SIEGE

Prologue:

Lines of Convergence

It was inevitable that this day would come.

The men who ran supreme over much of the West had watched and waited for decades, stemming the tide where it was possible and being swept away when it was not. They waged their campaign against the intruders like generals on the battlefront, fighting for each hill and every patch of land that was waiting possession by those who arrived first to claim it. For a long time, they held their ground through sheer determination because it took raw courage to thrive in a land though supposedly flowing with milk and honey required nothing less than blood and sweat to yield such ambrosia. Nations built across the globe on the hard work of such individuals, whose character and strength were largely responsible for the opening of new frontiers.

In the West, it had been no different. Some would say it was even harder because it was more than just the land they had to fight, it was a way of life. The axioms of the Old World did not apply here and while attempts were made, as it is always was by new colonists in a strange land, to make life in the image of the one knew, the land itself had a way of teaching them otherwise. In the earliest days of the West, it was the ranchers who ran supreme. With their herds of livestock, they brought civilization into a terrain most had deemed beyond the ability to tame. The coming of the ranchers opened a new era of opportunity for those who trapped in the slums of urban living in the great cities of the East. They would come by any means necessary to plunder the spoils of a new frontier and from the first day of their arrival, the lines were drawn and the battle for the West began.

Twenty years before the end of the century and the war was more or less lost by the patrician ranchers who were the first conquerors of the new territories.

Settlers, some from the cities, others from further across the Atlantic had swarmed in on prime land once used for grazing and cultivated it with cash crops and the formation of small communities, none of which could be displaced once its roots were driven into the ground. The settler had won the war through sheer numbers, like a plague of locusts that had found a particularly tasty field upon which to feed. Their volume grew until the rancher was driven back by mass alone, retreating in the face of overwhelming forces.

Stuart James and Guy Royal were men whose fortunes had built on the work of their forebears and understood how eminent defeat was. They were raised in the traditions of their fathers who believed that there was no such thing as defeat so long as the will to fight still remained. For them, there was no possibility of surrender and they allowed the new arrivals to believe that for the moment, they had been overwhelmed into complacency. They watched and waited, their resolve giving way to a begrudging acceptance that this was the way things had to be. After awhile, it almost became tolerable, the loss of prestige dulled by the taste of stagnant power and the invasion of what they deemed to be theirs had ceased. For a time, there seemed to be no further indignity to which they were forced to succumb and they came to a painful yet necessary realization.

The settlers were here to stay.

As much as they disliked admitting it, James and Royal could deny that settlers to the West had mettle that could survive most trials. Those who could be forced out were not meant for living here and only made room for those who could when they departed. In the town of Four Corners, both men had learned how that its townsfolk was a testament to the frontier spirit and nothing could not dislodged the settlers who had dared to encroach upon land that should have been theirs for the taking. It was not to say that James and Royal did not try. The attempts to remove the troublesome colonists had proved unsuccessful, almost to the point of being fatal for the men who were the architects of the forced exodus.

Eventually the ranchers agreed to leave things as they stood for it would serve no one by expending too much time and resource on removing the usurpers when there was little hope of victory. Particularly when there were seven guardians who would ensure failure of any plan to such an end. Despite all efforts to rid the town of the seven, each fresh attempt was met with failure. It was almost as if the town was as protective of its guardians as the seven were about Four Corners. A curious symbiosis had formed between the town and the lawmen almost as if the prosperity of all involved were somehow linked to one another.

For a time, a stalemate had formed between Stuart and Royal's feud with Four Corners and its burgeoning prosperity. However, the lines of tension continued to tighten with the influx of more and more people and to all involved, it was only a matter of time before matters came to ahead. It came sooner than anyone expected, owing to outside forces that had little to do with the ranchers or the settlers in Four Corners.

It had to do with the railroad.

Guy Royal had been perfectly aware of the railroad coming for some time now and had prepared himself for it by buying up as much land as he could. He had hoped to make the company's purchase of land as difficult as possible buy owning as much of the required territory. However, even he had to concede to the pressures from government bodies insisting that he sell up or face the wrath of Federal authorities. Royal had made himself a great deal of money from the sale but even he knew what the coming of the railroad would mean to him and his kind. True, the grazing land would not be affected but settlers would be coming on a scale that the ranchers could not hope to circumvent or cope with. The moment the first train rumbled down its new tracks, both Stuart and Royal knew it would sound the death knell of the power they had once wielded in the Territory.

"So you appreciate our problem." Guy Royal said to the woman who sat across his on the porch of his spread.

"I do," she nodded, lifting the glass of lemonade to her lips. "Unfortunately, what you want will not be cheap. My services alone will cost you."

Stuart James tried not to be skeptical, even though he had been examining the woman closely since his arrival at this luncheon arranged by Guy Royal. Both men who had been discussing the dilemma facing them with the arrival of the railroad had agreed that the time to do something was now with Royal taking the steps that saw them here today. The woman who made the triumvirate at the table was every much the siren, with her mahogany coloured hair and deep coloured eyes. Her ability to turn heads was without question although he doubted her assertion that she could mount the expedition to rid them of their present problem with Four Corners.

She was dressed like any well-bred woman with red riding coat, high-necked shirts and riding boots under her flowing skirt. At the moment, she seemed more at place riding on a manicured path in one of those fancy gardens common in large eastern cities, not sitting here with them plotting mayhem and murder.

"We have the money if you can do the job." James said with unmasked doubt in her ability.

Royal threw him a dark stare at the remark because Royal was perfectly aware of the lady's reputation even though it took some shifting to find it and her.

