Last Updated: 6/29/99

Jon smiled contently as he let the bath house door swing shut behind him. He was clean, clipped, and (as Jared would say) city-fied. Jared had never understood the remnants of city life that Jon had clung to. They used to argue about it, whenever they got near enough civilization for grooming to matter. He had tried on occasion, usually when he felt like doing something futile, to explain it to Jared, but the older man just shook his head and laughed. Jon knew better than to seriously try and change his mind. This was after all, the man who, if Stephen Travis was to be trusted - and he was - had dined with President Grant and the First Lady in his customary buckskins. Jon grimiced at the thought of Jared in any social setting that wasn't set around a campfire.

Jon shook his thoughts free of yesterday and stepped into the street. He really should check on Jenn. She'd seemed kind of rough when he'd last checked on her at the saloon. He'd meant to keep track of her, but instead, he had fallen asleep sitting in the barber's chair.

He wasn't sure why, but he felt guilty about that lapse. It wasn't as though she needed a nurse maid, but still...he felt responsible for the girl.

Trouble at the end of the street distracted him. Two men seemed to be arguing over an unconcious woman. Jon wondered if he should inteviene and cast about for a makeshift weapon. Before Jon had dedicated himself to getting involved a slight woman placed herself between the combatants.

He listened to the exchange for a moment longer, until he was satisfied that the girl had the two men more or less under control. Bloodshed avoided, Jon set out again.

Most of the stores had already been shuttered for the evening. Lights still burned from a few scattered windows, throwing pools of light across the boardwalk. As Jon crossed one such puddle, he realized that he stood before the Clarion. Only Mary would possibly be there this late.

He stepped inside, careful to make enough noise to let Mary know someone was there.

A voice called from the back, "I'm sorry. We've closed for the evening."

Jon smiled as he replied, "you wouldn't throw me out without at least saying hello, would ya??"

Mary was surprised by the voice she heard. "It's can't be..." she muttered coming out of the back room with a quizzical expression on her face.

"Jon!" she exclaimed happily, wiping her hands off on her apron before giving him a friendly hug. During the time they'd spent together he'd become a second son of sorts. Holding him at arm's length, she inspectedhim closely. "I haven't seen you in over a year! Look at you, you must be a foot taller!"

Jon smiled as she continued talking. "I missed you last winter. You were always such good company. I was just making a late dinner, you have to stay and have something. Is Jared here, too?"

Jon's face fell at the mention of Jared.

Chris set Chandrika down in one of the pews of the church looking around for Nathan. Chandrika groaned and tossed her head a bit. Chris kneeled beside her as she slowly opened her eyes.

"Hey, how you feeling?" he asked gently brushing a lock of hair off her face. Chandrika groaned again.

"Like garbage," she mumbled. Chris smiled a bit.

"What happened? That guy knock you out?" he asked.

"Who Jack?"

"Yeah."

"No, but something hit me. Something dark. I could sense it. It felt like someone ran their finger up my spine, it was eery then I felt something behind me. When I turned it was a black figure and the next thing I knew I was in intense pain then I passed out. I breifly woke up when I saw Jack trying to help me, then I passed out again," she whispered. Talking louder hurt too much.

"Why are you here?" he finally asked.

"You wouldn't believe me," she said.

"Try me," he said. *Oh I'd like to!* she thought to herself.

"Would you believe I'm from the future?" she asked. Chris looked at her quizzically.

"No I wouldn't," he said.

"Well I am. I'm from the 21st century sent back to protect you and the other men from certain evil that threatens this town. I think whatever attacked me knew that and that's why he did," Chandrika said. She sighed when she saw Chris' confusde look. *Great he doesn't believe me. Where is Jack? He's from the future too!* she thought.

Casey walked down the boardwalk towards Mary`s, her head reeling from Gia`s card game. She couldn`t seem to shake the feeling of horror that was creeping into her mind. With every step she took she was more certain Gia had known more than she had said. Standing in front of the door to the Clarion`s office Casey wondered how death would come for her. She mentally shook the thought away, and lightly knocked on the door. She didn`t wait for Mary to answer in case she was in the back and didn`t hear. Pushing the door open she stepped inside and noticed Mary in quiet conversation with a gentelman. He had his back to her, so she couldn`t tell if he was a local or someone new to town. Mary looked over the man`s shoulder at her. "Oh Casey, come on in," Mary smiled. The man turned and smiled at her extending his hand. "Casey this is Jon," Mary explained.

"Hi, I`m...I`m Casey," she stuttered. Her mouth had suddenly turned dry as desert sand, she absorbed his features. She had dreamed of this man for so long she couldn`t believe she was standing before him. She grasp his hand, and a deep flowing peace settled over her. Finally someone to show her the way, tell her of all the things she was afraid to see.

