned from time to time. Every time he did that, the young blonde woman thought he was awake, moved over to his side, only to find him asleep again.

She sighed, pulled his blanket up over his injured arm. It was dressed with a piece of her skirt, though blood was coming through it. For a moment she was afraid he was going to die, like Honor had said. But she prayed that was not the case, lay down to catch some sleep herself.

Before she drifted off, however, a sudden noise from across the room caused her to open her eyes again. It was John and his daughter who had just woken up. She wondered why, but as if they could read her mind they started to talk about just that,

"I'm so cold, pa!" Isabelle said with a pleading voice.

"I know, honey, but we only have one blanket to share. But if we curl up real close to each other, you'll see we'll get warm soon!" her father assured.

Isabelle crept closer to her father, hugged him tightly. He spoke to her with soothing words, told her everything would be alright. Soon she fell asleep in his arms, her little hands forming fists as she was still cold.

"How is she?" Rachel asked from the other wall, John searching the darkness to find her silhouette in the moonlight.

"She will be fine, I'm sure," he answered.

"She can use my blanket, I'm not that cold," Rachel offered.

"That's very kind of you, Miss, but it will get colder, you'll need the blanket soon."

Rachel nodded, though she knew he couldn't see that.

"A'right, but if she wakes up again, let me know," she smiled.

"Will do that, Miss. Thank you just the same," John said, leaning his head against the wall, trying to sleep too.

Rachel was now the only one awake again, throwing a nervous glance at Cody. He too stirred a little, though not half as wildly as Buck. Rachel lay down again, closed her eyes. But the night was too cold to sleep, she soon noticed, thought John was right. She hugged her knees, her body trembling with cold. She remained awake for a few hours, just thinking of the situation.

She remembered how a man who called himself Mr. McMikee had walked up to her at the saloon one evening. She had just been there to meet with a friend, was on her way home.

Mr. McMikee had told her he was looking for the doctor, asked her to show him the way. Rachel - thinking this was just a lost stranger - had nicely done so, friendly as she was at heart. When the stranger had pulled her into an alley and tied her hands behind her back, she knew she was gravely mistaking. He knew exactly what he was doing, had been in Rock Creek many times. He told her she looked very well fit for the 'job' he wanted her to do. - The job as a slave, he had laughed in her face.

"If southern mansion owners can buy slaves from Africa, I can sell slaves from America! I hear white slaves are very much sought for over there, and I can make a lot of money this way!"

Rachel fell asleep, McMikee's voice haunting her in her dreams. Nightmares.

The morning broke over the horizon, birds tweeting in the trees, the sun warming the three riders.

"C'mon, get up!" Teaspoon ushered, Jimmy hesitantly sitting up.

"Morning already?!" he groaned, looking up at the sky.

"Maybe, what do you reckon?" the older man teased, pulling Kid's leg.

"You too, wake up!"

Kid opened one tired eye. It was chilly, the mist not about to settle for yet a few hours. He thought of Lou at the station, still alone, then tried to forget what he had done. Tried to forget that he had left her all alone at the station, with only a little baby to keep her company. Their baby! he thought, then envied Lou for being with little Emma. In the middle of all his confusion and daydreaming, Teaspoon and Jimmy called for him.

"We gotta go before the rain destroys the tracks we found yesterday!" Teaspoon shouted, mounting.

"What about breakfast?" Kid wondered, though he knew the answer.

"We don't have time! Now, come on!" Teaspoon said, Jimmy mounting too.

They removed the bushes covering the tracks, then followed them for as long as they could. They made as few stops as possible, knew it may already be too late.

"He has a fever," Honor said, removing her hand from Buck's forehead.

Rachel nodded, gave the Indian a glance. He was still asleep, for once not stirring or moaning.

"He'll be alright, won't he?" she asked, looking over at Cody who was now sitting up.

"I would think so. The arm looks better now, and he has no worse injuries for all I can see."

Rachel nodded again, gave Buck's face a caring touch, then turned to Cody.

"How are you?" she asked gently, touching his forehead too, finding out it was cold and fever-free.

"I'm better now, but not exactly good…" he sighed, lay down again.

"I can't believe you two actually came here! How did you find this place?!" Rachel suddenly cried.

"We didn't. I can't remember exactly what happened, but we sure didn't go looking for this place. In fact, Buck thought you went to Europe!" Cody said, then grinning in pain as his head started pounding.

"You were abducted like me and the rest of us in here?"

"Yeah. Well, I think so. As I said, I can't remember in detail…" Cody answered, then closed his eyes, moaned.

"You better rest too, you've been through a lot," Rachel said softly, gently placing her hand on his thigh, squeezing it carefully.

She moved to Honors side after making sure Cody rested.

"Any ideas how to get out of here?" she asked cautiously.

"No, but I would think there are guards outside, so no use breaking the windows…" Honor sighed, correcting the braid at the base of her neck.