Although most of the intelligence had first indicated that she was dead, it had taken more money and underground contacts to learn that she was still very much alive and making a good living, hiring out her services as a mercenary. From what he knew about her work, she was very good at what she did and rarely failed at undertaking a mission. Royal wondered how much that had to do with her being a woman because it was easy to be disarmed by her looks.

"I can do the job and I won't be hiring just any rabble to help me, when I do so either." She pointed out, making reference to the time when Royal and James had hired men to drive the residents of Four Corners out of town. Not only were the men selected to the task amateurs who ran at the first sight of the army coming in their direction but they had also been dumb enough to fall prey to a rather clever ploy by the seven.

"That was a bad decision." Royal swallowed, unable to deny that they were lucky to escape that debacle without being implicated. If it were not for one of the seven killing Earl, the man they had hired to organize the whole affair, Royal had no doubt that Earl would have spilled the truth to save himself and both he and Stuart James would now be languishing in jail. "However, I gather you have a better idea?"

"Well for starters, I know men who would fight an entire army if paid well enough. A job is contract to such men, not to be discarded when it becomes inconvenient. For what you wanted to do, you should have had professionals, not any rabble that can carry a gun. Furthermore, you want people to leave; you just make it very uncomfortable for them to stay. Chasing them out will simply make their defiance all the more persistent. You want someone gone; you wear them down continuously until they are grateful to leave. Its all a matter of knowing the target."

Although James was begrudged to admit it, he was impressed by her words. "Where do you find men like this?" He was genuinely curious.

"I know a few," she said with a faint smile, meeting his gaze because she knew he was underestimating her because of her sex. It was not a new experience. This was after all the West and this was a land tamed by men who usually forgot the women who were working alongside them. It was the height of chauvinism to assume that they were alone in their harsh existence, nevertheless this was hardly the time for such debates. "However the man I have in mind is south of the border."

"You mean Mexicans?" Guy wrinkled his nose in distaste.

"Bandits to be precise," she replied, not caring if this offended his delicate sensibilities. "These men do not care who they kill or what uniform they are shooting at. As long as they know that there is a great deal of money waiting for them at the end of the road, they will do anything and do it with a song in their heart."

"I don't care." James said firmly. "I just want that town gone. I want it to be an example to anyone who even considers settling on its burnt ashes for the next twenty years. I want the railroad to take one look at the mess and decide that it isn't worth the trouble and go somewhere else. I don't care whom you have to kill to get the job done as long as Four Corners is nothing but a bad memory by the time you're through. If you can do that and I'll pay whatever you want."

"That can be arranged." She answered coolly, a stark contrast to his vehement outburst. "Any particular requests?"

"Yes," Royal nodded without hesitation. "I want you to personally see to it that the seven lawmen who protect that town have their hides nailed to a wall."

"That is not a problem," a slow smile stole across Selena Quint's face. "I had always intended to do that. I have some history with them."

Part One

Hired Guns

Even though he was in body, playing a game of cards with Ezra and the others in the saloon, Chris Larabee's mind was anything but centered on the game. Since his marriage of four months ago, one thought had been preoccupying his mind with such intensity that he knew it was time to look at the issue despite the urge to brush it aside with the customary indifference he viewed most things that troubled him. After almost five years on his own, leaving living a life that bordered on a hand to mouth existence, Chris had almost forgotten the full implications of what it was to be married again. After he had sold the land where he and Sarah had built their lives, Chris had put the money in the bank and forgotten all about it until he stumbled into Four Corners and found himself a new life.

A dollar a day with room and board might have been acceptable when he was on his own but now that he was a married man, Chris was forced to recognize that he had financial obligations as well as emotional ones to contend with these days. Of course, neither Chris or Mary had ever discussed such things prior to their marriage and Mary had what Steven had left her to support herself and Billy, without requiring Chris to provide for them, not to mention the revenue generated by the newspaper. Still, Chris was old-fashioned in the belief that a man ought to be able to provide for his family and somehow he knew he was not going to manage it on a dollar a day.

He had no intention of walking away from his duties as lawman but he did know he had to make some hard decisions on whether this was all he intended to be. There was a time when he had made a pretty decent living at horse ranching and besides killing, it seemed to be one of the few things he was quite good at. The parcel of land he had bought outside of town was ideal for the purpose and Chris confessed an unconscious desire in choosing that particular property for that reason, even though horse ranching had been the furthest thing from his mind at the time of its purchase. Still, he had enough money left in the bank to make a good living of it and it would not detract from his obligations to Four Corners in any way.

Until trouble actually came rolling into town, he and the seven were seldom required on an around the clock basis. There were enough of them to ensure that Four Corners was never left untended and he knew that he could devote enough time to this venture without compromising his obligations to the town. Besides, he felt a certain loyalty to Four Corners because it had given him a new lease on life when he had been counting the days to the bullet that would finally put him in the ground. Coming to Four Corners had changed his life in ways he had never imagined it would. He certainly never envisioned that a turning point had arrived in his future when he first made his way through the dusty town, seeking for a place to bed down and get a drink.

"Mr. Larabee," he heard Ezra's voice break through his ruminations.

"What?" Chris looked up from his cards even though he had no idea what he was holding in his hand.

Ezra rolled his eyes in resignation and repeated himself. "Are you sitting with those cards?" The gambler asked and Chris realized that Vin and Buck were staring at him, waiting for him to discard so that they could continue the game they were playing.

"Sorry," Chris grumbled and made a quick survey of his hand before tossing two cards into the pile of discards before Ezra handed him another pair to compensate.

"At the risk to life and limb," Ezra spoke up. "Might we inquire what has your attention so intently?" The gambler asked as he continued dealing.

