"Hey Mister, you want to play poker?"

Ezra looked up to see an unruly man standing over him. He could not help but show the disgust that he felt. "No thankyou!"

"Aw come on, you look the type." the man sat down next to him allowing his foul breath to disgust Ezra even more.

"I do not wish to play poker with you." Ezra moved to get up so he could get away from the man before he threw up. The man also smelt as bad as his breath did.

"Ain't I good enough to play with."

Ezra was not in the mood for this. "No you are not, maybe after a bath perhaps." He moved away to the bar to get another bottle of whisky, he had all intentions of going to his room and getting drunk again. He had been in Falls Hallow for three weeks now. He had gained back some weight and therefore some strength as well but he had gotten nowhere in finding out what he wanted to do. He did not know if he wanted to go back to his old ways or return to Four Corners, he was not even sure if they would want him back. He had thought long and hard about the friends he had made and wether he was ready to accept them into his way of life. The other men had no trouble showing him friendship and concern but he was not always able to accept it or return it. He had found it hard after the life that his mother had given him. He was taught to take care of himself and no one else, that he had to look after number one. The others were showing him a side of life that he had never known and he did not know if he liked it or not. Josiah had told him to just accept the friendship but he found it very hard to do, it was not as easy as Josiah thought it would be for him.

He looked around the saloon wondering why he even stayed in this town, it had a lot of bad elements in it, Chris would like it though he thought. Now there was a friendship very hard to accept, he knew Chris was very much like himself in a way. He found it hard to trust someone, he eventually did once they proved themselves worthy of his trust. He had accepted the others, he now trusted them. But Ezra thought that at times Chris still did not trust him completely. He said that he had trusted him but Ezra knew that he still doubted him.

The man that he had refused to play with came up to the bar next him. "I'm not good enough huh?"

Ezra turned to him. "No!"

The man stepped closer to Ezra who then felt a gun pressing against his side. "Nobody talks to me like that, you think that your better than the rest of us do you?" he turned to look around the room and that was his mistake. As he turned away Ezra quickly pushed away the gun from his side and at the same time pulled his derringer from his right arm harness. The man turned back to look directly into the derringer, he had not even realised what had happened.

"Is there a particular reason that I have to keep repeating myself to you?" the man did not answer, he was still shocked that the man whom he thought would apologise to him had turned the tables on him and he was now facing a gun. "Are you deaf perhaps?" the man shook his head no. "Good then. Now go away and leave me alone, and if you come back I will kill you." Ezra knew the type, he was trying to show off in front of his friends, it was them who gave him the courage to confront him but with the threat of his life he knew that the man would now leave him alone.

He left the bar and and headed towards his room at the Hotel and as he left he was watched by a group of men sitting in the corner of the saloon. "Do you think that maybe he would want to join us, he looks likes he's good with a gun?" asked Sam.

"He looks like he's a gambler, what would he know about robbing a bank." stated Alex. He looked across at his brother seeing the same blond hair and blue eyes that he had. They had inherited a lot from their mother.

"He looks like he can use a gun and he read that guy pretty well, maybe we can use him. I think we should confront him next time we see him." Sam knew that they needed more men. They only had four at the moment and if they wanted to rob the bank at Four Corners they were going to need more men. They had heard about the hired gunmen that protected the town but they were down to six now as one of them had left. The rumor had been getting around that this had happened and if they chose a time to rob the bank when some of the others were out of town then they would have no trouble taking care of the ones that were left.

"Okay if that's what you want but you will be responsible for him if he decides to join us."

Sam smiled. "Sure."

Ezra was passing an alley when he felt rough hands grab him and pull him into the alley, he tried to get his derringer out but someone had grabbed his right arm and then he was slammed up against the wall. He grimaced at the pain he felt in his back. He could not see their faces clearly as it was dark but he could smell the same foul breath that he had in the saloon. It was from the man he had refused to play poker with, but he was standing to the side. Someone else was doing his dirty work for him.

"So my friend is not good enough to play poker with huh?" someone asked him.

Ezra was his usual sarcastic self. "No he isn't, he has a foul stench upon his person." he could feel the confusion in the air.

"What did you just say."

"I said he smells." explained Ezra.

The fist slammed into his stomach, he tried to double over with the pain but their hands kept him upright. He was able to work out from the voices that there was four of them. He had to think of something to get himself out of the situation before they caused any more damage to his person, he'd had enough of that lately. He kicked out in front of him and felt his boot connect with the person's knee and that person fell to the ground screaming in pain. Ezra then pulled forward as the grip slackened from the two that were holding him. They let go of his arms so they could stop themselves from falling. He then hit out with his fist breaking one of the men's noses. But before he could do any more damage he felt the butt of a gun slam against the back of his skull and he fell to the ground in a heap. The men that had attacked him left him there as they had lost interest after what he had done to them. They thought with the four of them they would be able to handle him but they were wrong. They ran out of the alley leaving Ezra lying in the heap that he had collapsed in. And it was there that he lay until he woke up the next morning.

Ezra woke with a groan at the pain that he felt. He opened his eyes and blinked against the light that seemed to make his head feel worse. He looked around, he did not know where he was or how he got there. He felt behind his head where he felt the most pain and when he brought it back he saw blood on it. He got up and walked out into the street. He looked up and down looking for something that was familiar to him. He saw the saloon and all of a sudden felt that he needed a drink. He went inside and went straight for the bar.

The bar tender frowned at him, he could see the blood stain on the man's shirt. "Are you okay Mister?"

"It seems that I have had some sort of accident." answered Ezra.

"What happened?"

"I do not know, I don't seem to remember anything." Ezra took a swig of whisky and grimaced at the taste of it.

"You don't remember what happened?"

"No and nothing else either."

"What do you mean nothing else." the bartender was beginning to get confused.

Ezra was quite confused himself. "I don't seem to remember who I am." he stated.

Sam was listening to the conversation between Ezra and the bartender, he had an idea and put it to work. "Cal what the hell happened to you?" he moved up to the bar and stood next to Ezra feelling the back of his skull at the same time.

Ezra winced and moved his head away. "Excuse me?" he raised his eyebrows at the man that was standing before him. He had no idea who he was.

"I said what happened to you, did you get into a fight again or something?" Sam had all intentions of trying to convince Ezra that they knew each other, if he was able to do this then he would join the gang. He knew from the conversation that the man did not remember who he was and he had blood on the back of his head. He must of had an accident or some sort and had for some reason lost his memory. 'Well' thought Sam, 'Just makes it easier for me, now we have that extra man we wanted.'

"Do I know you?" Ezra was really confused. He did not remember what happened. He didn't even remember his own name and this man had come up to him and called him Cal.

"Course you do were friends, we ride together." Sam put an expression of concern on his face. "Don't you remember me Cal."

"No I don't." answered Ezra.

"Well you should, we've known each other for fifteen years, since we were kids. What's wrong with you, are you playing one of your tricks on me or what?"

"I don't remember you, I don't seem to remember anything." muttered Ezra.

"Come on I'll take you to see Alex, he will have a look at you." Sam started to move Ezra towards the saloon doors.

"Who's Alex?" asked Ezra.