Jon was grateful for the interruption. It wasn't that he didn't want to talk about Jared, but the memories were still very fresh. Reunions were meant to be happy things. There would be time enough to mourn later.

As Mary introduced them, Jon turned to face the new arrival. She was a petit girl, his own age- maybe younger. When his eyes reached hers... He smiled, trying to put at ease the sudden shock of recognition he saw mirrored in her face.

"Casey," Jon tried keep his voice light over the sudden tingle that traced up his arm when their hands clasped, "a pleasure. Ha- have we met?"

Clair paced in front of a huge oak tree just off the trail leading to town. She looked up at the sky worrying about the coming darkness, as soon as the sun was fully down it would be dark as pitch around her. That thought made her tremble, and yearn for the comfort of low burning lamps back in town. What lay in the darkness beyond town scared her more than she could have ever imagined. She cursed Kit for the dozenth time for running into the street to help Jack , and not really meaning any of it. Her skin tingled at the thought of how close she had been to being intercepted by Vin. Once he had seen Kit run between Chris and Jack he`d stopped talking to the girl at his side, and his attention had expanded to take in movement beyond the immediate area. Unfortunately Clair had been holding Tim`s reins for Kit when the horse decided to start pawing at the dirt and tossing his head, which drew Vin`s attention. She turned just as he began striding towards her. Oh hell more questions her mind screamed. Suddenly something Chris said stopped Vin in his tracks and made him turn towards the small group. Clair used his momentary distraction to her advantage. She threw herself onto her mount`s back and kicked him into a canter down the alley beside the livery with Tim trailing behind. When Vin turn back to search out Clair all that he found was an empty street.

She stood under the oak wanting to find a safe place to lay down and drift into that other world where she could leave her body behind. To start a dreamwalk into town would allow her to find Kit and make sure Jack and Kitty were safe, but it would leave her physical body vulnerable. It was a chance she couldn`t take. Marie`s tales of skinwalkers penetrated her mind, and she squeezed her eyes closed to block out the images the stories evoked. Skinwalkers were a evil lot, witches that waited for a body to take over and command at will. Tim drew her attention sniffing the air and pawing the rocky ground around him, setting off a tiny spark as his shoe hit a particularly hard rock. Clair looked to the road and made out an approaching figure.

Buck slowly began to focus on the dark face in front of him. The fight left his limbs as he recognized Nathan crouched in front of him. He slouched back against the pew as acute relief stabbed threw him. Nathan still held his arms in a punishing grip afraid he would renew his struggling. "What`s got into you Buck?" he heard Nathan ask.

"Nothin, just a bad dream," he managed.

A cool hand pressed against his forehead. "No fever, that`s a good sign." Buck inhaled a deep breath, and the smell of rotting flesh filled his lungs. "Damn Nathan, I think I`m gonna be sick,"he whispered. The other man barely had time to toss a soiled ripped rag on the floor at Buck`s feet, when he emptied his stomach of it`s contents. Buck looked up once he had the nausea under control, and his eyes met the hard stare of Chris Larabee.

Lena dragged the back of her hand across weary eyes. Despite the still relatively early hour, Lena was more than ready for a long and restorative sleep. Unfortunately, she'd decided an hour ago, that sleep was a lost cause. She shifted, trying to regain some of the lost feeling in her foot. The movement knocked several papers from the foot of her bed.

She smiled as she gathered up the papers. A familiar twinge of homesickness over took her as she re-read her mother's latest letter. News from home was always nice, but it made her keenly aware of how much she missed everyone. She set the letter aside and picked up the tin-type.

*They must have just had this taken,* she thought fondly. *The baby is barely out of his swaddling clothes. And Beret's hair pulled up already.*

Thinking about home wasn't getting her any closer to sleep, so Lena pulled her boots back on. A visit with Zosa usually calmed her down. And that failing, she still needed to speak with Chris Larabee about the Dark Man. Maybe she would run into Kit and they could finish the conversation that JD had cut short earlier.

A swift and silent form coursed over the landscape outside of town in the twilight. Kit felt the wind through her fur and the ground under her paws as her body rejoiced in its natural form. She had been human for too long, her coyote form seemed to say. She galloped through the night with her nose to the trail, following Tim's scent in the dirt. Her clothes - and the mysterious "yoyo" that Jack had produced out of thin air - were safely stored in a hiding place on the edge of town. Kit knew that meant she wouldn't be able to change back into her human form when she reached the Taylor ranch, for modesty's sake. She smiled toothily as she realized that her human form probably wouldn't be the best for what was ahead, anyway - as latrani she had the agility, reflexes and teeth of the coyote. If she needed to, she could shift into the fur-covered crinos form and sacrifice some of her agility and speed for the strength of the humanoid shape that she'd started to show to Lena.