"No." Chris retorted and surprised no one with his response.

"Very well," Ezra shrugged, accustomed to his answer because Chris rarely like intrusions into his private life by anyone, even his friends. "It would make a pleasant change from Mr. Wilmington's endless diatribe on why Inez has not accepted his proposal of marriage."

While Chris had no intention of being a change of subject for those at the table, he could appreciate Ezra's dilemma. For two months now, they had heard nothing from Buck but endless, complaints, arguments, debates and whatever verbalization the man could express on why the object of his affections was so adamant in not marrying him, even though she was carrying his child. Today had seen no lapse in the pattern of behaviour they been observing these past weeks and although Inez was nowhere in the saloon at this time of morning, Buck was nonetheless searching for her each time someone came through the door.

"Hey!" Buck exclaimed slightly hurt that his feelings could be so easily ridiculed by his friends. "I can't help it if the woman is crazy."

"Why is the woman crazy?" Ezra stared at him, his hands still handling the cards deftly. "Forgive me for saying this, you are not exactly the most ideal example of paternal potential."

"What do you mean?" Buck asked, looking to Chris and Vin for support with both men opting to remain silent instead of being drawn into this debate, or more particularly, another debate. "I can be a good husband."

Vin who was just about to swallow a mouthful of beer nearly choked at that statement, producing an expression of smug satisfaction from Ezra to Buck. The tracker gulped badly and started coughing before he gave Buck an apologetic look. "Sorry Buck." He said clearing his throat.

"How hard could it be?" Buck stared at them in defiance. "I seen Chris do it and it weren't that hard."

Chris who was trying not to be noticed by paying close attention to his cards, hoping that the question would not fall to him, grimaced sightly. "It isn't that hard at all." He muttered hoping that was as much input Buck would need on the subject.

"Inez requires a good provider," Ezra pointed out as they continued playing. "Last time I looked, a man making a dollar a day plus room and board was hardly appeared to be considered as such." In truth, Ezra was very protective of Inez in her fragile state, especially with most of the town aware that she was now with child. While Inez had enough friends around her to offer support in her time of need, the town itself was viewing the pregnancy with distaste by keeping their distance from her. Inez was his friend and as far as he was concerned, while it was the intelligent thing to accept Buck's proposal, he could also understand why she was so reluctant to do so.

"Okay," Buck frowned forcing to concede that Ezra was correct on that score. "What else?"

"You gotta be around." Vin pointed out since he knew from first hand experience what it was like to have a father that was never present. In fact, if his mother had not told him he was a Tanner, the tracker would have doubted whether he ever had a sire in the first place.

"I got that covered," Buck replied, also perfectly aware what it was like to be without a father to know that he would like to be involved in the child's life. "I love kids." He grinned at Ezra, defying the gambler to put up any obstacles before him he could not cross.

"You have to be content with one woman." Ezra said putting forward the most difficult hurdle in Buck Wilmington's road to paternity.

"I can handle it." Buck glared at him with narrowed eyes.

"For more than two hours." Chris could not resist adding. As the one person who knew Buck the longest, Chris knew just how susceptible Buck was to a pretty face.

"Okay," Buck groaned, throwing down his cards because his luck, gambling was as promising as his chances as a prospective husband, according to his friends. "Maybe I ain't treated her the way I should. The question is what do I do?"

"Take cold showers, lay off the ladies and grovel like hell until she gives you time of day." Chris said with a faint smile as he called Ezra's bluff.

"Ouch." Buck grimaced, unable to imagine how he was going to stand abstinence when every time he saw a woman, he saw the possibility of an extremely enjoyable time.

"Come on Buck," Vin declared while studying what Ezra had on the table; "you're a tough guy. You can keep that animal magnetism on hold for awhile." The tracker was trying not to smirk since Ezra was doing that to smug perfection already.

Refusing them the pleasure of seeing him defeated and also because he was slightly annoyed at their lack of faith in his ability to win Inez over, Buck decided he was going to abstain. "You're right. I can do this. No problem." He said standing up from his chair since he was more or less out of the game and Ezra had taken more of his money that he was willing to part with already. "I gotta date with the new saloon girl, I'm gonna break it off right now."

"A good start," Ezra remarked as he presented his cards to Chris with a slight smile and caused the gunslinger to frown as Ezra took the pot, again.

"You'll see," Buck called out striding past the semi-quiet morning crowd. "I'll show her that I'm the marrying kind." With that, he walked out of the saloon, determination dogging every step of his departure.

"How long do you give him?" Vin asked no one in particular as Ezra started dealing again.

"A day." Ezra replied with a faint smile.

"You're being generous." Chris met his gaze; perfectly well aware how long Buck could last. "I wasn't kidding when I said two hours."

"Care to lay a small wager on that?" The gambler asked with a suggestive gleam in his eyes.

"Ezra, you ain't got no shame." Vin retorted, unsurprised that Ezra would make something like this a sport for gambling.

"Five dollars." Chris spoke and cut Vin short.

"Well Mr. Tanner?" Ezra looked at him with a hint of challenge.

Vin let out an exasperated groan and replied, "I'm with Chris on this one. Five dollars for me."