"You don't remember him either, jeez Cal I think that this is serious." he started moving again but Ezra hesitated. "You don't have to worry Cal. Were your friends, we'll take care of you."

Ezra went with him because for some reason he needed the feeling of friendship. He followed Sam to the Hotel. He continued to look around looking for something or someone that he knew but he did not see anything that would jog his memory. For the moment he would have to hope that this man did know him.

They went into the Hotel and up the stairs to a room on the first floor. Sam entered without knocking. "You sit there Cal and I will go and find Alex." Sam kept using the name that he had given him hoping that he would get used to it thinking that it was his own name. He went to look for his brother and found him in his own room. "Alex, I've got that gambling man in my room."

"And what are you doing with him in your room?" he asked. His brother did some stupid things at times and he was always having to get him out of difficult situations.

"Something happened to him and he doesn't remember who he is." smiled Sam. "So I told him he was one of us, that we have been friends for years."

"And what did you do that for?" he also had some stupid ideas.

"We can't convince him to join us if he does not know who he is now can we. So why don't you come and have a look at him like I said you would." Alex got up to follow his brother. "Oh and his name is Cal, short for Callum, that's what I told him anyway."

Ezra was sitting on the bed when they came into the room, Sam looked at his brother and watched the master at work. "Cal, Sam tells me that you have been hurt and that you don't remember us." he moved over to the bed and knelt down before Ezra.

"Yes and no." he said looking between the two men. He did not want to trust them straight off, they could be lying to him.

"Let me have a look at your head." he got up and felt the back of Ezra's skull feeling the lump and broken skin. "Someone hit you pretty hard, you don't remember how it happened?"

Ezra looked at him with distrust. "No."

"Look Cal, I don't blame you for not trusting us. You don't remember anything and we could be anybody." he took a deep breath and made up some history for Ezra's benefit. "Your name is Callum Laymon, you have been a friend of ours since we were kids, Sam here is my brother. We are all part of a gang that includes two others. " he saw Ezra frown at this. "I know it's hard to find out that you are part of a gang but you are. We rob banks and you are very good at what you do. Your lucky Sam found you first before you went to the Sherrif because he would have arrested you."

Ezra looked up at Sam. Maybe he thought. They did seem to know who he was. He decided to go along with them for the time being and see what happens.

"And you also gamble to much, that's what probably got you into this mess in the first place." laughed Alex.

Ezra could not help but smile at that laugh it was somehow comforting like he knew it. He looked down at his attire, he looked like a gambler.

"Why don't you get some rest, we were intending to leave town in a few hours." Alex gave him a reassuring smile and left the room. Sam followed him. "Go to the stable and see if you can find out which horse is his and also see if he has a room at this hotel. I'll go and explain this to Fred and Peter. I don't know why you do things like this." Sam just smiled and left to do what his brother had asked.

Ezra was left alone in the room. He wanted to believe that they were his friends, they seemed to know him, who he was. But a bank robber. That was something that he was not sure about. As he sat there he checked his pockets for anything that may tell him who he was. He did not find much but what he did find made him think that they were right. There was a pack of cards in his waist coat pocket, he checked them and found that some of them were marked, he didn't even bother trying to figure out how he knew this but it did mean that he cheated when playing poker. He also found that he carried three guns. One in a shoulder holster, another slung around his hips and a small derringer in his right sleeve. He did not think that a law abiding citizen carried that many guns. He got up and filled a bowl with some water and began to clean the wound on the back of his head.

Sam had come and gotten Ezra a couple of hours later and introduced him to Peter and Fred. They smiled at him knowing the situation and they had agreed to go along with it. They had also agreed that he seemed to know how to handle himself. Sam had found that Ezra did have a room at the Hotel and he gathered his stuff together and then headed to the stable. The stable hand told him that the fancy dressed man rode the horse that was in the second stall.

"Hey Cal, seeing how you don't remember anything maybe we can have a game of poker tonight and win back all that money that you have won from us over the years." laughed Peter while nudging Ezra in the side. They had gathered out the front of the hotel before heading to the horse stable.

"I wouldn't if I was you Peter." said Fred. "Once he does remember then you will be in a lot of trouble. And it won't be through a poker game when he gets his money back from you." They were all enjoying convincing this man that he was one of them. Ezra was actually beginning to enjoy it himself.

When they got to the livery Sam pointed out Ezra's horse for him. "He's yours Cal and your bag with your things is in there to. I packed them up for you while you were resting." Ezra went to his horse which acknowledge him with a nudge to his shoulder. This all convinced Ezra even more that these men were indeed his friends. Once they had saddled their horses they left town and headed towards Four Corners with the idea of robbing the bank clear in their minds.

During the three day trip that it took them to get to Four Corners Ezra had learnt alot about himself not knowing that none of it was true. They told him about previous bank robberies, things that he had done, people that he had killed, games that he had played and he had begun to believe all of it. He was beginning to like these men and that convinved him even more of who they said he was. They had also begun to like Ezra, his quick wit, his ability with the cards and his guns. They had him try them out just to make sure that he had remembered how to use them. It had come naturally to him as though it was something that was taught into him from the day he was born.

Because he had lost his memory he had also lost his inabitions, he no longer had a brick wall built around him, he found it easy to talk to these men about things, about the worry that the memory loss had caused him. But they had reassured him that he was okay, that they would look after him and eventually his memory would come back. And it would be that day that they would have to kill him, unless he agreed to continue to ride with them. Over the period of time he had begun to feel close to them. He felt that he had known them for years and they treated him as such. They must have been good friends who took care of each other. And by the time they reached Four Corners he was ready to trust them with his life and to risk his for them. He would even kill to protect them. He realised that they were like family and people protected their family. Ezra had even started to think and act like them.

They had made camp for the night, they would arrive in Four Corners tomorrow and they needed to make sure that Ezra would be able to handle himself when they got there.

"Cal?"

Ezra looked up. "What's up Sam?"

Sam sat down next to him. "I wanted to talk to you." he stopped for a moment and looked over at his brother who was watching them carefully.

"About what?"

"We know what your going through and we decided that if you want to sit this one out then it's fine with us."

"Sit what out?" It took him a second but then it dawned on him. "You don't want me in on the robbery?" questioned Ezra.

"It's not that. You lost your memory remember and you still have not gotten it back, we don't know how you will react once the bullets start flying that's all." he looked at Ezra. "You could get yourself killed or one of us even."

"You don't have to worry about me Sam." smiled Ezra. He now believed that he was a bank robber and he acted like one. "I won't let you down and if you think that I would hesitate in killing someone I won't."

"Are you sure Cal? We don't want to push you if your not."

"I'm sure Sam. Now go and tell your brother to stop worrying." he nodded towards Alex knowing that he had sent Sam over to make sure that he was allright. 'Just like family.' he thought to himself.

The next morning they broke camp and rode into Four Corners.

JD sat on the porch watching for anyone riding into town. He still hoped that Ezra would come back. And at the end of each day he was dissapointed that he hadn't. It had been more than three weeks since he left and he had not returned. Buck and Josiah were the only others of the group who hoped that he came back. Chris, Vin and Nathan had somehow gotten used to the idea that he might not come back. Chris was pretty angry about the whole thing and would not talk about Ezra at all. Every time the subject came up he just gave the person who started the conversation a cold look and that person was usually JD.