Tim's trail was easy to follow, his scent as familiar to Kit as her own. It seemed fresher now as she approached a large oak tree just off the trail. She slowed her pace to a trot, testing the breeze with her nose. *Clair,* she realized, *and her horse. Damn.* Lena knew of Kit's heritage, but Kit had never let Clair in on the secret. She wondered briefly what Clair's reaction to a seemingly wild coyote would be, and debated continuing forward.

She saw a spark flare from Tim's pawing hoof, and could see Clair looking down the road towards her. Kit dodged to one side, into the shadowy cover of some trailside scrub. She couldn't remember if Clair carried a gun or not, but didn't want to find out the hard way. Not that a bullet would do her a lot of damage, unless it hit the heart or something else that was vital, but Kit wanted to be in top form for whatever was ahead in the night, and the effort it took to heal wounds through shifting wouldn't help her any.

Lena paused on the wide porch of the boarding house. She was certain that Larabee was still awake, but finding him was another matter. *I really don't have time for this,* she thought impatiently. *If I were a gunslinger, where would I hide? That's just it,* she told herself, *I'm not and he wouldn't, so stop trying to think like him. And that, brings us back to square one.*

She jumped when a warm, wet nose pressed against her hand. Dog, the stable mongrel looked up at her, his tongue lolling and merriment in his eyes. Curious, Lena asked him the source of his amusement. Still laughing, Dog shared an image of a man trying to saddle a less than cooperative horse. The horse's agitation was came from the presence of Dog's kin. A near-dog, that the human was unable to sense, even though it stood only feet from the stall. His cousin had taken human form, and the foolish man could not feel the deception.

Lena thanked him politely for sharing the tale. As she stepped away from the pourch, an idea was already forming. Dog rocked back on his haunches, contemplating the inferior quality of human senses. After all, most humans scurried about the town, completely oblivious to the evil that moved among them. He heaved a martyred sigh and began patrolling his people.

Lena, unaware of Dog's heroic efforts on behalf of mankind, braced herself for what might happen. The conversation with Dog had given her an idea of how to locate Larabee, but after the encounter in the church she was leery of her talent. On the other hand, she really had no desire to go door to door looking for the man. She'd simply have to risk this short cut. Half afraid that it would turn on her again, she gingerly reached out and began her search.

Finding Chris Larabee was so easy, Lena nearly giggled with relief. Animals, like people, gave the gunman a wide berth. At the same time, they were very careful to keep always keep track of where he was. The scent of danger hung about him, and the men he rode with. It wasn't so much fear of Larabee, one mind conceded, but fear of what happened around him. Each of the seven men had a sharp bite to their smell. Destinies rewove themselves when they were around. Another supplied a warning: if one isn't careful, you could find your destiny getting side tracked, or even entwined with thiers.

The clamor of opions threatened to drown out Lena's own thoughts on the matter. The buzzing concerns were so loud, that she nearly missed his location. *D--- He would be in the church wouldn't he.* Catching a hard grip on her resolve, Lena strode toward the whitewashed building.

The girl had gone, shaken deeply by what the cards had revealed. He was satisfied that her fear was deep rooted, so he had made no effort to stop her. He stayed concealed, watching the dark haired beauty continue to shuffle and deal the cards. She never looked up, or gave any indication that she was not alone in the room.

Finally she spoke. "You may as well come out, my Lord. We have been too long in your service, to not know when you are near."

Irritation flashed through his thoughts. Only the Mayfaires dare address him so. And even among the clan, only the elders would do so in his presence. They had been loyal for centuries. Back to a time when the matriarch of the family had first served as a hand maiden in his temple. He had, in the past, called on them to lead (and destroy) rebellions, armies, and even countries. They had yet to fail a task set before them. That kind of fealty demanded concessions.

He gathered substance from the shadows, weaving it around his essence. Seconds later a human male stood in the room. "Lord Death, my dear?" His voice grated out the question, hissing slightly. He grimaced and adjusted the black cloth at his throat. "Isn't that a trifle flamboyant?" This time his voice was hypnotically velvet. "Nevermind, the cards will run thier own course. Now tell me, what have you learned of this place."

Chandrika watched as Chris checked on one of his friends. She rubbed her head. Something had attacked her. Not just someone. It was a thing, something very evil. She could sense it too. Was that why she was attacked? She was almost certain that it was what she was there to protect the men from, but she couldn't be too sure just yet. It also had something to do with Kitty. *Kitty,* she thought. She would want to feed yet again soon. She had to return to the boarding house where Jack was in order to do so. She started to get up.

"Where are you going?" Chris asked walking over.

"I have to find Jack," she said. Chris shook his head.

"Not until I know that it wasn't him who hurt you," he said.

"Larabee I can handle myself," Chandrika returned.

"Chandrika you have been hit on the head and now want to go find the man who is possibly responsible for it. Why?" he wanted to know. Chandrika sighed.