It was some time later when Chris and Vin had left the saloon to relieve J.D. and Josiah at the jailhouse did Chris have a chance to speak about what had been preoccupying his thoughts lately, aside from Buck's difficulties. Chris knew that any venture of this sort would naturally have to involve Vin Tanner since Chris had become so accustomed to having the young man at his side that it seemed odd when Vin was absent. From the beginning, both had seen something in each other that made words unnecessary and somehow the friendship that was borne from that initial encounter was one that Chris knew would last forever, just as he had known that Buck would be forever in his life from that first moment. Chris who found it difficult to trust anyone, let alone rely on them, had found no such difficulties with Vin because there was a streak of dependability in the young man that was almost unexplainable. Chris knew that no matter what hell he chose to ride into, if he asked, Vin Tanner would be right at his side, riding shotgun. He would do so without question or argument, until he felt strong enough about something to make him opinion known. The instance of that happening was so rare that it was wise to take heed to it when it happened.

"You've been fading away quite a lot lately, pard." Vin spoke up as they made their way down the street. "Want to tell me what's on your mind?"

Chris allowed himself a faint smile, unable to deny that it was almost as hard to hide things from Vin as it was from Mary. The two of them had different kinds of perception but no less accurate in its way. "I've been thinking about what I'm gonna do beyond looking out for this town."

Vin did not understand. "What do you mean?"

"Well I'm married now," Chris replied. "A dollar a day with room and board was a good deal when it was just me, but it ain't just me now. There's Mary and Billy. I got a family to keep. I can't expect Mary to take care of the house and everything without taking some responsibility myself."

That, Vin did understand. As someone who was in love with a woman who was so self reliant it was frightening at times, Vin knew what it was to desire being able to provide financially for the women in their lives. He could appreciate Chris' dilemma because he had the same concerns with Alex. It bothered him that she had more money that he could ever dream of having and that financially; she had no need of him. While it was a small thing in itself, it burned right to the traditional core of him that he would never be able to provide for her in the way she was accustomed.

"I see where you're coming from." Vin said with perfect sympathy for Chris' situation. "What can you do about it though? Its not like we can get a raise or nothing."

"I had an idea." Chris volunteered and saw Vin's interest immediately aroused. "I used to ranch horses." He admitted, even though he was certain that this was information Vin already knew. "I got that piece of land out there, I can do that again."

Vin considered the idea and had to agree that it was a good one. The parcel that Chris had selected for himself was ideal for the purpose. It was of terrain that horses could thrive and it was a large enough property to accommodate a ranch.

"You'd really go back to ranching?" Vin asked, unable to imagine Chris Larabee indulging in anything so domestic. Then again, when Vin had first met him, he had not thought Chris would be the kind to settle down and get married either. Lately, he had done both so Vin was hardly surprised by anything that Chris could throw at him.

"Yeah," Chris nodded. "I would. Looking after this town doesn't take up too much time for most parts and I got enough money in the bank to get started." Chris did not add that there was not a horse ranch anywhere in the immediate vicinity of Four Corners and most people went to Sweet Water or Bitter Creek to fulfil that purpose. From a business standpoint, it was a sound venture.

"I think you should go for it then," Vin said full of confidence that if anyone could make such a enterprise work, it would be Chris. "If I can be any help to you. ."

"Actually," Chris met his eyes with a slight sparkle. "I thought you might like to come into it with me."

Vin stared at Chris unable to think of what to say to that offer. It took a moment for him to answer. "You mean like partners?"

"Yeah," Chris smiled, liking how that sounded. "Partners. I was going to ask Buck as well but he's probably with that saloon girl now winning us money from Ezra so I'll ask him later."

Vin was about to refuse when he actually considered the question and realized that he had no reason to do so. Thanks to his bounty hunting these past few months he had about a thousand dollars in the bank that was accruing interest as Ezra explained it to him when he had allowed the gambler to explain his passbook to him. Horse ranching was something he could do as well as tracking and at some point; he was going to have to think of the future. While he was not married yet and would not be for sometime thanks to Eli Joe and Tuscosa, that mess might resolve itself in the future. There was no reason for him to idle the time away when some productive might be achieved in the interim.

"You don't have to answer straight away," Chris remarked, taking Vin's silence to mean that he was somewhat reluctant about idea. After all, he could understand Vin's reasons for not wanting to commit himself to one place or throwing his lot entirely with Chris. "I know it ain't no small decision."

"Its nothing like that," Vin quickly spoke up so Chris would not misunderstand. "I just never thought about it. I use to think that I'd worry about the future and marrying Alex after I get my name cleared in Tuscosa but I'm wondering now whether that's such a good idea."

"How so?" Chris asked genuinely interested as the jailhouse came into sight.

"Well, clearing my name could take a long time and I can't ask her to wait forever." He replied, his brows knitting as he spoke, as if he were thinking about it even now. "I ain't rushing to get married and I know she ain't either but when we do get hitched, I want to be able to give her more than my name you know?"

"Look," Chris shrugged because this was also something he had considered even though he had not voiced his deliberations to Vin. "At some point soon, we're going to have to deal with this thing in Tuscosa. I know that you believe the truth is enough but it ain't gonna be in this case. We're going to have to spend some serious time trying to get your name cleared. However, until that time comes, you ought to be thinking about what you're going to do in the meantime. You're right, you can't make Alex wait forever and you sure as hell can't put your life on a standstill until that price comes of your head." As Chris spoke, the gunslinger suddenly felt very much his age and saw Vin not as a friend but a younger person needing some sound advice

"You're right." Vin said after a long pause. "I guess I gotta move on somehow, even if my name ain't cleared. You know," Vin sighed. "I never wanted to tame land or be no farmer. Closest I ever got to settling for less was when we ran across each other that first day when I thought I might make a good store clerk."

"Who could forget?" Chris laughed remembering that very well and also thinking how ill suited to the vocation Vin had been.

"I meet her and everything I want changes. Suddenly, I'm thinking about providing for a family and kids and God knows what else."