He looked up to see five men riding into town and he fell off his chair when he recognised one of the riders. "Ezra!" he said aloud. He watched them ride by and noticed that Ezra did not even acknowledge him. They rode on to the saloon. He followed them down the street and saw them get off their horses and go in.

When Ezra and his friends entered the saloon they gave it the once over and then headed to the table that was in the corner of the saloon. Fred went to the bar and ordered a bottle of whiskey and got some glasses then joined the others at the table. Chris, Vin and Buck had looked up at the men who had entered but they were to shocked to say anything but that only lasted a few minutes. They had seen Ezra walk in with some other men. Buck smiled, he knew that Ezra would come back but he was confused as to why he had not come to their table. He saw the anger grow on Chris's face.

"Easy now Chris, don't go and do something that your gonna regret." he watched as Chris got up and walked over to Ezra.

"I see you finally decided to show your face here again." growled Chris.

Ezra looked up at him but there was no recognition on his face. Chris was to angry to notice this though. "Excuse me." Ezra asked not knowing who the man was. Sam and Alex put their hands closer to their guns, they knew that he was one of the lawmen of the town and that maybe their new colleague had some trouble here at some time.

"Stand up." Chris stepped back.

"What on earth for." smiled Ezra. He was beginning to dislike this man.

Chris was getting very angry, Ezra seemed to be acting dumb and he didn't like it one bit. "I said get up." he grabbed Ezra and dragged him up by his left arm only to find himself facing a derringer.

Chris had not expected Ezra to pull a gun on him. He wouldn't dare pull a gun on him but he had.

"And I said what for?" Ezra asked again.

"Now Ezra you put that gun down." Buck and Vin had joined them, they were also shocked to see him pull a gun on Chris.

Ezra gave them a look of confusion. "The name is not Ezra." he saw their mouths drop open.

Chris did not hear the remark though, he was seeing red. Ezra had not moved the gun when he looked at the others so he did not risk anything there and then.

"Cal put the gun away, we don't want any trouble with these lawmen." Ezra looked to Sam. He put his gun down and placed it back in his sleeve.

Chris let fly then, he hit Ezra as hard as he could. Ezra fell to the floor and watched as the one who had called him Ezra grab the man in black. He got up and rubbed his jaw and then stood face to face with Chris.

"You Sir are going to regret that you did that." Ezra gave him a cold look that actually made Buck and Vin both cringe and for some reason they believed that he would carry out the threat. He then turned and left the saloon with his friends following him. JD was entering the saloon when they left and Ezra knocked him off his feet on his way out the door. Sam and Alex were now wondering how they knew this man that they had convinced to join them and would he now be a threat to their plans.

Chris went to go after Ezra but Buck held him back. "Chris calm down will you, did you not hear what Ezra just said."

"All I heard was him smart mouthing me in front of his new friends." he was very angry. Ezra had pulled a gun on him and then threatened him and he was going to make him pay for it. His anger had been building up over the last three weeks over the fact that Ezra had left town without a real explanation.

"He said his name was not Ezra."

JD walked into the saloon after picking himself up off the boardwalk. "What was that all about and who are those guys with Ezra?"

Buck continued, ignoring JD. "Now why would he say that his name was not Ezra Chris?"

Chris looked at him. "Maybe we should find out." he went to leave again and this time Vin held him back.

"We'll go and find out. You stay here. You will probably just hit him again." Vin and Buck left to go and find out what was going on with Ezra.

They left the saloon and looked down towards the Hotel seeing Ezra going in with the four men that he was with. Ezra was in the lobby of the hotel waiting for Alex to arrange their rooms when Buck and Vin walked in. They headed straight for him ignoring the look that Sam gave them. They sat down across from him.

"Ezra would you like to tell us what's going on? Are you up to something with these guys? asked Vin.

"Do I know you gentlemen?" he asked them.

Buck and Vin looked at each other. "You don't know us?" Buck was shocked

"No I don't, should I?" Ezra was starting to get irritated by them and it started to show in his voice.

"You work with us, you protect this town." Ezra just continued to look at them. "Were your friends."

"There my friends." he nodded towards Sam and the others who were watching them. They could not hear the conversation though. So they did not realise that Ezra/Cal was the lawman who had left Four Corners leaving only six to protect it.

"You don't know us but you know them?" Vin asked

"Yes." he started to get up but Vin grabbed his arm. "Would you let go. I'm not going to continue this conversation, you are not my friends and I don't understand why you are saying that you are. And me, protect this town, that seems to be a bit unbelievable to me."

"Ezra how can we convince you that we are your friends?" Buck was at a loss for words. He didn't know what to say.

"Your friend at the saloon was convincing enough." Ezra saw the look of confusion that was on their faces. He started to walk away but when he reached Sam he turned around. "If I was your friend he would not have treated me the way he did. Friends don't do that." he looked at Sam. "Do they Sam?"

"No they don't Cal." Alex had gotten the keys to their rooms and they then left Buck and Vin standing in the lobby having absolutely no idea what just happened.

"Cal!" said Buck. "What is going on here Vin."

"I have no idea Buck. Come on let's go and tell Chris."

Chris and JD were waiting in the saloon for Buck and Vin to get back. And when they did their expressions were ones of confusion. "Well?" asked Chris as they sat down and said nothing.

Buck looked at Vin who nodded as if to say you tell him. "He didn't know who we were."

"What do you mean he didn't know who you were." Chris frowned.

"He didn't know us and one of the men he was with called him Cal."

"JD go and get Nathan."

"What for?" questioned JD.

"Just do it JD."

He returned ten minutes later with Nathan and Josiah both of who were suprised to find out that Ezra had returned. They listened as Buck repeated what he had told Chris about Ezra not knowing who they were.

Nathan thought for a moment before saying anything. "Did you see any sort of head wound."

They all looked at each other in confusion. "What do you mean Nathan?"

"From what you told me Buck it sounds like Ezra's lost his memory and that usually happens after a head wound. So did you see any sign of one?" he asked again.

"No we didn't see anything." Vin looked down. "He had his hat on anyway."

"So what do we do Chris? Those guys that he is hanging out with don't look very pleasant." asked Buck.

"First of all we are going to have to convince him of who he is."

"I don't think that is going to do any good." muttered Buck not really wanting to tell him what Ezra had said about friendship. Chris raised his eyebrows at him so he continued stepping away from Chris in case he reacted to what he had to say. "We told him that we were his friends but he did not believe us."

"Why didn't he believe you?" asked Nathan.

"He said that if we were his friends . . " he stopped for a moment looking at Chris "that Chris would not have done what he did. That friends don't treat each other like that."

"And what did Chris do?" Josiah was not aware of what had happened earlier but he did know what Chris was capable of.

"Chris confronted Ezra who actually pulled a gun on him. And then his new friends had him put the gun away and that's when Chris hit him." explained Buck.

"Well, were just going to have to talk to him again aren't we." smiled Chris.