"I'm Kitty's wet nurse. I have to find Jack so I can feed her soon," she finally said. That floored Chris enough for her to get up and leave the church. She heard Chris' footsteps as he began to follow her. *Damn* she thought. *This is all I need. A man like that watching me while I nurse a baby when I have to be protecting him as well. Great.*

Jack trudged up the stairs to his room. Gently placing Kitty on the bed, he picked up the lamp to put it out. After staring at it for a moment, half entranced by its flickering, he decided he should leave it on just in case and laid down next to Kitty. He was out the minute his head hit the pillow. Voice or no voice he was going to get some sleep.

He didn't know how long he'd slept when the crying broke through the peaceful oblivion. He did his best to ignore it but it wasn't stopping. In fact it sounded like it had been going on for quite a while.

"Go back to sleep, Kitty," he moaned, refusing to open his eyes. She didn't so finally he opened his eyes and pulled her close.

"Shhh, it's okay," he told her as he rolled over so she was lying on his chest. Kitty didn't agree and continued wailing. Slowly sitting up he started rocking her gently but it didn't seem to help.

"Are you stinky or something?" he asked taking a good whiff of her. There was definitely something there.

"It could be worse," he said to himself as he held her away, wondering what he should do. Looking down at his shirt he realized that it was worse. Cloth diapers just didn't have the absorbency, or the plastic covering, of disposables.

"Oh yuck."

Clair was mesmerized by the pair of yellow eyes that followed the winding trail towards her. The sight of the approaching animal fascinated her, until she realized how alone she was in the fading light. She chided herself for not bringing a weapon of some sort, after all the only thing she knew of animals were hunting hounds and house cats. She startled as the eyes turned and dashed into underbrush. The rustling that the animal caused scooting farther into the low growth set her nerves on edge, it was time to search out Charlie herself. Turning she moved swiftly back towards the safety of her mount, just as she lifted her foot into the stirrup she felt a familiar tug at the edges of her mind. A broad smile spread across her face, and she made her way back to the edge of the trail.

"Kit......Kit," she whispered into the night air. "You might as well come out. I know it`s you, and stop that I ain`t gonna shoot you." Clair took a step forward as she noticed a furry muzzle poke its way threw the dense gowth of pungent sage.

Kit flinched with surprise when Clair called her by name. *What the...?*

"You might as well come out. I know it's you." Clair continued, and Kit slunk to the edge of the sage to get a better look. "And stop that, I ain't gonna shoot you." Kit blinked.

*How in the world could she know?* she wondered. She poked her muzzle out of the undergrowth and saw Clair looking at her. Her friend - at least her friend while she was in human form - didn't seem to have any sort of weapon, and Kit couldn't scent any fear or trickery from her. The puzzle of how Clair knew pulled Kit out into the open, her insatiable curiosity once again overriding her better judgement. She stood, tense, in the middle of the road, watching Clair.

Clair smiled. She'd known something was different about Kit for a little while - she'd sensed it back in Charlie's room. But seeing it was something else. In the darkness she could see that even in coyote form, Kit's pelt had the same shading as her human hair. The eyes, which were a gold-brown in her other form, were shining a clear gold as Kit padded slowly towards her. Clair looked at the canid form, then at the horses by the oak tree. "Guess you won't be needing Tim after all, huh?"

Kit sat back on her haunches. Human speech was impossible for her in this form, so she cocked her head to one side and grinned, her tongue lolling out.

Clair stepped up to her horse and mounted.She looked over at Kit. "Stop grinnin at me I`m not happy about you running off and leaving me back there. Vin was right on my trail and that`s all we need. Come on lets find Charlie and get back to town."

Clair kicked her mare in to a quick gait along the trail leading away from the safety of town.

Kit jumped to her feet and followed, giving a high-pitched yap that earned her a glance from Clair. She realized she'd have to explain about Jack later. Kit wasn't too happy about running off and leaving Clair either, come to think of it. It had put her on the business end of Chris Larabee's Colt, however briefly, but she couldn't have let Chris and Jack finish their confrontation without interfering.

She paced Clair's mare with an easy, mile-eating lope, mildly surprised that the horse wasn't reacting to her presence. Tim, Kit knew, would happily stand under the oak tree all night, cropping at the short grass until the urge hit him to head back to town. He could take care of himself when she was changed - he'd done it before.

She kept her ears and nose sharp for any scent or sound that was out of place, and particularly for the oily stench of the Dark Man.

Jennifer fell asleep on the back of Josiah's horse. She had her hands around him and her head on his sholder. She was asleep and dreaming of Josiah. Why? She didn't know. She dreamed she was little and all and was in this house. She was seeing a woman dye and was with Josiah but he was crying and saying "darling how will i ever tell Jenn that she is my daughter now???"