"They are nailed shut with planks anyway… but perhaps if we helped each other?" Rachel tried, Honor throwing her a lazy eye.

"As I said, there are guards outside. I hear them, listen yourself!"

Rachel listened, heard men outside, but only dimly. They were talking, but she couldn't hear what they were saying.

"You're right. There are guards outside, but how many? Maybe we can surprise them? If we try,-"

"Rachel! Honey, we have no choice but to wait and see what they are planning for us. We can't fight them, you know that!" Honor said, turning to Nadine in the corner. She had been quiet for almost a day and a night now, but still she rocked back and forth, hands covering her ears.

"If we stay here much longer we'll turn out like her," Rachel whispered.

"We have to escape, you know we do."

"Maybe, but we're too few and weak. If your friends were well, perhaps, but they're not. And what about Isabelle? She can't fight, can she, John?" Honor asked, the man across the room looking up at her.

"What was that?"

"Isabelle. She couldn't help us in a fight, could she?" Honor repeated.

"No, how could she? She's only ten years old!" John answered, shaking his head.

"Now, please get those ideas out of your heads, ladies, we won't escape. No way!"

Rachel and Honor turned to their corner again, glaring at each other. Rachel seemed to be the only one who actually wanted to leave. How could that be? she wondered, inspecting Honor's character. She was tall and slim, with beautiful blonde hair in a quite messy braid. Her dark-blue dress was made out of a simple fabric, and seemed to have been sown by someone inexperienced, though it fitted her body perfectly. Rachel envied her beauty, though it appeared all of Honor herself hated it. Almost as if she dressed like that because she wanted to seem ugly and filthy.

"Honor? How did you end up here?" Rachel asked suddenly.

"How? Well, it's a long story, let's take that some other time…" she answered, lay down on the hard floor.

Rachel remained in her sitting position, wasn't tired, though her night had been very long.

Again, she studied Honor. Who was she, underneath that beautiful surface? What kind of life had she lived? Did she miss it, now when she was a captive and about to be sold as a slave? She sure didn't seem to miss anything, Rachel thought. She wanted so dearly to find out more about Honor Dykes, but she apparently didn't want to talk about herself. Rachel thought perhaps the woman beside her had been married and perhaps even a mother once. Perhaps she had lost it all, and that's the reason she didn't miss her free life? Rachel admitted it was a strange thought, but why else would anyone just accept the fact that he or she was being robbed their freedom? It seemed absurd and odd, she thought. Mostly odd…

Teaspoon scanned the bluff. There was a bigger house surrounded by three smaller. Horses gathered in a corral, enough for at least ten or twelve riders, he thought.

"I sure never heard of this place," Jimmy whispered, crouching beside the old southerner.

"What do you make of it?"

"Not sure, but it seems we got ourselves a problem," Teaspoon replied.

"You don't say," Kid sighed, inspecting his gun, making sure he had enough bullets to defend himself in a possible fight.

The three men sat in silence, looking over at the houses and horses, trying to figure out a possible way to storm the place without getting themselves hurt.

"I got an idea," Jimmy said, rising to his feet.

"What?" Kid wondered.

"I figured… we release the horses, spook them out of the bluff, that ought to make our good men come out of hiding…" he said, visualizing the whole thing in front of him.

"And then what? Jimmy Hickok shoots them all?!" Kid said sarcastically.

"Boys! Hold it, we don't need you two fighting too," Teaspoon said harshly, then ushered Jimmy to continue his theory.

"Then, when the horses run like crazy, and these guys come outside, two of us keep them busy, while the other one goes to get Cody, Rachel and Buck," he explained.

"What do you say?"

"Sounds good, what's the catch?" Kid asked cynically.

"Kid!" Teaspoon exclaimed, then turned to Jimmy again.

"I think it sounds fair enough. Kid, you and Jimmy 'keep them busy', I'll go get the others."

"Wait a minute, how do you know - how do we know - they're actually down there?" Kid asked.

"We don't. But what do we do, if not going down there and find out?" Teaspoon asked with a quick smile.

"William?" Honor said softly, touching Cody's arm.

"Hmm?" Cody breathed, as he sat up.

"I need your help with something," Honor said, turning away from him.

"What? What is it?"

Cody looked around. The darkness shaded the corners of the room, but the persons inside could easily be spotted. Honor sat in front of him, turned away, Rachel slept by her side, Buck in the corner he guessed. By the other wall sat John with Isabelle in his arms - as usual - and in the far end corner rocked Nadine back and forth, mumbling something.

"Rachel thinks we can escape, you must talk her out of it."

Cody opened his eyes as wide as he possible could.

"What did you say?!"

"Talk her out of it, it's too dangerous," Honor said, turned back to him. Tears glassed her eyes, but she blinked them away.

"Please, talk her out of it for me," she whispered pleadingly.