Ezra and his new friends had gathered in Alex's room. They needed to go over the plans to rob the bank. "Here's what we are going to do, Peter, Fred and I will go into the bank while Sam and Cal create a distraction for the six lawmen. You will need to give us a least fifteen minutes just to be safe and then we will meet on the outside of town, due South. We were hoping that some of them may not be here but I think under the circumstances we should just go ahead and do it. Does everyone agree?" Alex knew that they had to do it now, if those men did know this gambler then they were not going to leave him alone and they might be able to bring back his memory. They all nodded their agreement, even Ezra. "We do it tomorrow then."

"Do you know what sort of distraction we should use?" asked Sam.

Ezra smiled. "They seem to think they know me, why don't we use that and if it doesn't work we could always shoot one of them, that would keep them occupied long enough for you to rob the bank."

They smiled back at him, he really had become one of them.

Ezra and the others decided that they were going to go back to the saloon for a drink as they had left earlier without getting one. They knew that they would probably run into those lawmen again but that did not bother them, it gave Cal a chance to put his plan into action. When they entered the saloon they found that the three that were there earlier had been joined by another three. Ezra looked at them on the way past but kept going. He sat down with his friends and waited. He didn't have to wait long before one of them came over to him.

Chris and the others had seen Ezra come back into the saloon. He went to get up but Nathan held him back. "I'll go and talk to him that way I can give him a once over." He got up and went over to the table that Ezra was sitting at. "Ezra could I have a word with you please." Ezra did not answer him though so he nudge his shoulder. "Ezra?"

"His name is Cal." said Sam

Nathan looked at him and then back to Ezra who was now looking at him. Nathan saw that there was no recognition in those green eyes. He quickly gave Ezra an examintation with his eyes and saw nothing that indicated that he had recieved a head injury but he had not check the back of his head.

"What about?" said Ezra.

"I understand that you don't remember any of us." Ezra turned to look at the other lawmen sitting at the table across the room and because he turned away from him Nathan was able to see the small wound on the back of his head.

"I don't remember you no, but that is probably because I don't know any of you." smiled Ezra.

Nathan did not like that smile, it was not Ezra. "Maybe we can talk on our own, maybe go over a few things that might make you remember."

"No." was Ezra's simple answer. "Now would you go away." Ezra turned away from him indicating that the conversation was over.

Nathan returned to his own table. "There's a wound at the back of his head. This could have caused the loss of memory."

"Did you get through to him at all." asked Josiah.

"No he wouldn't talk to me."

They sat there for another hour watching Ezra and the men he was sitting with. They were laughing and seemed to be enjoying themselves. It was as though Ezra had known them for a long time. When they got up to leave they saw that Ezra was the last one to go. He stopped at their table on the way past. He grimaced at Chris but then turned to Nathan. "Meet me here tomorrow at eleven, I will talk to you then." he turned to leave but added. "All of you."

"Now he does remember us." smiled JD.

Alex and the rest of the gang were waiting for him outside. "Well?" he asked.

"There all going to meet me here tomorrow at eleven." smiled Ezra. "Should give you plenty of time to rob the bank."

Alex smiled back at him. "Good." he allowed Ezra and the others to go on ahead of them and then spoke quietly to his brother. "If he shows any sign of remembering who he is tomorrow, kill him."

"I hope he doesn't, I am beginning to like that man and they way he thinks."

Even though Ezra did not remember who he was he still hated early mornings and it wasn't until ten that he rose from his bed and prepared himself for the day ahead. He met Sam and the gang in the lobby to go over the plans again just to make sure and then they split up to put that plan into action. Ezra and Sam went to the saloon and Alex, Peter and Fred to the bank.

Ezra went into the saloon leaving Sam outside. He moved over to the table that the protectors of the town had gathered at. He sat down at the table but did not say anything, he wanted them to make the first move.

"Ezra, how you doin this morning?" asked JD.

"I prefer that you call me Cal as that is the name that I associate with myself at the moment. Unless of course you can convince me otherwise." he knew that he had to drag this out. Alex and the others needed fifteen minutes and he intended to give them that time.

They had decided that Nathan was going to do the talking as he may know how to get Ezra to remember something. "We know you as Ezra Standish." said Nathan. He watched as Ezra raised his eyebrows. "We are your friends Ezra, you have been protecting this town with us for six months now."

"The gentlemen I am with claim to have known me since we were children."

"Then how come you have a Southern accent and they don't?" growled Chris. He really disliked this man that Ezra was at the moment.

Ezra frowned at that remark, if it had come from one of the other men he may have even questioned it. "So," he continued "you say that you are my friends."

"Yes we are, we've all been through a lot lately." said Nathan.

"What about him?" Ezra nodded at Chris.

"Even Chris." agreed Nathan.

Ezra looked back at Nathan. "Then why did he hit me?"

Nathan did not know how to answer that one. He looked to Chris. "Were friends Ezra, it's just that we have our moments." said Chris

Ezra scrutinized Chris. "I don't believe you, friends protect each other they don't hit them." A thought flashed through Ezra's mind then. 'Run out on me again and your a dead man.' Ezra's eyes were glassy for a moment.

"You just remembered something didn't you?" asked Nathan.

"No I didn't." said Ezra. "So far you gentlemen have not done a lot of convincing."

"Maybe you remember your mother Maude." asked Josiah. "You and she departed on not to friendly terms the last time she was in town. You had been sick and you didn't want to tell her what happened. And we all stood by you in your decision even though some of us did not like it."

"Maybe you would like to go upstairs and look at the room that you have been staying in until you left town three weeks ago." asked Nathan.

"One of the lawmen left here three weeks ago didn't he?" muttered Ezra.

"Yes he did, and that was you Ezra. You wanted to time to think but from the look of the wound on the back of your head something happened and it caused you to loose your memory." Nathan leaned forward hoping that they were actually getting through to him but before he could say anything else they heard gunshots from outside.

Alex and the two remaining members of his gang entered the bank to find only one customer being served by the bank teller. Alex nodded to Peter who went in line behind the business man who was banking his weekly takings. Peter moved up to the counter after the had turned away. He pulled his gun on the teller. "Put all of the money that you have in this bag." he handed the teller a bag.

"All I have is what that man just deposited." wined the teller.

"Well then you better open the safe and get what you have in there." growled Peter.

"I can't, only the manager has the key and he is not here." the man cringed as the bank robber's face grew angry.

"What is going on Peter, get that money and let's get out of here." yelled Alex.

"There's nothing here." he yelled back.

Alex went to have a look for himself. "Where's the money?

"He claims that this is all there is." answered Peter.

"To hell with that." Alex then shot the teller twice. He grabbed the money that was on the counter and ran out the door with Peter and Fred on his heels.

Ezra watched as the rest of the men who were seated at the table rise with their guns already drawn. He had to do something quick. He pulled his own gun and grabbed the closest man to him which was Vin. He wrapped his arm around Vin's throat and pulled him towards him and placed his gun against his temple.

"Put all your guns down or I will shoot him." yelled Ezra.

They all turned around to see Ezra holding Vin. They stood there for a moment shocked at what Ezra was doing. "Ezra what are you doing?" asked Nathan.

"I told you the name is Cal." he looked at each of them. "Now do as I say or I will shoot your friend."

Usually they would not do such a thing but they did not want to risk either Vin's or Ezra's life. They put their guns down on the table. "On the floor not the table." smiled Ezra. He watched as they did this and then began to drag Vin out of the saloon. He saw Sam out of the corner of his eye. "Get the horses Sam."