Suddenly Jenn woke up and almost fell off. "Jennifer you alright?" Josiah asked.

"I don't feel good Josiah."

Casey helped Mary finish clearing the dishes from dinner. The two talked of recent events in town, and Casey confided her worry over Gia`s cards.

"Casey they are just cards they can`t predict your future," Mary smiled.

"Yeah, you're right. It seems kinda silly now," Casey whisperd. She left the small kitchen threw the back door, and stepped onto the back porch. She smiled as she noticed Jon perched on the steps looking out into the darkness.

"Casey....." he paused. "You know me don`t you?" he turned to her.

"I thought I did.I use to dream of someone who looked like you. He would always come around when I was in trouble. Like when I was real little and took ma`s best shawl to wrap the litter of new kittens in, or when I lost pa`s favorite fishin pole in the creek. I dreamed of him last when my folks died,"she moved to the steps and sat down beside him. Looking up into the night sky she whispered, "He always made me see that things would go on no matter how bad things got."She cut her eyes to him trying to read the expression on his face.

Jon kept his expression carefully neutral. Four Corners had a wild scent to it tonight, he didn't need to go looking for trouble. He considered Casey's words for a moment, finding an answer that would soothe the girl. "Sounds like you had quite the guardian angel there."

Casey nodded.

Jon grinned, more comfortable with the conversation. "I've been called a lot of things in my time, but 'angel' isn't one of them. In fact, there's a couple of Sisters back in Chicago who would swear against it." He hesitated, not sure if he had any right to the next question. "Casey, are you in trouble now?"

Jack did his best to change Kitty's diaper and just hoped it would stay on. He threw the dirty cloth angrily at the door. It hit with a wet smack and left a faint trail as it slid to the floor. Jack screwed his face up in disgust.

*What am I doing?* he wondered as he picked up the still crying child. *I don't know how to take care of a baby.*

"What's wrong, Kitty?" he pleaded. "I changed your diaper, sort of. Let's go back to sleep."

Kitty wailed louder and Jack began pacing the room, bobbing her gently. He tried to mumble soothing things to her, but it was making him sleepier.

His mind kept going back over his conversations with Kit. Why was she so sure this wasn't a dream, *And why do I think it is?* The answer seemed obvious, time was a one way street and it didn't go backwards, but the more time he spent thinking about it the less sure he was. Maybe he'd talk to Chandrika. She'd seemed pretty sure she'd traveled back in time. *I really run into the strangest people.* Thinking of her helped realization dawn on him.

"You're hungry!" he declared to Kitty as though it was the most brilliant deduction he'd ever made. She didn't disagree with him so he assumed he was correct. "I'm with you there, kiddo. Your mom was a fine cook, but her biscuits didn't do much for me. What say we find some grub since you're obviously not going to let me go back to sleep?" Kitty's cries had been reduced to whimpers as Jack headed for the door.

The only place Jack had seen that he thought might have food was the saloon across the street. It was busier than it had been during his last visit, but he figured it was his best chance since the rest of the town seemed to have gone to bed. Walking quickly across the still muddy street he pushed aside the batwing doors.

He cringed a little at the odor in the room. Wall to wall it was full of dirty people, thick smoke, and alcohol. "This is no place for you," he muttered, though whether the comment was for Kitty or himself was open to debate.

He worked his way through the bustling crowd to the bar. A hispanic woman was pouring whiskey for an especially pungent man.

"Uh, excuse me," he asked when she'd finished. "Do you have any food?"

"Si, senor," Inez answered a bit coolly. "What would you like?"

"Anything," he smiled with relief.

Inez recognized him as the man who'd started the brawl earlier in the day and was prepared to treat him accordingly, but his smile was disarming. With a black eye, split lip, dimples, and a toothy grin, he looked more like a boy who'd gotten into a schoolyard fight than the cause of all her troubles earlier in the day. Returning his smile she said, "I'll see what we have."

Jack looked around the saloon as he waited at the bar. For the most part people were doing their best to get drunk, but at a few tables he could see poker games in progress. A particularly intense game seemed to be taking place at a table in a raised part of the room. He recognized one of the town's protectors at the table, laughing nonchalantly while those around him were sweating. A woman with some resemblance to the gambler was at the end of the bar chatting amiably with an apparently well-to-do man. Jack didn't trust the looks of either of them, though come to think of it, he probably wouldn't trust anyone in the saloon.

Inez came back with a plate. "This really isn't a good place for a baby, senor," she said indicating Kitty. Kitty was too busy absorbing the atmosphere of the saloon to spend time crying, something Jack was very grateful for.

"She'll be okay, this is the quietest she's been in a while," Jack answered as he picked up his fork. He hadn't seen any tables open so he had every intention of eating the food where he stood. The smell of the spicy food made his stomach growl and mouth salivate.