"When it's the right woman, you surprise yourself." Chris admitted, remembering how much he had been willing to sacrifice when he met Sarah. All the hard living and drinking simply melted away when he decided to make her his wife. After that, it had been church on Sundays, coming home for dinners and finding that the highlight of his week was when she served dumplings. When she had died, all those little things had been lost until recently when he began his life with Mary.

"I've been surprising myself a lot." Vin admitted trying not to look embarrassed as he spoke about how he felt about Alex. It was not easy for him to talk about his feelings, which was one of the reasons why he and Chris got along so well.

Chris just seemed to have an idea what was happening and would give him a nudge or a word of warning when he needed it. After a moment, he met Chris' gaze again and allowed a small smile to run across his face as he regarded the gunslinger. "Partners, huh?" He asked.

"Yeah," Chris grinned as he suddenly had a premonition on what Vin's answer was going to be. "Partners."

"I guess I'm in," Vin replied as they arrived at the jailhouse. Despite the lingering doubts of uncertainty he felt over this venture, Vin could nod deny that he felt as if he had made the right choice.

"Partner." He extended his hand towards Chris.

The gunslinger seemed to smile wider as he took Vin's hand in his own and returned the handshake. "Just make sure I never let Ezra talk me into letting him do the books." Chris laughed.

Nathan Jackson was not having a good day.

He and Rain could see the town of Four Corners in the distance and for once in his life he was grateful to be home so that he could dump Rain with Miss Alex and get some peace and quiet for a few hours. He had no idea what was wrong with the love of his life but at the moment, she was ornery that he was staring to fear for his life or his inability to keep from ending hers if she did not soon shut up. As usual, he had gone up this weekend to spend some time with Rain and check on the welfare of the Seminoles who relied upon him as their only means of proper medical care. During the entire two days there, he and Rain had done nothing but argue and just as he decided he was had tolerated just about enough of her bad mood, she declared that she was returning with him so she could spend a few days in Four Corners.

The journey had not been this long even when he had first made the ride to the village with Chris Larabee and the others, preparing to do battle with a rogue army of Confederates with five to one odds. Whatever was infuriating Rain so much was not something she was about to reveal but she complained about everything until Nathan almost contemplated the idea of taking her back to the village and continuing on alone. Despite her behaviour, it was the reason for it that was most confounding to Nathan. He had said and done nothing that might possibly offend her even though he was forced to admit that women could be funny creatures. Things that would not upset a man could turn a perfectly reasonable young lady rabid with fury.

Rain was not that far from being that.

"We're almost there." Nathan had said as she rode along side of him. Four Corners lay in the distance, separated by a gulf of flat plains. It was early spring and the temperatures were already starting to climb into summer heat. As they approached the town, he could see the shimmer of heat rising into the air from the hot ground and made a mental note to head to the saloon once he arrived in town.

"Good." She said icily.

Her manner raised his ire to no end and made Nathan increasingly agitated. He resisted the urge to shout; since they had both been doing a great deal of that throughout the journey. However, he hated this state of affairs between them and finally found himself asking her what was the reason for it. "Rain, what's the matter?"

"Nothing is the matter with me." She stated firmly, her jaw setting in that way he knew was her way of hiding a lie.

"Good Lord woman," he said exasperated. "Even a bear with a thorn in its foot ain't as mad as you are! Now you've been trying to take my head off since I got to the village which kind of makes me confused why you're coming back with me now."

Rain shifted her gaze at him. Her brown eyes narrowing as if there was much fury behind them, being contained in an iron cage of resolve.

"I am sick of waiting for you." She declared.

Nathan simply stared at her because this was not a dislike she had confessed prior to this visit. "What do you mean sick? You know I gotta be in Four Corners for a reason. I ain't staying with you because I like it." He implored, unable to believe after so long together that it would come down to this.

"Then why do you not ask me to stay with you in Four Corners?" She demanded.

In truth, he had never considered it. He had always believed she was happy in her village and that she had no wish to leave it. Nathan had not asked because he did not think it fair to naturally assume that she was willing to leave behind everything she knew simply because he asked. "I never thought you wanted to leave." He said stunned.

"Well you were wrong." Rain said glaring at him. "I do not feel like I am a part of your world Nathan." She declared. "Every time you come to visit, I hear talk about everyone, Josiah, Buck, Ezra and Alex and I believe that they are more real to you then I am. I am only a visitor in your life, not a permanent part of it."

Nathan was horrified that Rain could believe such a thing. Did she not guess how much he loved her? How many times had he ridden to see her, even when he was exhausted and ready to drop, he would rather die than break his promise to return to her. Sometimes, all that kept him from going insane was the thought of seeing her as he rode into the night, with only the memory of her smile to keep him company. There were always opportunities with other women and if Nathan had wished to exploit those avenues, he would have but he loved Rain and was unprepared to be one of those men who fidelity lasted as long as it took for them to meet the next woman who happened by.

"Rain that's crazy!" Nathan exclaimed. "What gave you an idea like that? You're the most important thing in my life. I'm learning to be a doctor with Miss Alex and studying for exams so that we can be together." He leaned over form his horse and took her hand in his, enveloping the warm of her delicate fingers with his own.

As he held her hand in his, Nathan saw the hard edge of her eyes starting to soften slightly and guessed that she was sorry at her earlier behaviour even though her pride would not allow her to admit it to him. "I am tired of being left behind Nathan." She said after a moment, her eyes falling to the dusty road before them as if she was preparing to drop another astonishing revelation in his lap. "I am returning with you to Four Corners to stay. I will not be going back to the village."