Once Ezra was out of the saloon Chris picked up his gun and followed him out. He saw Ezra still walking backwards and then saw one of the other gang members heading towards Ezra with a couple of horses. He pointed his gun in Sam's direction. He then yelled to Ezra.

"If you don't let Vin go I will shoot your so called friend over there."

Ezra looked from Chris to Sam. He somehow knew that this man was going to shoot Sam so he acted quickly. He pulled Vin around to his left and then took aim while Chris had his own gun pointed in a different direction. At the same time Sam had seen what was going down and began to pull his own gun and point it in Chris's direction. The sound of two guns firing echoed through the air.

Alex heard the two shots coming from the saloon and knew what was happening. He jumped on his horse and headed towards the edge of town to wait for his brother and Cal. 'Cal had better be doing what he is supposed to be doing, if anything happens to Sam he will pay for it.' thought Alex. They got to the edge of town and waited for ten minutes and when his brother did not show up he knew that something was wrong. "Come on guys we better leave, we'll come back tonight and find out what happened."

Both Ezra and Sam dropped at the same time. Josiah had come out of the saloon just in time to see Ezra aim for Chris. He had no choice, with the state that Ezra was in he knew that he would shoot Chris and when Ezra had opened himself up after shifting Vin to the side Josiah quickly took aim himself and fired watching Ezra go down in a heap as the bullet entered his right shoulder. 'Great now he is going to have another scar to match the one he got last month.' thought Josiah.

Chris saw Sam draw his gun but before Sam could pull the trigger Chris fired his own gun. He saw Sam drop his gun and clutch his chest. Ezra also saw this from where he was lying. He watched in horror as his friend fell to the ground. He struggled to get himself up and stumbled over to where Sam was lying in the dirt. "SAM!" he yelled.

The six lawmen watched in stunned silence as Ezra went over to the man that Chris had shot. They watched as he fell to his knees next to him and then pick him up and held him against his chest. They moved closer to watch what was happening.

Ezra had seen Sam go down, watched as the blood flowed freely from the wound close to his heart. He moved over to him ignoring the pain that he felt in his own shoulder. When he reached him he could see the pain on the young man's face. "Sam." muttered Ezra. "I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault Cal." he grimaced as a shot of pain went through him. "Make sure that Alex knows it wasn't your fault and then promise me that you will revenge my death."

"Your not going to die Sam."

Chris and the others were now gathered around Ezra and the man that he was comforting. They could not understand what was going on. They knew that Ezra could not remember anything and that this man and his gang had convinced Ezra that they were friends but Ezra was acting as he had actually known the man for a long time. He was so convinced of this that he was responding as though the man was a brother to him and he was about to loose him.

Ezra was clutching Sam to his chest when he felt him shudder and then go limp in his arms. He laid him down on the ground and looked up into Chris's eyes showing the hatred that he now felt for this man and with his left hand he went to draw his gun. Chris saw this happening and as a natural reaction he struck Ezra on the side of his head with the butt of his gun. Ezra once more fell to the ground in a heap.

Chris looked down at the unconscious Ezra. "Josiah, Nathan take Ezra to the jail and take care of him." he saw their questioning looks. "If you take him to your room he might try and escape and then where will we be." They nodded. Josiah then picked Ezra up being careful of the wound that he had caused, he then carried him to the jail. Nathan rushed to his room to get the medical supplies that he would need to take care of Ezra.

"JD get someone to help you take this one to the undertaker's." he pointed down at Sam's body. "The rest of us are going to see what the shooting was that we heard earlier." Chris and the others then headed in the direction of the bank. He had decided that by the reaction of Ezra in the saloon that the rest of his friends must of been up to something and the only thing that he could think of was the bank.

When they reached the bank they could see a few people looking inside. Chris went inside and saw the bank manager standing behind the counter, he looked up to see Chris. "They shot George." he said.

Chris joined the others outside. "They robbed the bank and shot the teller."

They all looked down knowing what this meant for Ezra. He had helped a gang rob the town's bank. "Are we going to go after them?" asked Vin.

"We're would we start. No I think that we should talk to Ezra, he would know what the plan was. He and that other guy would have a plan to meet up with them later." Chris turned and walked towards the jail.

Josiah had placed Ezra on one of the bunks in the jail cell. He then sat on the bunk and waited for Nathan who arrived five minutes later to see Josiah watching Ezra. He moved into the cell and together they took Ezra's jacket, vest and shirt off. Nathan noticed that the bullet had gone straight through. It was a clean entry and exit wound. Nathan cleaned and stitched the wound. He then bandaged the wound while Ezra groaned in protest at the pain. He then checked the head wound that was caused by Chris's gun. It looked nasty, the cut was actually deep and the blood was still flowing freely. He did the same to this wound, he cleaned it and stitched it and after bandaging it he looked up to notice that Chris and the others were watching him work from the outside of the cell.

"Well?" asked Chris.

"I've cleaned and stitched the wounds, his shoulder should be fine as long as it doesn't get infected which I don't think that it will but the wound to his head looks nasty. I will have to wait for him to wake up to see what sort of damage it may have caused him."

Chris looked down. "When he wakes up let me know, we need to talk to him." he then left to go to the saloon, he needed a drink.

Vin followed Chris but the others stayed. They wanted to stay with Ezra. They watched as he lay on the bunk behind the bars, his pale complexion becoming a regular accurance. "What just happened out there?" asked Buck for the second time in two days. "He acted like he had known that guys for years instead of just days."

"You have to remember Buck that he has no memory of who he is and these men seem to have given him a history of who he was and he has believed it to be true. He thinks that they are his friends and unless we can convince him other wise he is going to continue to act the way that he is. He thinks that he is a bankrobber." explained Nathan.

It was nearly two hours later when they heard Ezra groan from the bunk, his eyes opened and he looked around to see where he was. His gaze fell on the five lawmen who were watching him. Nathan went to open the cell so he could check on Ezra but Josiah held him back.

"JD go and get Chris and Vin." said Josiah.

JD slapped his hands against his thighs in frustration but did as he was told. Ezra continued to watch the lawmen. Nathan moved towards the cell again. "Ezra, do you know who I am?"

Ezra smiled and Nathan was expecting one of his sarcastic comments. "Yes I do." Nathan smiled as did all he others. "You are a friend of the man that killed Sam and he is going to die for what he did." Ezra continued to smile.

Nathan sighed and looked back at the others. Chris and Vin then entered the jail and went straight to the cell. "Does he remember anything?" asked Vin.

"No." said Nathan. "He's still the same."

Chris and Ezra were staring at each. "Ezra we need to know where the other bankrobbers went." Chris asked gently to start off with. He would get rough later if needs be. He knew it was wrong but Ezra was thinking like an outlaw and Chris knew that he may have to be treated like one.

Ezra continued to stare at him. "Ezra tell me where they are please."

"I don't know where they are, perhaps you may run into them later when they come back to kill you." Ezra sat up and winced at the pain in his shoulder and head. He got up and swayed for a moment and then moved to the bars so he was face to face with Chris. "And if they don't I will!"

