Cole sat up in the bed and held his head in his hands. His left hand touching gingerly the spot that had swollen up from the beating he took from Doc the night before. He finished dressing by shoving his boots on, and then standing up. Cole felt the dizziness and grasped onto the edge of a dresser nearby to balance himself.

"Doc, you drunken bastard," Cole mumbled to under his breath. Then slowly he grabbed his gunbelt and strapped it on. Tying the thong, he moved off slowly trying hard to fight off the fits of dizziness.

When he finally reached the steps leading down into the saloon he paused a moment. Listening all he could hear was quiet, which in part pleased him. At least he could sneak out with out anyone mocking him for letting Doc pummel him before. He started to work his way down the steps.

Lily looked up, when she heard the footsteps coming down the stairs. She watched as the boy from the fight stopped at the bottom and used the banister to balance himself.

"You shouldn't be up cher," the soft almost musical voice came to Cole, who looked up a bit surprised by the presence of the woman.

"I'm sorry ‘bout last night, I'll pay for any damag-"

"Your damn right you will,"a harsh voice came from behind him. Cole turned to face the man that he had seen playing cards with Doc. He could also hear the annoyance in the woman's voice as she scolded the man for his harshness, ". . . the boy is in no condition to be working."

As the man moved closer Cole tensed up and tried not to look as though he had lost a fight. "I'm quite fine ma'am, I take care of my de'ts. You seen Doc?" Cole asked the woman as he stared at the man called Terrance. Cole's arm hung near his gun ready in case he had to defend himself against the stranger.

Cole was half relieved when the woman intervened, "He took off last night, have you got a name, Cher?"

"K.C.," he answered as he stared down Terrance. Half wondering which one he should shoot, the ugly one on the left or the handsome one on the right. "Wha' do ya have in mind as ta payment?"

There seemed to be an evil eye coming from the twins standing in front of him, but he gave no argument when both told him his duties of the day.

By nightfall K.C. had finished the task of restocking the liquor and cleaning the saloon. Here and there he managed to pick up names of people. Lily stood behind the bar now serving drinks to the patrons smiling casually at a man dressed in black. Bryn, was on stage playing a rendition of some song that K.C. had never heard before. She had a knack for music. Tension entered K.C. when he noticed four men join the man in black. One was the older gentleman he had seen outside the night he came to town. Seeing this man made the hairs on K.C.'s back stand on end.

"I see your comrade has abandoned you," came a slick familiar voice off to K.C.'s left.

The statement causing him to look over at the slick dressed man she had seen sitting next to the older one. "Fr'end's are no more then passin' pe'ple. Tha' blow thru yer life li' b'gs"

The man smiled at that and shook his head showing his gold tooth just a bit on the right side of his mouth. "Do you suspect that he will find you again," the man asked quizzically, more to get information on impending danger than to get idle chatter going.

K.C. stared the gentleman down. "I spect, I'll find ‘im b'fore he finds me," with that said K.C. bored with the talk moved away from the man, feeling a bit defenseless without his guns.

"What's with the boy," Ezra asked Lily quietly as she came over and poured him a shot.

"Casey? I'm not quite sure. Terrance has him working off the damages his friend incurred last night," Lily informed Ezra.

He kindly nodded to Lily drank his shot quickly and then joined his friends with Chris. Pulling out a chair he sat quietly between Buck and Vin. "Casey, is our dear boy's name."

Vin looked in the direction that the retreating boy went wondering what he had in mind. "Turns out that our so ever gracious friend Mr. Sullivan is providing him with work to pay for the damages," Ezra finished up telling the boys what he had learned.

In the back K.C. stood as if half expecting trouble to come around the corner. Seven days, he thought, seven days and the debt will be payed, then I don't have to worry anymore about these gunfighters. He silently vowed to kill Doc for leaving him in this situation. K.C. didn't notice the man watching him as he walked out of the alley and headed for thelivery.

Once inside K.C. found the stall where he had put Lucky, but the proud stallion was missing. He quickly took stock of the other stalls. The sound of a man whistling a tune brought him to a defensive stance. K.C. waited as the old man entered the barn, then suddenly without warning he pounced on the old codger as fast as a lion catching his prey. Pinning the man against the wall with his forearm, forcing it against the man's throat.

"Where's my horse," K.C. asked with the sound of fury in his voice.

The old man stared up at K.C. fear in his brown eyes. The silence only causing K.C. to put more pressure against the man's neck cutting off his breathing. He gasped for air. K.C. demanded to know where his horse was.

Suddenly, K.C. felt strong hands pull him off the old codger tossing him against the far wall while the old man slumped to the floor trying to catch his breath. The force of the collision knocked the breath out of K.C. Regaining his composure K.C. stared at the man that threw him. It was the same gunman he saw when he had ridden into town and lodged his horse.

"You alright Mr. Sacks," The man asked of the older man.

"I'm ok, Vin."

Vin then turned back to K.C., "Looks like you git yourself into more trouble the more you hang around."

"Jus' out fer some inf'mation on my horses location."

"Ah, there you are. I've got a few more jobs for you to do," came Terrance's voice suddenly from the barn entrance. Having watched the proceedings between K.C. and the stable owner, he admired the boy's methods.

"I've thin's ta take care of," K.C. answered not taking his eyes off of Vin.

"I need you, Now," Terrance emphasized now, wanting to get him out of there before he found out what really happened to his Indian pony.

"I'll fin'sh this t'lk later," K.C. offered as he turned to follow Terrance, for his latest bidding.

By closing time K.C. found himself sitting near Lily as she counted the day's profits. She looked tired as she brushed a strand of hair from her face. Looking back across the saloon he could see Terrance playing cards with the stranger that had wandered in an hour before closing time.

"Ya nee' any help, Lily," Bryn asked as she came up beside Lily behind the bar. K.C. had to hand it to the woman when she declined Bryn's help. It was hard for him K.C. to understand but he liked Lily for some reason, looked up to her in away. K.C. stood.

"You turning in, Cher," Lily asked.

"No ma'am, jus' gonna see if'n I can join in the game," K.C. answered Lily.

Without anymore talk, K.C. sauntered over to the table and asked the players, "mind one more?"

Terrance shuffled the cards in his hands and shrugged, then turned his eyes onto his opponent who kicked out an empty chair for K.C. to use. Sitting down, he picked up the cards as Terrance dealt them out.

"Don't I know you from somewhere," the stranger asked.

K.C. looked up at the man casually taking in the man's face for a moment, then returned his gaze back to his cards, "Don' think so."

Terrance smiled at the annoyance in the stranger's face. This rounds going to be easy, he thought noticing the stranger pay more attention to K.C. than to the game.