"To stay?" Nathan's eyes widened.

"Yes," she said with a tone in her voice that made Nathan's heart sink. He knew that determined expression in her eyes all too well. There would be no argument or any hope of convincing her otherwise. "I will stay in Four Corners from now on."

"You mean you want to get married?" Nathan was almost afraid to ask. "I think that's a bad idea!" He stammered. "We don't know each other, not really. I mean we've been together for a long time but not really together and..and..and.." he was running out things to say.

"What are you talking about?" She looked at him perplexed by his gibbering stutter. "I do not wish to marry you immediately either." Rain rolled her eyes and then straightened up in her horse with haughty indignation at what he had been babbling about. "What do you mean it's a bad idea?" She said angrily. "I'll have you know Nathan Jackson, that I had no plans of marrying you when I came back with you today. I only wish to see a little bit of the outside world myself." She pulled her hand away from his and stared at him imperiously. "I can take care of myself."

"Come on now Rain," Nathan groaned, cursing himself for landing his foot right in his mouth for his stupid remarks earlier. Why didn't he just give her the chance to explain before assuming that marriage was what she had in mind? "I didn't mean it that way. I was just thinking that.."

"I know exactly what you were thinking." She retorted with a voice that sounded positively glacial in its delivery. "This may surprise you but you are not the end and be all of my life. Did it ever occur to you that I might wish to see something of life outside my village? I have been there all my life and with my grandfather gone, I have no reason to stay."

Four Corners appeared around them in the midst of this conversation with Nathan hardly noticing the faces moving past him as he tried desperately to convince Rain that he did not mean to insult her when he had run off at the mouth. Who knew that she had been stewing with such ideas for so long? Every time he had been to see her, Rain had never confessed any desire to leave the village or shown any interest in the outside world. Occasionally, she came to town and visited but that was a much desire as she had ever displayed to live anywhere else but the village. Still in retrospect, he could not blame her for wanting to seek out more at this time. After all, she had lived a mostly insular existence in the Seminole village. Since the community was a mixture of escaped slaves and Indians, it was wiser to remain hidden with all the danger in the Territory at present.

"That's all well and good," Nathan replied. "I can take care of you as long as you like."

"I don't need you to take care of me like I am some child!" She barked so loudly than those townsfolk walking by had reason to pause and stare at them as they rode by. "I can find a job. This is a growing town, I am sure I can find some work."

Nathan liked this less and less and he wished he knew what had inspired such a burst of independence, not to mention stubbornness. He knew she was strong willed but Rain had never exerted her presence so prolifically until now. "What kind of work?"

"I don't know!" She retorted. "I will find something. It cannot be that hard. I have spoken to Inez, she said she might need some help in the saloon with the baby coming."

"In the saloon?" Nathan exclaimed with nothing less than horror. He knew how hard a time Inez had in the establishment, dealing with Ezra, fighting off drunks, dealing with angry customers, the occasional bar room brawl and then there was Ezra! To think that Rain might be embroiled in such unsavoury happenings was enough to make his blood boil. "No way, you gonna work inside that place! I forbid it."

"You. .forbid. .it?" She asked slowly.

"He actually said that?" Alexandra Styles asked Rain half an hour after the young woman had arrived at her home. "Nathan actually used the word forbid?"

Rain had arrived to find Alex entertaining Inez, Julia and Mary who were gathered at the kitchen table over a pot of tea and hot blueberry pie. As the young woman nestled herself in the tight knit circle of friends, she explained the argument that she had just concluded with Nathan. An argument that was ended with her embarrassing him in public by telling Nathan and possibly half the town that she was not his property and the day he forbid her to do anything and expected her to obey was the day she lost her mind. Naturally, Nathan had not taken this well and Rain had escorted herself to Alex's who often gave her a place to stay when she was in town.

"Yes and all because I told him that I was thinking of taking your offer Inez." Rain said glancing at the Mexican who was presently devouring her second piece of pie with none of the other women raising an eye in amazement. Inez's appetite was something they had become accustomed during the past few months and was now common place to all who knew her present condition.

"Forbid." Julia mused. "I don't think I've had that word used on me since I was ten." The redhead replied sipping tea from the dainty china Alex produced only for these afternoon sessions with her female companions. "And that was mostly because my father found out Bobby Fisher wanted to play doctor."

"I don't need to know." Alex retorted and Julia threw her a wicked smile before raising her cup to her lips again.

"Well, working in a saloon is not exactly the idea place." Inez pointed out trying to play devil's advocate. "Some men may have a problem with that."

"Why? It's a job." Rain countered, impatient with the whole idea what was proper work for a woman. She had spent her life harvesting crops, planting fields and digging up irrigation trenches. What passed for women's work in the Seminole village had been greatly expanded in description owing to the lack of men to and the necessity for survival.

"You are grown woman Rain," Mary said serving the girl a piece of pastry while Rain poured herself a cup of tea after Alex had handed her a cup. "You have the right to live as you wish. Besides, Inez does need the help. She can't be in the saloon serving drinks and fighting off drunks when she gets further into her term."

"Thank you for reminding me what fun filled days I have to look forward to," Inez groaned and felt the need for more pie. Turning to Alex, she looked at the doctor. "I don't suppose you have any cream to go with this, or jam?"

Alex rolled her eyes and then added. "Inez," she said sweetly. "I know we are eating for two, yourself and the baby but we are talking about a human baby here, not a buffalo. A little moderation will make delivery a little less painful when the time comes."

"DO YOU HAVE THE CREAM OR NOT!" Inez screamed and made Alex jump back, startled.