Ezra blinked and his expression faltered. He felt another pain in his left shoulder for a brief moment. 'Might be sore for a while but at least you'll have two hands to deal a card with.' He looked at Nathan. He shook his head and grimaced at the pain he felt. Everyone saw the old Ezra for a fleeting moment. But then Cal returned.

"Did you see that?" Nathan whispered to Josiah. "He is starting to remember things."

"Are you going to tell me or not?" growled Chris.

"No. Do I have to keep repeating myself to you?" Ezra frowned at that statement. It felt as though he had said that already.

"JD give me the keys." Chris put his hand out.

"What are you going to do Chris." asked Vin.

"I'm going to make him tell me where they are." Chris smiled at Ezra.

They all heard Ezra laugh at this. They looked at him wondering what was so funny. "And you all wonder why you can't convince me that this man is supposed to be my friend, well this is a perfect example. Here I am with a bullet wound and he wants to come in here and beat an answer out of me. Now tell me does a friend usually do this sort of thing."

"You seem to forget that at the moment you are not my friend, Ezra is my friend not this Cal that you say you are."

"Really so it is this Ezra that you are worried about, not me is that correct."

"Yeah it is."

Chris did not expect Ezra to do what he did, none of them did, it was as though he had become crazy. They didn't understand it at all. It was as though he was full of anger and he wanted to take it out on somebody. Nathan though was not sure if it was the anger of Sam being killed or all the anger that had built up over the years. But either way it did not matter now as he watched Ezra take that anger out on someone and that someone was himself.

They watched as Ezra slammed his wounded shoulder against the bars tearing the stitches and reopening the wound. His face screwed up in pain but he did not voice the agony that he was feeling. Nathan quickly grabbed the keys to the cell and opened the door. Ezra did not stand back though, he tried to attack Nathan but the others grabbed his arms and held him back. He struggled in their arms but he did not struggle for long as the pain in his shoulder eventually caused him to black out.

"What the hell . . ." muttered Buck.

"Why did he do that Nathan?" asked JD as he watched Nathan and Josiah lay Ezra back down on the bunk.

"I don't know JD." he was as shocked as the rest of them. Even Chris was at a lost for something to say. "But we will have to keep an eye on him to make sure that he doesn't do something like that again."

"Do you think he would." asked Josiah.

"He did it once . . . " Nathan shrugged. "Did anyone else notice that he seemed to remember something before he did that?"

"Yeah, you could see Ezra for a moment." commented JD.

"I think that when he wakes up we should talk to him about things that might make him remember instead of this robbery that just happened." Nathan was looking at Chris.

Chris nodded his agreement. "But we all stay here just in case his friends come back."

Buck frowned at this. "Chris your talking as though Ezra never existed. You seemed to have forgotten yourself that this is not Ezra's fault, you can't blame him for loosing his memory. That's not right. We have to remember that he is our friend and we have to see him through this."

Chris did not answer him though, instead he went and sat in one of the empty chairs.

That evening a lone rider entered town to find out what had happened to his brother and the man that had recently joined their group. He went to the saloon and glanced inside. Not seeing any of the lawmen he went in and took a place at the bar listening for any sort of converstion that would tell him what had happened. He did not wait long as two men soon joined him at the bar and they had plenty of things to say and some of the conversation included what happened outside the saloon that morning. Alex then left the saloon and rode out of town intending to come back and free their new friend and kill the man who had killed his brother. He was going to free Cal because he had tried to protect Sam. He knew this by the conversation that the two men had. They were shocked that the gambler had gone against his own friends to protect an outlaw. He also learned that Cal was actually Ezra Standish, the lawman who had left Four Corners nearly four weeks ago.

Ezra woke while Nathan was restitching his shoulder. "Nathan what are you doing and why am I in a jail cell."

Nathan again was shocked. "Ezra, you remember who I am?" his expression changed to a smile.

"Of course I do, why would I not." he lied.

"Hey guys he remembers me." called Nathan.

They all got up and made their way into the cell. Everyone but Chris that is. "Hey Ezra you remember us." asked JD.

"Did Nathan not just ask me that question."

JD smiled. "Sorry Ezra."

"Nathan you have still not answered my question." stated Ezra.

"It's a long story Ezra and you need to rest. I'll tell you later."

"Nathan I don't seem to remember but have I eaten today, I only ask because I feel quite hungry."

"JD why don't you go and get Ezra something to eat." said Josiah.

JD was about to protest when Buck said that he would go with him. Ezra watched as he noted that it left four of them. He waited until they left and then began to sit up. "Ezra you stay put, your going to open that wound again."

"I'm sorry Nathan but I need to sit up, it seems to be making my head feel worse lying down." he sat up noticing that Nathan did not have his gun in his holster, he needed to get one of the others in the cell. "If you are not going to tell me what happened could I at least get out of here, go to my own room perhaps."

Nathan looked at Chris who nodded his agreement, they could watch him just as well in his room than here. He looked at Josiah who knew what he wanted. He went into the cell to help Nathan with Ezra. Josiah lent down so Ezra could lean on him for support but instead Ezra pulled the gun out of Josiah's holster and pointed it him. Chris jumped out of his chair, kicking himself for being so stupid.

Josiah stepped back and so did Nathan. "Don't go to far gentlemen." he said. "Put your guns down." Ezra said to Chris and Vin. Ezra pulled himself up off the bunk and made his way out of the cell. He then motioned the others to get in.

"I don't think so." growled Chris.

"If you don't then I will shoot you, which I think I will do anyway." Ezra lifted the gun and pointed it directly at Chris. Nathan waited for him to pull the trigger but a look came over Ezra's face. He hesitated. He blinked. He then changed his mind. He had no idea why he was not able to pull the trigger. He had all intentions of doing so, this man had killed Sam. A memory then flashed through his mind. He saw himself lying in a bed and this man in black was sitting in a chair across from him. He had been watching him. But the memory was gone as quick as it came. "Get into the cell." Chris still stood outside.

Ezra moved backwards towards the door, he saw his jacket thrown over a chair and grabbed it on the way passed. He stepped out of the door backwards, he glanced behind and saw a horse tied to the railing, he turned back to find Chris quickly moving towards him but he stopped as Ezra again pointed the gun in his direction. He stepped off the steps wincing as the pain went through his shoulder. He untied the horse wincing again as the movement made his shoulder hurt even more. He needed to get on the horse but he would have to put the gun away because he would not be able to pull himself up with his right arm. He fired the gun towards the jail not understanding why he aimed away from the men inside. Chris and the others ducked behind cover also noticing that Ezra had not directly aimed at them but they were not going to risk injury just in case so they did not rush out straight away. Ezra used to oportunity to change hands and quickly pulled himself up onto the horse. He then turned the horse and headed out of town in a westerly direction.

Ezra rode out of town at a gallop only managing to stay on the horse. He knew that Alex would be in this direction, he just hoped that they would find each so they can then take care of the man that killed Sam. He had ridden for half an hour when someone stepped onto the path that he was following. He pulled the horse to a stop. "Alex is that you?"

Alex stepped forward and took hold of the reins. "Cal how did you manage to get away." he saw the blood that was on Ezra's shoulder and also took note of the bandage on his head.

