Disclaimer: Alias Smith and Jones does not belong to me. This is fan fiction, not for profit.
Any references to people, places, businesses, etc. are entirely fictitious.
A/N – story presumes the details on the wanted posters are not entirely accurate. Can be considered a sequel to Kid Plans, but should also stand alone.
South By Southeast
-x-x-x-x-x-x-
"We could go by way of Denver," said Kid.
Heyes, already several yards ahead of him on the split to the southern trail, reined in his chestnut. The dark haired, newly retired outlaw, turned to look at his cousin. Kid's white button down shirt still looked fresh, although the tall blond had removed his sheepskin jacket and tucked it behind his saddle with his bedroll. Even this early in the day, Heyes felt sweat dribbling down between his shoulder blades, soaking through his black shirt.
"Now Kid," asked Heyes as he pushed the black hat shading his face further back on his head and regarded his partner quizzically, "why would we want to do that?"
"Brownsville Texas is southeast," answered Kid. Blue eyes continued to stare down the rugged trail. "And Denver is on the way."
The rocky meandering trail that Kid was contemplating would lead to Denver, eventually. The master strategist had read so many maps they were permanently imprinted on his mind. If needed, Heyes could probably draw an accurate representation of all the trails leading from Porterville Wyoming to Brownsville Texas. But the southeast trail also went by way of Laramie, Hanford, and Fort Collins. Heyes would just as soon keep far away from all those places, especially Hanford.
"I thought we both agreed to go by way of Albuquerque," cajoled Heyes.
"No," objected Kid. The younger Kansan lifted up his brown hat and wiped a hand across his forehead before settling it back firmly upon his head. "You said if we're gonna deliver the governor's package to Brownsville we should go south, then east. I'm saying we might as well start southeast now."
Hmmph sniffed Heyes. Kid picked a fine time to get proddy about directions. The longer route by way of Albuquerque was safer in Heyes' opinion.
"Lom didn't say there was any rush," reminded Heyes. "The Governor will be happy as long as we get the package there by the end of July."
"I'd like to be headed back north well before the end of July," remarked Kid.
"Let's not argue about which trail to take," coaxed Heyes. The dark haired Kansan gave his cousin a dimpled smile on his face. "Why don't we just flip a coin?"
"No," answered Kid.
A stubborn expression settled on the blond's face. Kid clicked his tongue against his teeth and nudged the bay forward past a stand of lodgepole pines onto the southeast trail.
"If there is no rush," continued Kid, "then Lom won't mind if we stop by Clem's place for a visit."
Oh, thought Heyes, of course. Aside from each other, Clem was their best friend. Heyes nudged the chestnut with his heels remembering the first time Kid told Heyes they needed to stop by Denver.
-x-x-x-x-x-x
Heyes wanted Kid out of Texas. Finding his cousin with a worrisome reputation as a fast draw made the dark haired Kansan eager to get Kid headed northward, away from potential trouble. The skinny seventeen year old packed his meagre belongings and was ready to leave San Antonio within the hour. Kid told Heyes they needed to stop by Denver before the partners had even shaken the dust of San Antonio from their heels.
"Why?"
"Clem lives just outside of town," answered Kid.
"Clem? Clementine Hale?" asked Heyes in surprise. "How do you know where she lives now?"
Four years earlier, the dark haired man had first met Clementine Hale the last spring he spent at Valparaiso Home for Wayward Boys. A skinny little flat chested fourteen year old girl had accompanied her father to work in early April. The bookkeeper was auditing the home's books. The job was supposed to take one week, but Mr. Hale's findings, and the resultant scandal about misuse of government funds, extended the Hale's stay. Heyes remembered Curry sat next to the young girl when the wayward boys were sent to the same public school as the town children for the remainder of that school year. When Heyes was released that summer, for a short while he boarded at the same rooming house as the Hale family.
"We're friends," replied the young blond gunslinger. "We write to each other…"
The mixture of feelings in Heyes stomach was nauseating. Surprise at the idea of Kid writing to Clem battled feelings of guilt. Heyes had written too, but apparently none of his letters ever arrived. Whether the fault lay with his scrawling, sprawling handwriting, the post office or Headmaster McCormick, it didn't matter. His younger cousin hadn't known where Heyes was during Curry's last two years at Valparaiso.
"I wrote," interrupted the dark haired Kansan with a wounded look. "I'm sorry you didn't get any of my letters, but it wasn't my fault..."
Kid stared at Heyes, not saying a word. Finally, the older Kansan ran out of protests and apologies. Heyes stopped talking.
"Do you want me to answer your question," asked Kid quietly, "or not?"
"Yes," answered Heyes.
"Last year Clem moved to Denver," stated Kid. "She wrote and told me her new address."
Brown eyes popped wide. Seriously? That was an answer, but couldn't Kid say anything more than that? Heyes had searched ages for Kid. The young gunslinger didn't stay settled in one place long. Finally Heyes had located his cousin in San Antonio. How had Clem known to write Kid in San Antonio? And for that matter, how had they ever started writing each other? Over the next several days, Heyes tried to pry some more information from his closed mouthed cousin. It wasn't until Heyes asked something really basic that he got anywhere.
"When did you and Clem start writing to each other?" asked Heyes.
"The first letter came shortly after Clem and her father moved to Texas," answered the blond with a small chuckle. "I think writing a letter was an assignment from her new school teacher. You remember how Clem was about lessons."