His first bite seemed to melt in his mouth and he savored the flavor and texture. "This is good," he mumbled as he took a much bigger second bite, followed quickly by a third and fourth.

"Haven't eaten lately, senor?" Inez smiled.

"Not really in the last three days," he said around his mouthful of food. Swallowing quickly he dropped his fork and offered his hand. "Jack."

"Inez," she answered, accepting his hand. "And who is this? Your daughter?"

Jack was glad he hadn't had a chance to put any more food in his mouth because he would have choked. "No, no, no. This is Kitty... I found her at a house."

"Found her? Who would leave such an adorable baby behind?" she asked as she tickled Kitty under her chin. The child rewarded her with a gummy giggle.

He shrugged his shoulders not wanting to go into the whole story.

"Can I hold her?"

Jack nodded and let her take Kitty from him. She was soon crooning to the child in spanish. *Women and babies,* he sighed, rolling his eyes. Not that he minded having both arms free to eat, which he did with renewed passion.

He idly followed Inez's gushing, translating the spanish in his head. She was mainly telling Kitty how cute she was so Jack soon lost interest. He needed to go back to the church to see if Chandrika was up for another feeding session. Kitty was distracted for now, but it wouldn't be long before she remembered why she'd been crying and started again.

He wasn't looking forward to that trip. Jack didn't want to deal with any of the town's protectors. Chris might shoot him on sight considering their other meetings. He was pretty sure Vin had kept his gun, something that was making him increasingly uncomfortable as he observed patron after patron of the saloon wearing some form of weaponry. And he didn't even want to think about trying to explain anything to Nathan. His wounds were already starting to heal without any command from him, something he was usually grateful for, but would probably cause trouble for him here. *At least it's slower than normal, probably from lack of food and rest,* Jack reasoned. But that wouldn't last for long, he could almost feel energy coming back to him as he finished eating.

Scraping the last of the food from his plate, Jack sucked on his fork for a moment to make sure he didn't miss anything.

"Thanks for the food," he said pushing the plate away and reaching for Kitty. Taking her, he turned away from the bar and started to leave.

"Senor," Inez called. "You forgot to pay."

"Pay..." Jack said slowly as though it was a foreign concept. For some reason it hadn't occurred to him he'd need to pay. Any money he had was up in his room with his other clothes and coat, but he doubted that money would do him any good.

Any good emotions Inez had been feeling toward the young stranger quickly left. "Si, pay."

Chandrika was easily aware of Chris behind her. *He isn't very subtle with his thoughts* she thought to herself as she heard him cursing her in his mind. *Danged stubborn woman* she could hear him saying. She chuckled a bit. If he only knew! Chandrika didn't feel Kitty as they approached the boarding house. Tingling in her chest led her to the saloon, and for a moment she wondered what Jack had been thinking bringin her in a place like this, but she realized, he probably figured this was the best place for food and needed it. *But I bet money didn't even cross his mind* she thought. Her guess was right as she heard Inez speaking to him. She saw jack stall and got some coins out of her pocket tossing them on the bar.

"That should cover it senorita," she said. Jack's mouth dropped open. Devendra easily plucked Kitty from his arms.

"Hungry little one?" she cooed. She reached over and closed Jack's jaw for him. "Now do you believe this isn't a dream?"

"No, if this was real life bouncers would've attacked me and by now I'd be washing dishes," he answered sarcastically. Chandrika gave him a look then returned her attention to Kitty.

Jack remembered his previous decision to talk to this woman and figure out what was going on. Surrounded by strange people, the possibility of it not being a dream seemed much farther fetched than when he was alone. Still, it wouldn't hurt to learn a little bit more about how to deal with things here to avoid future scenes. *Getting on her bad side probably isn't the best way to get her help.* After a moment of silence he clenched his jaw and muttered, "Thanks."

"You're welcome," Chandrika smiled. "You can pay me back later. Now I need to go some place a little more private."

Jack took the lead for the door so the petite woman holding the baby wouldn't have to fight her way through the saloon. *Not that the crowd isn't parting for her,* he sighed as he struggled to push through people who quickly took a step or two back to admire Chandrika when she came into view.

Looking over his shoulder to make sure she was still there, he continued shoving people out of his way. An almost audible growl made him turn back to see hed just pushed Chris. For a moment, a surprised set of hazel eyes locked with icy green ones then quickly searched for the door. He'd almost reached it when he felt the hand on his shoulder. Deciding to ignore it, he opened one of the batwings and stepped aside for Chandrika to pass through it before following her.