"Let's just say they seem to be too trustworthy of the person they claim that I am, I pretended I remembered who I was and they got a bit slack." explained Ezra. "Alex, they killed Sam, I tried to . . ." Ezra looked down, he could not look Alex in the eye.

"It's okay Cal, I know what happened, it's just as much my fault. I should not have rode out of town. I should have come and helped you. Do you think that you can ride a bit further, were camped over the hill there next to the creek."

"Yeah sure." said Ezra.

Alex went and got his horse, he was just returning to the camp himself when he heard the horse coming up behind him. He hid behind the tree and waited to see who it was. He recognised the jacket easily. They then rode up to the camp where Ezra practically fell of the horse.

"Cal come over here and let me look at that shoulder, you seem to be bleeding."

"No it's fine." said Ezra while another thought flashed through his mind. "So what are we going to do now? Are we going to go back and take care of the guy that killed Sam?"

'I'm glad I am not on his bad side.' thought Alex. "In the morning Cal we will work out a plan, why don't you get some rest for now." When Alex thought that Ezra was asleep he went and explaind what happened to Peter and Fred.

"Did I hear him right?" asked Peter. "Sam is dead."

"Yeah!" growled Alex. "Were going take care of the man who killed him." He looked at them wondering what their reaction was going to be. "I know who this guy is." he said pointing over his shoulder at Ezra.

"Who is he then?" asked Fred.

"Ezra Standish the seventh lawman."

"What, your kidding, if he is a lawman then they won't leave us alone till they catch us." Peter was shocked.

"Don't worry, I have a plan." he saw their confused looks. "Were going to wait for them."

"But there is only three of us and six of them." said Fred.

"There's four of us, Mr Standish over here still does not know who he really is."

Ezra was not asleep and he had heard the entire conversation. Confusion went through his mind. The men in town were right, that meant that the man who killed Sam was his friend, he still found that hard to believe. He had no idea what he was going to do. He did though have to make sure that Alex didn't find out that he had overheard their talk. Ezra lay awake most of the night trying to decide what to do. He decided that even though he did not remember who he was he would have to try and warn the men that were protecting that town, if he ever got his memory back he did not want to live with the thought that he had allowed one or more of them to be killed.

Buck and JD ran up to the jail when they heard the gunshot and saw Ezra riding off in the direction that would lead him out of town. They ran inside to see if anyone was hurt. "What happened?" asked JD seeing that everyone was okay.

"We allowed him to trick us." spat out Chris. "I can't believe I was so stupid."

"It's not your fault Chris, we all believed him." confirmed Vin.

"What do you mean?" Buck was confused.

"When he woke up he told us that he remembered." Said Nathan. "He did a good job, but I am also sure that he is starting to remember, just not the right things yet."

They looked at him. "Did you not notice the look on his face when he was going to shoot Chris, I think that there was something there that told him not to, he remembered something. And then when he fired the gun he didn't aim at us. Doesn't that tell you anything. Deep down there is something telling him not to hurt any of us, he just doesn't know why yet."

"Are we going after him?" enquired Vin.

"Yes but not until the morning." answered Chris.

That morning Chris and the others saddled up their horses and headed out after Ezra and the other bankrobbers. Vin followed the trail for half an hour, he found it easy to do so as every now and then he found a small drop of blood that must have come from Ezra's shoulder wound. He found the area where he had met another rider and the direction of the trail change. They went to the top of the hill and looked down. There was an empty campsite. They had already left. Vin made his way down on foot, this was to make himself a smaller target just in case there was still someone around. The others did the same thing.

He found where the horses had been tethered and saw that all four horses had headed West. "There are four so Ezra caught up with them." he glanced down closer at the tracks noticing something that he had not seen. "Everybody grab cover!" he yelled.

"What's going on Vin." Chris yelled from behind the cover of a rock.

"One of the horses was without a rider and that means that there could still be someone here."

They all heard a distinct southern drawl. "That would be me gentlemen."

They looked out from their cover to see Ezra standing in the middle of the camp. He had not drawn any of his guns. "The others left camp about half an hour ago but they will be back any moment now, they were intending to ambush you."

"And why are you still here." yelled Chris.

"They thought that it would be best if I stayed behind as I would not be able to walk the distance after they left the horses somewhere. They wanted you to think that they had left when in fact they just moved the horses. And when you arrived they were going to start shooting but they are a little late."

"Are you saying that you remember Ezra?" called Nathan.

Ezra sighed. "No I don't but it seems that Alex knows who I am, I heard him tell the others last night. So even though I don't remember you it seems that you were telling me the truth and not Alex so I could not let them kill any of you."

Chris was still not sure about Ezra, he thought that it was a trick until he heard the gunshot and saw Ezra go down.

Alex and his men arrived at the edge of the campsite just in time to hear what Cal/Ezra had said. They had left him behind because they thought that he would not be able to make it when he had to walk back to the camp. He had decided that they would take their horses away from the camp to give the impression that they had left and then they would come back and wait for the lawmen as they knew that they would want to find Ezra Standish. Alex also decided that now he knew who he was it was time to take care of him. He raised his gun and fired watching Ezra go down. A smile crept upon his face.

They could all see Ezra lying in the middle of the clearing not moving. They didn't know if he was dead or alive. The fact that he had been shot told them that he was now on their side even though he did not remember who he was. They all hoped that he was still alive so he would be able to remember them. As they turned their attention to the three gunmen Ezra opened his eyes. He had felt the bullet scrap his side and knew that it was not serious but took the opportunity to fall to the ground and get some sort of cover. He did not move for a few minutes hoping that Alex and the others thought that he was dead and would then leave him alone. And when they did he was able to bring his gun up and fire upon them as he knew where they were going to be. He watched as Peter fell to the ground. Alex and Fred then moved in opposite directions to try and get better cover from Ezra at the same time firing upon him. Ezra felt the breath of a bullet before it entered the ground next to his head. He had to get out of the open and find some cover. He looked up and saw Chris who nodded to him as though he knew what Ezra was thinking. The other six hired gunmen fired into the direction that they thought Alex and Fred were and Ezra quickly got up and ran to the tree that closest to him.

Once Ezra was behind the tree he allowed himself to drop to the ground, he nearly blacked out at the pain that was coming from his side and his shoulder. Both were now bleeding heavily. He pulled his jacket off and checked his shoulder, the stitches were torn again. He then checked his side, the wound was not deep but it was bleeding freely. He didn't have anything that he could wrap around his waist so he had to leave it for now. He listened to the gunfire around him a noise that was somehow very familiar to him as though it happened alot. His eyes became glassy as memories started to flood his brain, there were to many at once and it was causing him nothing but confusion. He saw faces and heard sounds but could not put them together. He remembered names and places but couldn't match them. He put his hands to his head wanting it all to stop.

Chris and the others saw Ezra make it to the safety of the tree but that was all. He was then out of their sight so they did not know if he was alright or not. They were not able to get to him as the would only be struck down by bullets if they tried. Ezra had taken down one of them so that meant that there were two left. He heard someone cry out in pain, thinking that it was Ezra he looked up and saw Vin shake his head no and pointed in the direction of the men that were shooting at them. This meant that Vin had shot one more leaving only one for the rest of them to take care of. The gun fire had stopped, it may mean that the last one had been taken care of but they were not going to chance it. Chris looked over the rock again. He saw Nathan quickly running to the tree that was covering Ezra. He saw a flash of light and looked towards it seeing someone aiming at Nathan. Chris quickly stood up and fired, he saw the man fall backwards. Buck and Vin ran to the other side of the clearing to make sure that they were no longer a threat while Chris and the others followed Nathan.