Cody bit his lip. Why on Earth should he talk Rachel out of an idea like that? It was a great idea! he thought. They had to get out of there sooner or later, right?

He turned back to Honor, who was now even closer to crying. But before he had a chance of comforting her, Nadine's trembling voice cut through the silence:

"What do I own, that I can loose? The words of my tormentor chases me, the jaws of the wolfs embraces me - the time has come, when I must fight back, when I must win to survive! It's survival of the fittest, I tell you! It's he who can walk through fire, it's he who can break down walls - it is he who will save me!"

She rose suddenly, looked around. Then she fell down again, motionless. Honor stared at her, Cody dropping his chin to the floor.

"Who the hell is that woman?!" he hissed.

"If I knew, I'd tell ya," Honor said, still staring over to the corner where Nadine lay.

"What does all that mean? All that she said?" Cody asked, though he knew Honor had no idea.

"I would suppose it's the mind of a lost soul speaking. It's sad, isn't it?"

Cody nodded, lay down again.

"So, will you help me?" Honor asked.

"Help you? With Rachel? No."

"You must! She will get us all killed with those ideas of hers!"

Cody shook his head. He was about to ask why Honor didn't want to even try to escape, but Nadine rose quickly, spoke again, in the same strange tone:

"Survival of the fittest! Now! You must fight, I must fight! He will save me - if I fight! Survival of the fittest!" Her eyes pierced the darkness, met Cody's.

"Fight!" she hissed angrily, her eyes growing thinner, until they seemed to disappear in her face.

"Fight now!"

CHAPTER 11

Cody stared back at her, her gray eyes even thinner.

"Fight?" he asked.

"Fight, fight now!" she cried, then turned around, went back into her dark corner.

Honor placed her hand on Cody's shoulder, made him turn his face to her.

"Rest now, then talk to Rachel when you wake up," she said calmly.

"Who the hell is she?!" Cody cried, pointing with his chin at Nadine.

"Never mind her, she's crazy. Now, rest."

In the next second, the door flew open. Bright daylight flowed into the room, filling out every inch of darkness, replacing it with yellow beams. Two silhouettes came through the brightness, both pointing guns at their prisoners.

"You! With the girl, come over here!" a deep voice called.

John jumped to his feet, Isabelle on the floor.

"Come here!" the voice repeated roughly.

John threw his daughter a glare, then hesitantly walked across the room, met the two men in the door.

"Good dog!" the other man said, smirking his black teeth at John.

"What do you want? Why are you keeping us here?!" John asked angrily, one gun pressing against his shoulder.

"Talk only when spoken to," said the first man - Franks.

"You'll find out what your destiny is, sooner or later!" the other man laughed.

"Now, come on!" Franks said angrily, pulling John's arm.

The door closed, the darkness that followed seem to have no end, they saw nothing for several minutes.

"Honor?" Rachel's weak voice called through the darkness.

"I'm right here, honey."

"What do you think they'll do to him?" Rachel asked, feeling a cold wind blow through her at the very thought of John out there all alone. What about his daughter?

"I don't know, Rachel, but we can't change it anyway," Honor said.

"Either he lives or he dies, and we can't change it!"

Rachel sighed. She glanced over to the other wall, but saw nobody. The darkness was still to deep for her to see the little girl by the wall, scared and lonely.

Buck sat up, despite the pain.

"Where are we?" he asked in all his confusion, just seeing Cody beside him.

"In some old building somewhere!" the blonde man said, angry at the thought he was helpless.

"What are we doing here?" Buck asked, still confused.

"Nobody knows," Rachel's voice cut in.

"What d'ya mean?" the Indian asked, left hand gripping the right by the elbow. He carefully squeezed the limb, pain rising fast. He decided to let go of his injured arm and pay more attention to the answer to his question.

"This man, McMikee, is planning to make us all into slaves and sell us to Africa. He's crazy, no sense at all!" Honor said, pulling her body - that felt heavier than ever - closer to the others.

"Africa? Wow, I always wanted to see another continent!" Cody said jokingly, the others throwing him angry eyes.

"Can he actually do that? Sell us as slaves?" Rachel asked.

"He can and he will! He has connections, you know," Honor said.

The others were mighty surprised by her words. How could she know all that?

Before the conversation could continue, the door opened again. The same bright light blinded them again, and all they could hear was Isabelle screaming wildly. They could just merely see her being pulled outside, and again the door closed.

Teaspoon looked around, scanning the area. How could he get across the dust to the larger house without being seen? The larger house had to be the right one, he thought, they had to be in there! Before he could make any more plans, the door to the larger building opened. Out came two men holding a third, and behind them came another man with a little girl in his arms, screaming and kicking.

"What do we do with 'em?" one of the first two men asked.

"Nothing. Get the others, but one at a time! I don't want any mistakes now when we're so close," Franks said, letting the girl down on the ground.

"You too, go help him." He added, turned to the other man holding John.