"Thar she blows!" Julia laughed. "That famous hormonal temper rises to the occasion, yet again." Her amusement was shared by everyone else at the table including Alex, who was more than used to this kind of display. Rain was looking at the pregnant woman with confusion as the others around her were laughing at Inez's outburst.

"Scream at the doctor now," Alex warned as she went to get the cream. "And you risk suffering when it comes time for that internal exam." The doctor smiled with as much deviousness as she was capable of sending in Inez's direction.

"I'm sorry," Inez replied, feeling so embarrassed by her temperamental moods. It seemed she was incapable of tolerating any kind of argument lately and was prone to flying off the handle at a moment's notice. "I'm just moody."

"Its perfectly understandable," Mary said clasping Inez's hand in warm support, completely aware of what pressures the woman was enduring.

Even though her immediate friends had no difficulty supporting Inez in what was almost a scandalous decision, the rest of the town had started to treat the Mexican as something of a leper. As the manager of a saloon, she had never been held in very high esteem anyway by the supposedly Christian folk of Four Corners but at least her virtue was never in question. Now with the impending arrival of her child, thanks to Buck Wilmington, even that last vestige of respectability was stripped from her. While the wagging tongues did not cause any real harm to someone as strong as Inez, it still hurt to have her name bandied about in the same breath one would discuss the local whore.

Inez threw Mary and the rest of the women present at the table a warm smile, wondering if they could even guess how valuable their friendship was to her at this point in time. With what she had chosen to embark upon, Inez felt comforted knowing that she would not be alone in the hardship ahead of her. "Thank you. I know I'm acting a little crazy, it's just that I really wanted that cream."

The table exploded into riotous laughter that even Rain was now participating. Alex was still giggling as she produced the jug of cream that Inez had been so adamant about receiving. The doctor pushed the pie plate in Inez's direction as well since there as only one piece left and it was never wise to deny a pregnant woman the right to her pie and cream.

"Look," Alex said pulling up a chair at the table and rejoining the group. "Nathan will just have to get over it." She advised Rain. "He's used to having you at the village where it was at his discretion whether or not he saw you. Your decision to stay in Four Corners takes that out of his hands so naturally, he's going to be a little testy."

"Well I am staying and Inez," Rain looked in the direction of the future mother to be. "If your offer still stands I would like very much to help you in the saloon."

"You can stay here as long as you like." Alex offered. "Although I suggest not running into Nathan for a while if he has a problem with you and the saloon."

"Actually," Julia spoke up, having something of her own contribution to this discussion. "I have a large house with many rooms and no chance for you to run into Nathan on a daily basis. You're welcome to board with me if you like."

"And it's closer for you to get to the saloon." Mary added.

"If you don't mind." Rain said meeting Julia's gaze. After Nathan's reaction to her decision to stay in Four Corners, paying particular regards to her working at the saloon, Rain decided some time apart would not be a bad idea. She still loved him but felt the need to explore her boundaries a little. After so long being cloistered in the village and her occasional trips to Four Corners, Rain wanted to broaden her horizons. If Nathan chose to question how she intended on carrying out that task, then as far as he she was concerned, he could go to hell.

"I'll be glad to have you stay." Julia said genuinely meaning it for she liked Rain and supported any woman who wanted to find her own place in the world as she had once been driven to do.

"Thank you." Rain smiled at the beautiful emporium owner. "I just cannot believe how pigheaded Nathan can be about this."

"They're men!" Mary exclaimed as if this explained everything. "If you look in the dictionary under the word, stubborn, pig-headed, arrogant, annoying. ."

"Don't forget brooding, somber." Alex reminded.

"Superior and smug." Came Julia's voice into the fray.

"There would be a picture there of the seven men we know." Inez concluded with a mischievous smile.

Another series of giggles and titters followed before the room returned to some measure of seriousness again. "If it were any other way, I would be married already." Inez continued. "Not living a life as a woman who has sinned." She sighed, searching for something else to eat. Alex slid the cookie jar perched on the other end of the table in her direction.

"You didn't sin," Mary groaned. "You succumbed to how you felt about Buck. Who knew the man could be so fertile in one night?"

"What makes you think its him that's fertile?" Alex spoke up. "He has slept with everything that moves. If he could get Inez knocked up after just one night, we'd be up to our knees in little Wilmingtons by now."

"And thank you for putting so much romance into your description." Inez smirked at Alex who winced when she realized what she had said.

"Romance in this place?" Mary looked at her best friend in scepticism. "When was the last time any one of us had anything in the way of romance? Come on girls, fess up. Chocolates, flowers, tokens of love? Anyone?"

No one spoke and a cricket somewhere was making itself heard most prolifically.

"Exactly." Mary replied folding her arms. "I love Chris, I truly do but if I ever got a bunch of flowers from him. I would die from the shock."

"Well Vin takes me to places where there are flowers," Alex said thinking, uncertain whether that counted or not. "And sometimes I get poetry."

"You. .get. .poetry?" Julia stared at her. "The last thing I got from Ezra was a bracelet he won off some man who was using his wife's jewellery as a stake!" She said with slight hint of outrage. "This will not do."

"I don't need to tell you what I got from Buck but suffice to say, I'll will be breast feeding it soon." Inez grumbled.

Suddenly, the kitchen door opened and Vin Tanner made his entrance. "Hey Darlin', I didn't come at bad time did I?"

Anything else he was going to say was immediately cut short by the ferocious glares being thrown in his direction by the women present at the table.

Normally, Vin could take five to one odds but judging at the icy stares aimed in his direction, the tracker decided he was not going to risk it. He swallowed and bid a hasty retreat. "Maybe I'll just come back later."