Ezra had no idea what was happening to him. He was scared of the thoughts and memories. The emotions themselves were becoming to much. He could feel a sadness and an anger that was so strong that he could not control them. He did not know where they had come from or why he was even feeling. He jumped and cried out when he felt someone grab him. Ezra pushed whoever it was away from him but the arms grabbed him again.

"Get away from me!" he yelled.

"Ezra, it's okay. It's Nathan." he looked concerned. He had arrived to find Ezra sitting against the tree with his head in his hands rocking back and forth muttering to himself.

Ezra looked up. "Nathan?" he knew who this man was now. "Nathan make it stop, please." he pleaded.

"Ezra what's wrong."

"These thoughts are racing through my mind but I can't control them. Make them stop." he put his hands to head again hoping that it alone would stop the memories but it didn't. "There's to many of them."

"What's going on?" asked Josiah. He had joined Nathan and he was soon followed by JD and Chris.

"He is remembering but it's to much for him." he looked back at Ezra seeing what he was going through and did the only thing that he thought would help. He hit him, knocking him out knowing that he would welcome the darkness. He then eased Ezra back on to the ground so he could check for the new bullet wound. The blood that was soaking his jacket showed where it was. Nathan looked up at JD.

"I know, go and get your medical bag."

Buck and Vin also joined the others to see how Ezra was. "We don't have to worry about them other guys. There dead." explained Vin. He watched as Nathan treated a third wound that had been inflicted upon Ezra.

"I will clean them again and get the bleeding to slow and then we will get him back to town." stated Nathan.

"And before you say anything I will go and find his horse." growled JD.

"Buck, Vin you will have to ride out and find the horses and then use them to bring in those guys." said Chris. They nodded and headed off to their own horses.

After Nathan had taken care of Ezra's wounds they headed back to town and once there they took Ezra up to Nathan's room where he restitched his shoulder and then the wound on his side. The others were again waiting for Nathan to tell them how Ezra was and if he would be alright.

"I have taken care of his wounds but I will have to keep an eye on his shoulder to make sure an infection does not set in, it had gotten dirty."

"And his memory?" asked Chris.

"I will have to wait till he wakes up. But from what I saw when I reached him, it was all coming back to him." he smiled to reassure them. "He will be fine, it will just take time as usual."

Ezra had slept through most of the day and when he woke up he found Nathan sitting next to him. He remembered everything. He remembered his friends, his mother, his childhood and most of all what had happened over the last week.

"Aw hell Nathan, what have I done?"

Nathan had heard what Ezra had said but he was confused by the statement. "What do you mean Ezra?"

"I helped them rob the bank, I was going to shoot Chris, if it wasn't for Josiah . . " he didn't finish the sentence.

"It wasn't your fault Ezra. You lost your memory, you could say that it was somebody else that did it, not you."

"Did they succeed in robbing the bank, was anyone hurt?" he whispered.

"They didn't get alot of money but they did kill George Lascon." Nathan replied. "It was not your fault Ezra. I don't want you blaming yourself. Do you hear me Ezra?"

But Ezra did not answer him, he rolled over putting up his brick wall closing himself within it.

"Ezra?" Nathan realised that Ezra had closed himself off to him. He was going to blame himself for everything that happened. "You get some more rest and I will come back later. Okay Ezra?" He still did not get an answer. He knew that he was not asleep as his eyes were opened but they had a far away look in them. He then left to talk to the others.

Nathan found them all in the saloon. It was not hard to find them all together when it was a situation like this, they wanted to be close to Nathan's room and the saloon was the closest place they could all gather at. They saw him come in with a concerned look on his face.

"Is there something wrong with Ezra?" asked Josiah.

"Yes there is and I don't know how to fix it." he was looking down. He knew how to fix Ezra's wounds but not his heart. "He blames himself for what happened and for George getting killed."

"But it wasn't his fault." said JD.

"I already told him that, but he is not listening. He's got that brick wall of his up and it's pretty thick at the moment and I have no idea of how to get through to him." sighed Nathan.

"I will go and talk to him." said Josiah as he got up from his chair. When he went into Nathan's room he found Ezra sitting up in the bed with his head in his hands. "Ezra do you mind if we have a talk about what happened."

"Are you going to laugh at me Josiah?"

"What do you mean Ezra, you know I wouldn't laugh at you." said a confused Josiah.

"You laughed at me the day I came to the church to talk to you about my mother." Ezra had still not looked up.

Josiah sighed remembering the day that he had come to the church. "I was not laughing at you Ezra, I was happy that you were willing and able to talk about what was troubling you as I would like you to do now." He sat down on the bed next to Ezra.

"Well I am not willing to talk about it now, there's nothing to talk about anyway. It's my fault what happened and there is not enough talk that will change that."

"If you don't want to talk then perhaps you will listen." Ezra did not say anything.

"You didn't know what they were going to do in that Bank Ezra, you had no idea that anyone would be hurt and I know that if you were in there with them that you would not have let them do it."

Ezra finally looked up at him. "You Josiah are lying to me." he saw the look on Josiah's face. "If you believed that then you would not have shot me when I was going to shoot Chris."

"Your right Ezra, but I will say this, the person that did all that was not you. The men that you were with made you into something else and because you did not know who you were you believed what they told you. If you want to blame anyone blame Cal."

"For me to do any of that it would have to be in me somewhere to start with." muttered Ezra.

Josiah was beginning to get angry. Ezra had no right to blame himself for any of this. "That is not true Ezra. We all know the type of person you were and are. You may have been a liar and a cheat but you would never have killed anybody in cold blood. Even when you were going to shoot Chris it was in somebody else's defence. You were not going to shoot him in cold blood. Do you remember when you escaped from the jail," Ezra nodded, "if you had shot Chris then that would have been in cold blood but you didn't do it. And you did not shoot him because it was not in you to do so."

"But I distracted you while they robbed the bank, if it wasn't for me George will still be alive."

"Did you bring them to Four Corners, was it your idea that they rob the bank?" Ezra again shook his head. "Then how could it be your fault. They would have come here and done it anyway. And if it was that way there could have been more people killed." he could see that he was finally getting through to him. "It's not your fault Ezra."

"Maybe not Josiah but there is always going to be a part of me that is responsible for what happened no matter what you or anyone else says about it."

Josiah patted him on the shoulder. "Just don't let it eat away at you Ezra." he got up to leave. "Promise me one thing Ezra. Promise me that you will talk to me if it gets too much for you."

"I can't promise you anything Josiah but I will keep it in mind."

Josiah left Ezra alone. He knew that Ezra would always blame himself but he hoped that he had taken some of the responsibility off his shoulders. He went back to the saloon to join the others. When Josiah had left Ezra put his head back into his hands and begun to cry. An innocent man was dead and he would never forgive himself for that.

The End.