"But he's,-"

"Go, Len!" Franks said angrily, pulling his gun at the two prisoners.

"Now, you hold real still!"

Teaspoon, hiding behind some bushes, pulled his gun as well. He realized he might need it real soon. Hope only they don't see me, he thought.

Less than two minutes later, Len and the other man came out with Nadine, who was cursing them with her evil eye.

"He will save me!" she called out, the two men holding her just shaking their heads.

"Where do you want her, Franks?" Len asked.

"Right here, move it!"

Len and his companion let Nadine sink to the ground and left again.

Teaspoon watched as Honor was taken out, then Rachel, then Buck, then Cody.

"Damn!" he sighed, looking at their faces. They had an indescribable fear written all over them, especially the women.

Suddenly a fourth man appeared, wearing a suit, clean boots and a proper hat.

"Well, well, what do we have here?" he said teasingly as he approached his prisoners.

He grabbed Cody's chin.

"Love the bruises, where did you buy 'em?" he teased, laughing to himself.

"Mr. McMikee, as much as I hate to interfere…" Franks started.

"Yes, Franks?" he sighed.

"We really should get going, the train won't wait forever, ya know!"

"Yes, you're right. As much as I hate to admit it, but you're right," McMikee said, pulling Buck to his feet with one strong move.

"You walk first, Indian's are used to leading aren't they?" he smiled, pushing his prisoner in front of himself.

Buck, still very much in pain and dizzy, lost balance. Without a sound, he landed face down on the dust, to McMikee's great surprise.

"Imbecile!" he cried out, turned to the one closest - Cody.

"I know you from somewhere, who are you?" he asked, looking with big eyes at the blond man's face.

Cody didn't answer, for once had no idea what to say.

"Wait a minute here, you're Buffalo Bill, ain't ya?"

Cody nodded, glanced at Buck who now tried to get up.

"You probably think that's gonna save you from this little… event, don't you?" the man in front of him smirked.

Again, Cody stood speechless. He thought of the reason why he had come to Rock Creek, thought of how his wife held him home though he wanted to leave right away. What a mess! he told himself.

Teaspoon watched the scene, wondered where Kid and Jimmy were. He wished they would come to his assistance soon, or it seemed they'd loose whatever chance they had to save their friends. Dammit, where are they?

The he spotted them - right across the dust on the other side of the large building. They were also just watching, wondering what to do.

"Walk!" McMikee ordered, pushing Cody in the back.

He started to walk, throwing one last nervous eye at Buck who was still crawling in the dust. A long line of slaves to-be started behind him, closely watched by Franks and his two men. McMikee mounted his horse that stood by the building wall, then rode around the line of men and women. He irritated them more and more with that smirking smile, and that shining brightness that reflected into their eyes from his much too black boots.

Len pulled Buck to his feet, pushed him into the line.

Teaspoon waited until they had walked far enough to be out of hearing-range. Then he jumped his feet, ran across the yard to Jimmy and Kid.

"What do we do now?" Jimmy asked.

"Not that we had much of a plan to begin with, but it seems it's all blowing up in our faces," Teaspoon replied.

"We gotta do something, I heard about a train…!" Kid said, curiously looking at his friends.

"Yep, I heard it too. Let's get to the horses, and we'll see what we can come up with!" Teaspoon suggested.

"Not as many riders as we first thought," Jimmy said, Kid wondering if that was good or bad news.

"If they're not so many, it could mean they're just as good at what they're doing as ten men would be," he said.

"Got a point. But I hope it's not so, 'cuz if is, we're in trouble!" Teaspoon sighed, looking out over the prairie.

What he saw was a line of tired men and women followed by a riding man, pushing them forward despite the hot sun, that now burned their necks, and there was no water for them to drink.

"When do you think they'll stop?" Kid asked, following Teaspoon's eyes.

"Stop? Not for many hours if I'm right," Teaspoon said, sighed again.

"Then let's hope you're not right!" Jimmy said, jumping down on the ground.

"Where are you going?" Kid asked.

"Down there! We gotta free 'em, or they're as good as dead!"

Jimmy, Kid and Teaspoon sat behind some bushes, ready to attempt a rescue of their friends. They were coming closer with heavy, tired steps.

"Alright! Stop!" McMikee called, pulling his horse to a halt.

Franks and Len kept an eye on the prisoners, while their boss sat down on his bedroll, drinking from his water-bottle.

"Got some to spare?" Franks asked with a grin.

"No."

"Hey, boss! Don't ya think we better tie 'em up, or something?" Len said, his friend - still unnamed - agreeing.

"No, I don't. If someone passes us, he'll get suspicious. And I don't want that, ya hear! No, we'll just pretend these are our friends heading for a picnic!" McMikee replied with a wide smile.

Teaspoon signed to the others it was time to act. They sneaked closer to the group of men and women, then jumped up from nowhere with their guns drawn.