The town was hot and dusty and it sat on the edge of the border that separated America from Mexico. Despite the fact that the community was situated on the US side of the border, it had all the characteristics of a typical Mexican village. Spanish style buildings flanked the muddy track that ran through the heart of town and served its purpose as the main street. It was approaching late afternoon and still the heat felt nothing like spring but more like a hellish summer. Flies were buzzing about and the general mood of the place seemed miserable as people came and went, not wishing to be here but not finding anywhere else better to go.

Selena Quint had been through this area several times in her life and though she was not exactly what one could call a figure that was a local personality, those who lived here knew well enough to leave her alone. Although she appeared to be a well dressed lady of good fortune, those who had been unwise enough to interfere with her in a manner she found disagreeable soon learnt that under the facade of beauty was a most fatal combination of cool professionalism and ruthlessness. She dismounted her animal and glided through the street, catching a few curious glimpses as she made her way through the town.

Her appointment should already be waiting for her and she hoped that he would not keep her waiting for it was a long ride back to what she deemed to be civilization and she had not intention of remaining in this town for any longer then necessary. To her, it was nothing more than just a place to conduct business, as any watering hole might serve the purpose in that way. Still, as much attention she might draw to herself with her presence, Selena knew that people here did not talk about whom they saw here. Those who did seldom survived to regret the mistake.

The cantina was like any other, just as redeeming as the rest of town. She recognized the horse tethered to the hitching post and knew that he had already arrived. The grey mare was almost as worn as its master and just like its master, had more fight in it then anyone suspected. She had met him years ago when she had conducted business south of the border, trading her skills with the politicking that was the lifeblood of corrupt little demi-gods grasping for power. When she had known this man, he was already as vicious and greedy as any scum she had happened upon but out of their mutual need came a healthy respect for another's abilities and over the years, she had chance to call on those skills.

As she stepped past the beaded entrance into the dim innards of the establishment, she was immediately bombarded by the odor of cheap liquor and the cigar smoke, among other things, which Selena preferred not to identify. Her eyes scanned the room, searching for him in the sunless rooms of cantina, among the dark corners where occasionally a feminine voice would giggle in Spanish followed by soft whispers that left no doubt as to the intent it carried. Selena who could speak fluent Spanish sighted her party soon enough.

He waited by the bar, flirting with a rather round Mexican senora who was doing the honour behind the counter. He did not see her when she approached, moving across the floor with the silence of the wraith and just as much stealthy presence. Selena did not speak until she was almost to the stool next to him and even then, her response was a single word.

"Diaz."

He immediately turned around, making no apology to the woman he had been attempting to charm. The bar tender gave Selena a dark look as if she had intruded on what might have been a pleasant dalliance with this man. Selena could not imagine such a thing since he had passed his prime a lifetime ago and his once fine figure now reeked of the booze that had sallowed his bronze skin and loosened the taut muscle that made him something of a ladies man.

"Querida." He smiled. "It has been a while."

"Two years." Selena nodded, as she looked over her shoulder at the bartender. "Tequila please."

"I taught you well." He grinned, revealing teeth that were yellowed and missing in place. Selena had no doubt that he had traded the gold fillings long ago. "You drink like one of us."

"I am not one of you." She said firmly, disliking any thought of those days when she had considered Diaz someone she cared for. In the days of long ago, he had taught her much and she had expanded that knowledge beyond anything he could have imagined. However, it was sad for any student to see a master in decline and Selena felt some semblance of sorrow to accept that this was the way things were between them now. "Are you and your banditos still riding for hire?" She inquired.

"More or less," he said grimly. "These days, it is getting harder and harder to find decent employment. My men talk about finding better work but most of them are bound to me because there is nothing else for them and they know it. We will ride until we drop."

"You have to eat." She pointed out as she downed the tequila with one sharp toss of her head. She noticed Diaz smiling at her as she did that, pleased that she still drank in the manner he had taught her since it was he who had introduced her to the drink.

"We do." Diaz replied. "But we do not need a job for that. There are a lot of little villages like this own around the border, far away from the army or the law. We ride in and take what we want, ride out again before anyone can raise an alarm. I suppose we are scavenging." He chortled even though his voice indicated that there was nothing at all amusing about living that way.

Once again, a pang of sadness reached her heart over his circumstances but she crushed it ruthlessly, having no wish to grieve over things that should have no concern for her. "I have a job for you and I can guarantee you that it will pay extremely handsomely."

"What kind of job?" He asked, his voice perking up considerably even though he was trying not to show it.

So, he did have some pride left, Selena thought. "Does it matter?"

"No," Diaz shook his head. "I suppose it does not but I would like to know something more about it. I have to tell my men something."

"That is fair." She had to concede to that particular demand. "I need you and your men as a show of force. We are to be instruments of a very abject lesson to be remembered for the next two decades, if my employers have their way. You will be provided with everything you need from ammunition, supplies and fresh horses if they are required. However, you will not see a cent of your money until the job is done. I will have none of you run out of me until the contract is completed. Do we understand each other Diaz?"

He saw the glimmer of menace in her eyes and knew that it was not a request made lightly. "My men will not like being held to ransom." He pointed out unhappily.

"And I will not have you running at the first sign of trouble." She said coldly. "You stay for the duration or you will not get a cent. Tell your men that if they stay until the job is done, I can guarantee they will walk away with no less a thousand dollars each."

"A thousand dollars does me little good." Diaz retorted, making his bid for money, as Selena was certain he would. "I would go through that in a month."

"As leader, I have ensured that you will five thousand dollars American." She stated, prepared for this.