Charlie was leaning on the large boulder which she remembered Jack hiding behind earlier that day. She stood staring at the darkness on the hill. The woods were quiet. Very quiet. She saw nothing anywhere. She heard a small pop come from the still smoldering embers of what used to be the Taylor's house. She looked over in time to see something move. A shadow darted quickly past her. She jumped, trying to avoid having anything to do with it, and fell to the ground landing on her rear. She stood up quickly, it was too dark to see much, the clouds were still thick in the sky, and there was not really any light from anywhere except a few flames from the burned house. She rubbed her face. Someone as crazy as she was deserved to be haunted by demons or devils or whatever they were. And she was most definitely crazy. After all, she was here wasn't she? She actually was enjoying the silence, and the darkness, and the smell of the threatening rain. Her mind was completely lost in the darkness. The only thing bothering er was the shadows. She couldn't tell if they were real or imagined. But, at the moment, that wasn't the most important thing. She was tired. Mostly from the ache in her head from all the alcohol she had downed so much of. She rubbed her neck. It was sore too. She needed sleep. She didn't care what happened to her or anyone else while she slept, long as she could sleep without worrying about everything for a few hours. She walked over to where she had dropped her horses saddle, and pulled the blanket off of it. She shook it out then spread it on the ground. It was actually more comfortable than it looked. Putting her hands behind head and closed her eyes. Several minutes passed and she found sleep wasn't coming. She opened her eyes and realized why. There was a sound. It sounded like wind only when she looked up at the trees there wasn't any. She suddenly felt something touch her. She sat up quickly and looked around. She was alone, the horse was still standing where she had left it.

A cold hand grabbed her sore and bruised collarbone. She grimaced at the pain and drew herself to her feet, looking around. Nothing but the darkness around her, the sky above her, and the sound of the wind in her mind. It was gonna be hard to get any sleep.

The pain in Buck`s shoulder grew worse with each jolting step he took, even with the support of Nathan the short distance to the saloon was agony. He clung to the thought of a full bottle whiskey to drown his pain, and the soft bed that waited for him above the noisy saloon. Looking up he noticed Chris`s tense figure illuminated in a spill of light coming from the saloon. Nathan looked over at Buck as his steps faltered and he paled slightly. "Ya gonna be sick again Buck?" Nathan asked in a rush.

"Naw,nothin like that," Buck croaked. He shook off the feeling of dread he felt at seeing Chris.It was a damn nightmare that`s all, he thought to himself. He continued along the boardwalk his eyes never leaving Chris`s hard expression. The man that held the gunslinger`s attention seemed very familiar, but trying to remember him proved to be to difficult for the moment.T he pounding rhythm in Buck`s head increased as he neared Chris.

Chris stood with his face inches from Jack`s. "I hope the two of you ain`t planning on goin' too far. I got a few questions I intend on gettin' answers to," he growled. His attention was drawn to Chandrika as the infant in her arms began to wail. "I guess you better see to her," his voice softened slightly.

He watched she as moved down the street towards the boarding house. He jerked his head back to Jack as the man started to follow Chandrika. He reached out and snagged the man`s collar. "Ain`t no need for you to follow her. I`m sure she can take care of that baby without your help." He dragged Jack back several paces. "Maybe you want to answer some of those question since you ain`t got much else to do."

Chris was about to haul the smaller man into the saloon, when he noticed Buck and Nathan coming towards them. He greeted the two with a curt nod and noticed immediately that Buck couldn`t seem to look him in the eye. Tenison crackled between the two. Chris sighed in fustration. "We gotta problem Buck? You ain`t said two words to me since they brought you back from the Taylor`s."

"No,just hurtin a bit is all," Buck grimaced. It wasn`t hard for Chris to tell the other man was making excuses. He shrugged, it would have to wait. There were other questions he wanted answers at the moment. He glanced back over his shoulder making sure Chandrika got to the boarding house safely.

Jack couldn't remember the last time someone grabbed him by the back of his collar and started to drag him somewhere, but he certainly didn't appreciate it now.

"Let go," he complained as he twisted to get away. Unfortunately Chris didn't and Jack nearly succeeded in strangling himself.

"Come on, inside," Chris commanded, giving the collar a tug that made Jack cough.

"I was just in there," he wheezed. He gave Chandrika's back a pleading look as it disappeared through the boardinghouse door. *No help from her.*

The people parted for the little group and a table in the back corner instantly became available. *They've got some influence here,* Jack thought, impressed by the townspeople's reactions.

Buck motioned Inez for some whiskey as the quartet sat down. As soon as Chris released his shirt, Jack stood back up and was promptly pushed back down.

"Sit."

Jack decided to stay as he resisted the urge to rub his shoulder and neck. *That guy is stronger than he looks.*

The whiskey arrived along with four glasses, though no one offered one to Jack.

"No thanks, nothing for me. I'm driving tonight," Jack said sarcastically as Buck and Chris downed their shots in a single gulp and started to pour seconds. Nathan was sipping his, dividing his attention between checking to see that Buck was all right and looking at Jack.