"Better throw that gun over here, Len!" Jimmy said, watching the young sport reach for his weapon.

"And you! Give me that rifle!" Kid ordered Franks.

The four outlaws looked very surprised, but still not convinced it was all over.

Teaspoon kept an eye at both the big boss himself and the unnamed young man.

"Glad you guys could drop in," Cody said jokingly as he helped Rachel to her feet.

"Got any rope?" Kid asked, not moving his eyes one bit from Franks.

"You're crazy if you think you're gonna take us all into Rock Creek without ropes!" Franks called, smiling.

"After dark you won't ever see us again!"

Jimmy turned to Rachel and the others.

"You alright?"

"Don't worry, Jimmy, we'll be fine! Good to see you, by the way!" Rachel answered.

Len realized this was his chance. No one was watching him at that short moment, but it was enough time for him to reach for his gun on the ground and shoot.

John fell to the ground with a scream, then Nadine. The chaos was a fact - people screaming and running about, guns and rifles firing, bullets flying above their heads.

"Teaspoon! Over here!" Kid shouted on the top of his lunges, throwing himself into the gunfire. He had to save the woman in dark-blue dress standing in the middle of it all, not knowing what to do.

McMikee leaped into the saddle, rode off in a gallop on his terrified horse.

"Honor!" Rachel screamed, was then pulled to the ground by Buck.

"Get down!" he called, then jerked to his feet and saved also Isabelle from the bullets.

"Ma'am! Get down!" Kid called as he reached Honor.

She looked into his eyes, fear and panic rising inside her. She let him grab her arm, pull her down on the ground.

The firing suddenly stopped. Teaspoon and Jimmy soon stated the three men they were after were all dead. And so were Nadine and John.

Cody and Buck got to their feet, looking around. Five motionless bodies on the ground, blood staining the brown grass.

No one said a word for several moments, just making sure they were not injured. Then Kid turned to Teaspoon.

"Where did he go, the boss?"

"There!" Jimmy said, pointing at the black spot by the horizon, a dusty cloud surrounding it.

"Let's go!" Teaspoon said, ran for the horses.

Rachel stood erect, arms hugging her chest, mind shaded by the horror she just survived.

"Are you okay?" Cody asked.

She nodded, but didn't feel good at all inside.

"Come on, Buck. We gotta cover the bodies with something…" Cody said, turned to Nadine by his feets.

Buck nodded, though his stomach was filled with disgust. The dead always had given him the creeps, and probably always would, he thought.

McMikee's bedroll covered Nadine and John, the rest were left the way they were. Isabelle could just barely grasp what was going on, but she did understand her father was dead.

"Come on, honey, let's go for a walk," Rachel said, taking Isabelle by the hand and lead her away from the scene.

CHAPTER 12

Teaspoon pushed his horse forward, despite the fact that they were both tired. Inches behind him, he both felt and heard Jimmy and the Kid.

"We're gaining on him!" Jimmy shouted, eyes fixed on the rider ahead.

"Come on!" Teaspoon shouted back, both to keep his horse and the other two riders going.

Just another half-mile, then he would have to stop, Teaspoon thought. A dead end, between two big rocks. No way he could know about that, or did he? The old southerner hoped for the latter, but had to wait and see. - And he was right!

"Now you're stuck, McMikee!" he called.

"You won't get me alive, mark my words for it!" McMikee shouted, looking up the rocks, hoping to find a way out.

"Drop your gun and be reasonable."

He shook his head, sweat dotting his face.

"No, you won't get me alive. If you want me, you're gonna have to kill me! And I think you're to soft for that, am I right?"

Jimmy tapped his finger on the trigger, glancing at Teaspoon.

"Drop the gun," Teaspoon tried again, but McMikee wouldn't give up that easily.

"You heard me!" he said nervously, waving his gun at them with a shaking hand.
"You won't get me!"

Kid approached him a few steps, but was forced back by the still waving gun.

"Come on, McMikee, it's over," Teaspoon said calmly, correcting his position in the saddle.

"No. It ain't over! Just merely begun, I tell you that… They were my prisoners! I was gonna make a lot of money on them! You had no right to spoil it all!"

A moment of silence, then McMikee pulled the trigger.

Buck looked up. The gray autumn sky with its dark clouds was not in any trial with the thunder, he stated. So what was it, then?

"A gunshot?" he asked Cody.

"Probably. Let's just hope it was the right gun, that's all I say…"

They glanced at each other, then at Honor.

"I need to tell you something. All of you, Rachel and Isabelle too," she said, pondering their questioning faces.

"Like what? What is there to say?" Cody asked.

"Wait till they get back…"

Cody shot Buck a curious eye, then turned to the horizon.

All was silent for a moment, then - finally - four horses appeared far away.

"It's them!" escaped Cody as he ran to meet them.
"Gosh, sure am glad to see you all okay!" he said as they came closer.

