Noah wasn't in the best of moods to begin with. He and Jimmy had headed back to Sweetwater and left Cody behind to chase after some childhood hero. Sure he had caved and gone along with it and so had Jimmy but it still ate at him a little. Cody was always shirking responsibility and the rest of them were always picking it up on his behalf. The two of them rode into the station yard and Jimmy nodded to Noah that he would take care of the horses. Noah was grateful. He knew he had been a lousy traveling companion but he was angry with Jimmy. When Cody asked to stay on the extra day, the only one of them voicing a complaint had been Noah. Sometimes Noah felt that Jimmy gave Cody way too much leeway.

Once dismounted, Noah headed inside and nearly collapsed on his bunk. He was dog tired and with Cody not coming home with them, that wasn't going to get better immediately. There would be more work for all of them until he got back. He sighed knowing that laying there fretting about Cody's absence wasn't going to help him rest as it was only getting him angrier and worked up. He needed sleep and he willed Cody from his mind and closed his eyes. He was just beginning to relax and drift into sleep when he heard the shifting bunk across the room. So Kid was getting up. That was no big deal. He relaxed further and sleep was just about to overtake him when he heard his name being called out.

"Noah," a pause followed and Noah tried to will himself to sleep. He liked all the riders well enough but right then he didn't have the patience for anyone at all.

"Noah," the call came again.

"What is it, Kid?" Noah asked not even thinly veiling his annoyance.

"I was wondering if I could talk to you about something."

Noah sighed and sat up taking in the troubled looking young man before him. He tried for a smile but doubted it looked very comforting.

"What do you need to talk about?"

"Lou."

Noah was torn between a number of responses right then and the confusion kept his face in a non-committal expression. He half wanted to laugh that Kid was finally wanting to talk to someone about Lou and even wanted to laugh more that Kid would talk to him of all people. Then he felt angry that he was being kept from sleep by the silly love problems of Kid and Lou while he also knew he would be taking on extra work for Cody's silliness.

"Seems you'd accomplish more talking to her than about her."

Kid ran a hand over his face and looked lost. Noah almost felt bad for him…almost.

"I don't even know what to say to her," Kid said, "I don't know what to do, what comes next."

"And you're asking me?" Noah more stated than asked, "Why on earth would you think to ask me?"

"Well..." he paused sheepishly, "you were the only one here, in this bunk house when I finally got some courage to talk about it, just now... maybe I didn't think... Just forget I said anything."

"You know what, Kid?" Noah said, his dander really beginning to rise, "I don't think I will forget you said anything. I let a little too much go with you and I try to tell myself you mean well or you don't realize what you're saying but I don't think I'm going to let this one go. You have no idea what you just asked, do you?"

"I-I'm sorry," Kid stammered, "I didn't think it would upset you."

"You don't think a lot, do you?" Noah ranted on and didn't even wait for a response, "You've got a girl and that's just great for you and we're happy for you and we're happy for her. Honest, we are. But your constant brooding about it is like to drive a man crazy. Honestly how do you think it makes the rest of us feel with you having what every man wants?"

"You all will find-"

"Stop it right there," Noah snapped, "You don't know that. You can't know that anymore than you can know what it's like for us. And you can't do that when you don't even try. Sure Cody'll find a nice girl someday and if he lets her in, they'll live happy ever after. Jimmy don't exactly attract the cream of the crop anymore so which of the legend chasing manipulative women who flock to him do you figure for a true love match?"

He took a breath and Kid looked like he thought about speaking but then realized Noah was far from over.

"Ike is one of the kindest men any woman is likely to meet but how many of them give him even a glance? Buck? Right, Buck's going to find some girl who doesn't mind being labeled a whore for even sparing him a friendly look. And as for me, well, gee Kid, you notice better than most what sets me apart. You see a lot of women of my kind around here? You know what would happen if I even asked a white woman to dance? I would be swinging from the nearest tree. Do you have any idea what that is like? I'm a young healthy man, same as you but instead of thinking about courting a young lady or wondering what to say to her or fretting over the next step in whatever is going on, I get to listen to you do it while having no chance at it myself. It's bad enough you asked me just because I happened to be here but the fact that I can't help you and why I can't is just more than I want to deal with right now."

"I really am sorry Noah," Kid said and he was. He had gotten so wrapped up in his worrying that he hadn't thought this out at all. "I guess a part of me sometimes forgets, well…you know. I know you think it's all I see but it's not. And maybe I asked because sometimes you seem like you know more. I respect what you say. Maybe it doesn't show but I do."

Noah softened a little. It wasn't all Kid's fault; he had been in a foul mood to begin with.

"I probably shouldn't have gone off on you like that," Noah told him, "Go back to what I said first. Talk to her. She's the only one whose opinion counts anyway. I have a feeling you two will be just fine if you forget all your worrying and just let things happen the way they ought to."

Kid smiled, "Thanks Noah, I hope you can still get some sleep."

Noah returned the smile and lay back down on the bunk. Actually he felt much better for getting all that off his chest and was pretty sure he could sleep through near to anything right then.

This was written a while ago as a challenge at another site. It was proposed that a few of us take a look at a particular scene and think how it might have gone down if the players were different. The scene was in the episode Requiem for a Hero and it is the scene where Kid asks Jimmy for advice. So we played with what it might have looked like if Kid hadn't asked Jimmy. If he had asked one of the others. This was my take on how it might have gone for him to ask Noah. It was actually kind of fun to write. Since this story I have been feeling a little more connected to Noah...enough that I kept feeling I needed to write a story featuring him. I can tell you now it is in the works. It will be published within the month of February. The first chapter should be here the first of the month. I'm quite excited.

Anyway, a couple of us were talking today and realized I hadn't ever posted this story here...so I thought I should. I hope you all found it enjoyable.-J