"Driving what?" Chris asked suspiciously. Jack just rolled his eyes and kept quiet.

After another minute of silent drinking Jack got fed up. "If I wanted to watch people get drunk I wouldn't have left here in the first place."

"I've got some questions for you," Chris started.

"Me too," Nathan added.

Jack wasn't worried about whatever Chris might want to ask him, but something about the way Nathan was looking at him made him uncomfortable. *He knows.* Jack knew it was an unreasonable supposition, there was no way Nathan could know anything, but even if he was just suspicious that something was different about Jack it could mean big trouble.

"Feel free to ask whatever you want, just don't expect me to answer." *I've been in three fights so far today and I've pretty much lost them all, what's another one?*

Chris gave him a look that could kill but Jack just stared back at him.

The dark landscape blended together as Clair rode down a gently rolling hill. She was beginning to consider turning around, and heading back to town. Her stubborn streak usually held her true to her path, but even she realized she was in over her head. The last half hour had past without the smallest glimpse of Kit. Early on the coyote had left her side preferring instead to search for Charlie on her own. Clair hadn`t minded overly much. She wasn`t able to pick up coherent thoughts from Kit in this form, it was pure instinct that filled her friend's mind. Reining in her mount she was turning the animal to retrace its path back up the hill, when the shrill yipping of a coyote echoed across the darkness. She was so startled by the sound she nearly fell from her horse. Frantically grasping at the saddle's pommel she righted herself.

Her heart beat so fiercely that she was sure it would soon beat from her chest. Clair closed her eyes concentrating hard on bringing her breathing under control. As she opened her eyes a familiar form appeared in front of her. The coyote padded to her horse's side, and a low menacing growl alerted Clair that something was near. Nearer than she wanted to think about.

Patrick had been following behind the lone rider for what seemed like hours, but according to the moon no time had passed at all. He shook his head, he`d spent a good many years outdoors in the highlands of Scotland. He`d used the moon and stars to guide him many times. Never could her remember a night sky looking so ominous.

Chandrika closed her door softly behind her and settled into the rocking chair she had asked the clerk downstairs to bring to her room. She smiled down at Kitty and cooed softly to her, unbuttoning her shirt and letting the baby nurse. She brushed a lock of hair off the baby's forehead as she nursed. The soft sounds the baby was making while she ate sootehd Chandrika's frazzled nerves. She leaned her head to the side and ran through her mind some of the people she had met so far. The men she was sent to protect where interesting, despite she hadn't met them all yet. She looked down and began to drift asleep a bit as Kitty continued to nurse. She woke though when she felt Kitty move against her. She noticed the infant had fallen asleep. Chandrika straightened her blouse and got up, cradling the child close. She laid the baby on her bed and spooned herself next to the baby, both falling asleep instantly.

The darkness danced across the open road. Impossibly high above, bright points of light formed a dim reminder of the warmth that came with daybreak and died at dusk. Remington Derringer shivered and pulled his jacket closer to his body. It wasn't cold, but the night seemed to have a bite to it. As if things rested uneasy in the vast blackness.

He grimaced and chided himself out loud, more to break the spell the night had woven than he cared to admit to himself. "I'm starting to sound like Wesson."

Thinking about his brothers on the trail behind him, Remy automatically checked for them. His relief was superficial at best. While Smith and Wesson both seemed to glow brightly, Colt's presence was dimmed by unconsciousness.

He nudged Valkorie into a faster pace, even though he knew she was spent. It took a great deal of will to allow her to set the pace again. Even at the steadily increasing distance, he could feel the urgency with which Wesson directed the group with the wagon.

Remy could also feel his frustration. Wesson hated it when one of his brothers was injured. His skill could lend itself to healing in most manners of life. But among their kin, the same talent that gave Wesson the skill to save lives, also rejected his attempts. It was the same for all of them. They could not use their power to alter each other. No one else seemed to mind, but it drove Wesson up the wall.

Any further musings he might have made came to an abrupt halt as he crested the hill.

Lights.

Finally.

This time Korie needed no urging to speed up. The palomino could sense the distress in her rider and pressed forward toward the town.

The streets of the town were deserted for the most part. The only real noise was coming from the saloon. "That figures," he told Korie, "if you need to find something go to the saloon. Odds are you'll find it, or at least directions to it there."

As he pushed open the door, he found himself the focus point of several eyes. Moving slowly, so as to avoid even the impression that he was there for trouble. He made his way back to the girl tending the bar. "Excuse me, miss," he told her above the various calls for drinks, "I'm looking for a doctor."

The woman barely paused in answering him. "You're in luck, Senor. This town has an excellent doctor." She gestured toward a group of men occupying on of the corner tables. "Nathan!" she hollered above the din. "There's someone here for you!"

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