"Wish we could say the same 'bout him," Jimmy said, pointing with his chin at McMikee. He was lifted upon his horse, stone dead.

"Killed himself. Didn't want to be arrested…" Kid said, sighing deeply.

"Are you all alright?" Teaspoon asked, looking at the three standing on the ground.

"Where's Rachel and that girl?" Jimmy asked, looking around in his own wild manors.

"Up the hill. Rachel decided to have a little talk with Isabelle. She just lost her father, so it could sure be good for her," Honor said.

Teaspoon nodded. He looked at the five bodies on the ground, wondered what to do with them.

"Do we bury 'em here, or…?" Jimmy asked, thinking the same.

"What else can we do?" Honor said.

They rode slowly for home, Buck behind Kid, Cody behind Jimmy. The two women chaired McMikee's horse and Teaspoon had Isabelle in his arms. No one said a word until they reached the station, where the tired men and women landed heavily on the ground.

"Finally…" Cody sighed, stretching his legs.

"I just wanna sleep!" Jimmy grunted.

"You're not alone!" Cody replied quickly.

"I'll send some men out to McMikee's hideout as soon as I get to town," Teaspoon said.

"As long as I don't have to go back…!" Rachel smiled, happy to be home.

"Listen, I gotta say something…" Honor said, hoping for some attention.

Suddenly the door to the bunkhouse flew open, Lou running out to meet them all.

"My God, I thought you were all dead!" she cried, hugging her husband tightly.

"Where's Emma?" he whispered before he kissed her on the lips.

"She's asleep. Look, I'm not mad at ya no more. For now!" she said, briefly smiling. He smiled too.

"Rachel?!"

Lou walked over to the woman with the curls, looking at her tired face.

"My God…! It's you!" she breathed, throwing herself around Rachel's neck.

"Oh, Louise!" Rachel squeezed out, hugging her old friend hard.

"I hate to break it up, ladies, but I could sure need some rest. I think you all could," Teaspoon said calmly, a gentle face directed to Lou.

"Glad to se you and the Kid back in the usual friendly manors, just for a change!" he smiled.

A tired laughter spread amongst them all, then they went for the bunkhouse.

"You boys look awful, you better get those wounds cleaned up," Rachel said, smiling tiredly at Buck and Cody.

"First I'm gonna sleep, then - maybe - I'll get myself cleaned up!" Cody said, smiling back.

That night, Teaspoon and Lou sat by the fireplace, looking at their sleeping friends.

"Boy, were they tired!" Lou said smiling, hugging little Emma in her arms.

"Yep, they sure were. But who can blame them, huh? They went through a lot, I guess," Teaspoon replied in his own lazy, kind of poetical way.

"Hmm, I would suppose so. But what on Earth did Jimmy and Kid do to get so tired? I don't recall them ever being abducted by some madman!" Lou smiled widely.

"I suppose we better let 'em rest, or they'll make us sorry!" Teaspoon said calmly, smiling too.

They sat for another half-hour, just thinking of their friends and the long gone Express-days. Then Teaspoon excused himself and went to bed as well. Lou sat alone with Emma sleeping in her arms, watching the tired men and women in the room. Without noticing it, she drifted off into a dream-world herself.

When Cody opened his eyes the following morning, it was all because Rachel pressed a cloth soaked in water and whiskey to his bruised face.

"What the…"

"Be still, Cody, I have to do this before it gets all infected," Rachel said calmly, smiling gently.

"It hurts!" he whined, but she paid no attention.

"You know, Cody… It will feel a lot better when this is finished," she smiled.

"So? It hurts now!"

Their conversation was interrupted by Honor and Isabelle entering the bunkhouse.

"Good morning, Mr. Cody," the older woman smiled.

"Mornin', Honor," he grunted, and if looks could kill, Rachel would be in serious trouble.

The two women smiled at each other, Honor walking up by their side.

"How are you this morning?" she asked gently.

"Fine. If you take her off of me, that is," he said, pushing Rachel's hand to the side.

"Cody…" she complained, but he sat up and held her on a distance.

"Suit yourself, then…" Rachel smiled, headed for Buck's bed instead.

"Buck? Are you awake?"

He looked up, eyes blurry and tired. For the first time, Rachel didn't find his bruises too horrible, instead gave his hair a gentle touch and then dipped the cloth in her bowl.

"This might hurt…"

"It does! Don't listen to her, Buck, she isn't telling you the whole truth!" Cody laughed from the other side of the room.

The Indian sat up on his elbows, looking around.

"So it wasn't a dream?" he thought out aloud.

"Nope. We're back in Rock Creek, where we belong!" Rachel smiled.
"Now, let me take care of your wounds."

Buck stood by the corrals, patting his horse. Fresh new bandages around his arm and head, Ike's bandanna in his pocket.

"You're not leaving without saying good-bye, now are you?"

He turned around to see Lou standing behind him, for once not holding Emma by her bosom. He approached her a few steppes, then his face broke out in a smile.

"Of course I'm not leaving yet! I wouldn't make it a hundred feet!"

"Sure? I mean, I would miss you terribly if you just rode on out of here," she said, placing a hand on his shoulder, patting it carefully.

"I would miss you too much myself to have that happen!" he assured, gently giving her side and elbow.

"I'm glad you all made it back alright. For a moment I thought you were all dead, know what I mean?" she said, searching for that light in his eyes she hadn't seen in awhile.

"Yeah, for a moment I thought we were all gonna die… And it wasn't all wrong, either. I just can't believe five people had to die because of this. Because of one crazy soul!"

Lou nodded, didn't know what to say. He was right, it was unbelievable.

"I don't think I ever really understood what this McMikee wanted…" she said.

"Name one who did. It was just strange, all of it."

In silence they walked to the bunkhouse, entered it right on time to see Isabelle in Honor's arms, crying.

"Don't worry, honey, you'll get by," Honor comforted.

"They'll place me in a orphanage! I'll never have a family again! I want my pa!" the girl cried, tears flowing from her eyes.

Honor quickly looked up at the two in the door, then gave Isabelle all her attention again.

Rachel sat on a chair by the table, head in her hands.

"Buck, can I talk to you?" she asked, as he came closer.

"What is it?"

"Sit down. Please."

He noticed she was whispering on purpose, as if to not disturb Honor's comforting of Isabelle.

"I was wondering… You think you could take on Isabelle?" Rachel asked, staring into his deep eyes. He stared right back at her, about to drop his chin through the table.

"What?!"

"Sssch! I mean, she needs a home…"

"What about the rest of you?" he asked, still not sure he got her question right.

"Lou and Kid already have five children, Cody's wife wouldn't approve and Jimmy don't even have a proper home to go to.

"But what about you? Or Honor, or Teaspoon?"

"Teaspoon? He's way too old to raise a ten-year-old! I will probably move soon, and I haven't talked to Honor yet."

"So do that!" he hissed, got up from his seat.

"Buck?" she said, pulled his arm.

"Why can't you be her family? I know you would get along just fine."

"Yeah right! I have a family in the village, with my wife. What makes you think she would approve any more than Cody's wife? Besides, would it be fair to let her get used to a whole new way of life, just to die when the Kiowas are forced to fight the army?"

Rachel sighed, let him rise and leave the room.

"You tried," Lou said with sympathy.

"Yeah, but what good did it do? She will spend half her life in an orphanage, and for what purpose?" Rachel sighed.

"You don't think she'll be adopted?" Lou asked.

"Now, after the war, no one has time or money to raise a child, and not one as old as she either."

"Ask Honor," Lou nodded, went outside too.

Rachel thought for a second, then moved over to Honor and Isabelle - who was now just about to stop crying.

"Honor? Can I talk to you for a minute?"

"Sure, Rachel, shoot!" she smiled.

"I was wondering, could you take care of Isabelle instead of let her off to an orphanage?" she asked, watching as Honor's face fell and she turned away for a moment.

"Honor?"

"Rachel, I have to tell you something. Right now, and the others must hear it too."

"What is it, Honor, this sounds serious…?"

"It is, that's why it has to be said now."

"Alright, I'll get the others…" Rachel said, heading for the door.

"I think all of you deserves to hear this, and I'll make it a short story," she began as soon as they were all gathered in the bunkhouse.

"Three years ago, I married a man called Ezra McMikee."

A sudden silence spread in the room, everyone listening with keen ears.

"Very soon, I noticed how he was changing. He started talking about slavery and slave-trading. I realized too late what he was up to, and by then I loved him too much to tell him to just stop it. He began his 'business' as he called it, and after that John, Isabelle, Nadine and the some of you ended up as his prisoners. I started to fight him, and I ended up in the same situation you were in. He despised me, told me I was to be sold first. I just want you all to know how sorry I am for not fighting my husband sooner. I should have stopped him! Before it came to this…"

No one said a word, just glanced at each other with cautious eyes.

"It wasn't your fault!" Rachel said, walking up by Honor's side.

"Now I have no place to go and nothing to do, and I guess that is my punishment. Unless Teaspoon has something to say?"

"You think I'm gonna arrest ya? No, I wouldn't do that, you did nothing wrong. I'm not marshal anymore, anyway. Perhaps you could have told somebody, but a judge would agree on that you were scared. And with all right, too. Teaspoon said, a hand clapping Honor on the shoulder.

The woman looked curiously at Cody and Buck, wondering what they were thinking now.

"Don't worry, Honor, we ain't mad at ya. Not me anyway," Cody assured.

Buck shook his head to back up Cody's remark. A careful smile appeared on Honor's lips, as a heavy stone fell from her troubled heart.

"If you knew what it means to hear you say this!" she smiled.

"Everything will work out for ya, I'm sure!" Rachel said, hugging her friend.

Three days later, Rachel saw what she had been waiting with grief in her heart to see - Buck mounted his horse, backpack and everything with him.

"Buck!" she called, her voice croaky with tears.

He turned to her, came trotting to the bunkhouse.

"I guess this is it," he said with a sigh, eyes downcast.

"Can't you stay just a little bit longer?" Rachel asked, though she already knew the answer.

"I have to see my wife. She expected me back weeks ago! And I'm feeling stronger now."

Rachel nodded, walked up by his side. She placed a hand on his knee, looking up at his face.

"Okay, I guess I have no choice but to let you go, then."

He shook his head with yet another sigh, then turned to the bunkhouse porch. There stood everyone, looking at him with big eyes.

"I thought you promised you wouldn't leave without saying so first!" Lou exclaimed, Kid hugging her shoulders.

"Then I'm telling you now: I'm leaving. I have to."

Lou shook her head, ran down the steps and up by his side. He jumped down on the ground, hugged her good-bye.

"I wish you weren't leaving," she said with tears in her eyes.

"Someone has to be the first," he replied.

Down from the porch came the rest of the former riders followed by Teaspoon, Honor and Isabelle. They hugged, said their good-byes, then watched as Buck mounted again.

"I'm gonna miss you!" he called.

"Ride safe, son!" Teaspoon said, followed by a chorus of similar words.

They waved after him as he rode off over the prairie, not once looking back.

Rachel stayed on the porch for a moment after the others went back inside. She looked up at the bright sun, thanking the Lord for taking care of her and her friends. She thought of Honor and her decision to take care of Isabelle, hoped they'd get along just as nicely as they now did forever. She went back to the Express-days, remembered the group of riders by the dinner-table, always as hungry. She chuckled at the memory of Cody eating twice as much as the others did, smiled just remembering the meals they chaired. Somehow it was the best time of the day, dinner. It was then she found out about the riders, their pasts, their plans for the future, hopes and dreams…

She smiled again at the sky, then went back inside with the remaining men and women. When it all came around, wasn't it time for dinner?

EPILOGUE

Buck smiled as he finally saw the village down by the river, people running around, the lodges, the fires. He patted his mare on the neck, as he made her go forward down the rocky hill.

"We're home, girl! Finally," he said, still smiling.

As soon as he reached the 'gate', where three guards always made sure no outsider came into the village, he let them take care of his horse. He then rushed on unsteady feet through the crowded 'streets' hoping to find his wife somewhere. But she seemed to have vanished, no one had heard from or seen her all day.

Disappointed, he walked over to his lodge, welcomed by a barking dog.

"Hey, you stupid old flee-bag, it's me!" he smiled, patting him on the head as he entered through the flap.

The lodge was empty. Where could Morning Bird be? he wondered.

He lay down on the buffalo-hide, realizing how extremely tired he actually was. Though he just meant to close his eyes for a second, he fell asleep real soon.

Morning Bird smiled, watching her husband sleep. She carefully touched his face, wondering where he got those bruises. And the head-wound and the injured arm…? She figured he'd tell her when he woke up, and despite she was eager to find out, she wasn't gonna be the one to disturb his sleep. No, he needs to rest, she thought, lay down beside him.

She watched him for another moment, then closed her eyes. She didn't fall asleep, but she kept her eyes closed and started daydreaming about the future. She hoped the winter would be merciful on her and her family and friends, not as cold and empty on food as the last one. She also hoped the spring would give the wild animals enough to eat to produce many new animals, so that the tribe could go out hunting again. They sure needed it, she thought, having the empty supply-sheds in mind. Hunting, she thought, tasted the word. Boys loved to go hunting, if only the men would allow them to follow. She looked up at her husband, then closed her eyes again.

Wonder if our son will like hunting? she thought with a smile, patted her stomach carefully. Or if it's a girl, will she like it too? She figured they would never ever get a girl who was more into cooking and sowing. Not a chance in this world with Running Buck for a father! she smiled, caressing his face, kissed his shoulder.

"Sweet dreams, Running Buck," she whispered, sat up. She had more chores to do, and if she did them while her husband was asleep, they would have the whole afternoon together, she thought with a wide smile. She then moved gracefully over his legs, went out through the buckskin flap and into the sunlight.

TOMORROW
Written by Joey Tempest

Will you be there beside me
If the world falls apart
And will all of our moments
Remain in your heart

Will you be there to guide me
All the way through
I wonder will you

Walk by my side
And follow my dreams
And bear with my pride
As strong as it seems

Will you be there tomorrow?

Will you be there beside me
As time goes on by
And be there to hold me
Whenever I cry

Will you be there to guide me
All the way through
I wonder will you
Walk by my side
And follow my dreams
And bear with my pride
As strong as it seems

Will you be there tomorrow?