Heyes chuckled too. He remembered the bright girl's insatiable curiosity. And Clem had been tenacious about learning. Heyes doubted anyone but Clem would have managed to get his cousin to learn his lines for his part in the school play that year.
"They left Valparaiso soon after you disappeared looking for work," continued Kid.
"I didn't disappear!" protested Heyes.
Kid raised one eyebrow. Heyes squirmed a bit under that familiar questioning look. The look that only his cousin ever managed, the look that seemed to say Heyes had been caught out spinning some wild tale and now would be a good time to rein it in. Heyes swallowed. At the time, Heyes thought leaving Kid at Valparaiso was safer than taking his young cousin with him. Now, Heyes ranked that decision as one of his worst mistakes ever. The twenty-one year old looked away.
"At least I didn't disappear on purpose," muttered Heyes.
For a few minutes, Kid remained silent. The younger Kansan seemed intent on guiding his horse through the narrow trail by the river bluff. Then Heyes heard his partner's soft response.
"I didn't disappear on purpose either," replied Kid. There was a slight pause, then Curry added, "S'okay. You're here now. We're together again. That's what's important."
The two young men continued travelling northwest. Although Heyes got a brief glimpse of Kid's life in Texas from an old man named Artie their first night out on the trail, most of Kid's time since leaving Valparaiso remained a mystery. Something's were painfully obvious. Kid was too thin. The sleeve's on his spare shirt ended a good inch above his wrist. Later, when they ran into Kid's friend Joe, Heyes got another glimpse of his cousin's dangerous life in Texas. Joe's stories of Waco and Amarillo and Kid's shooting ability filled a few long evenings as the man rode with them, but Kid himself remained reticent. It wasn't until three days after Joe departed when Heyes asked the most basic question of all that his cousin finally opened up some.
"Yeah but Kid, I just don't understand," continued Heyes. "Why did you go to Texas when you knew I went north?"
"Didn't know where you were or even if you were alive," replied Kid with a shrug of his broad shoulders. "Clem's letters sounded worrisome, like there was trouble. I went to Amarillo because I thought she needed me."
Kid's answer surprised his cousin. Heyes remembered the feisty brunette. Clementine Hale was one of the most independent young ladies he'd ever met. So why did Kid think his friend needed his help? Heyes had a feeling he might not like the answer, but he pressed on anyway.
"What kind of trouble Kid?" asked Heyes. "Why did Clem need you?"
The sound of Kid's laughter echoed in the narrow canyon they were riding through.
"There wasn't any trouble, at least not then," responded Kid. "Clem was just being a worry wart. She said she needed to keep an eye on me since you weren't around."
"Clem knew I wasn't around?" asked Heyes in surprise.
"Yeah," answered the tall blond. "She knew I was worried about you."
Although Heyes appreciated the fact that Clem wanted to watch out for his younger cousin, the idea that Kid and Clem wrote about Heyes was somewhat unsettling. And Heyes noted Kid's comment about trouble. His cousin was falsely rumored to have killed two men, but neither shooting took place in Amarillo. What kind of trouble occurred later?
"There wasn't any reason to worry," protested Heyes. "I managed just fine on my own."
"Good, then you can tell Clem," said Kid, "She was worried about you too, but she always had faith in you. Clem kept telling me you would show up some day."
"Clem will be glad to know she was right, again," responded Heyes with a wry grin.
The cousins exchanged a glance. Kid's eyes rolled.
"This is one time when I ain't gonna get upset," chuckled Kid, "no matter how many times she says I told you so."
Two tired travel worn men rode into the small front yard of a neatly painted white house nestled beneath three large cottonwood trees on the outskirts of town many days later.
"Clem!" shouted Curry as he dismounted and looped his reins over the hitching post.
"Jed!" a voice called in recognition.
The front door opened. Heyes caught a quick glimpse of white petticoats flashing as he dismounted. A dark haired young woman ran out of the house and jumped into Kid's arms. Brown eyes widened in surprise. Clem was kissing Kid! Kissing him on the lips, exuberantly even! Just how close had Kid and Clem become since those long ago school days wondered Heyes. For a moment, Heyes worried, but then Kid set Clem back down on her feet. The tiny woman turned to face Heyes. Her hazel eyes lit up with delight.
"Heyes!" greeted Clem.
The dark haired Kansan barely had time to brace himself before Clem launched herself at him. Heyes caught the curvaceous young woman, and felt tiny hands frame his face. Then warm welcoming lips were covering his face with kisses too.
"I'm glad you boys are back together again," whispered Clem into Heyes ear. "The two of you need each other."
-x-x-x-x-x-x
"We missed Thanksgiving," commented Kid as Heyes caught up to his partner on the southeast trail.
Kid and Clem's continued correspondence over the years via the Wildwood Telegraph and Post office had surprised Heyes. And that first invitation, please come to Denver before you get snowed in, maybe stay for Thanksgiving, had started a tradition. But last fall, for the first time in eight years, the cousins missed their annual trip to Denver.
"I know," sighed Heyes as he closed his dark brown eyes. "You couldn't rightly travel then Kid."
The Devil's Hole Gang had earned a well-deserved reputation as the most successful band of outlaws in the territory. The gang specialized in midnight bank jobs, and the occasional train job. Usually, robbing trains was more dangerous. Banks had this nice reassuring habit of sitting still and not moving, but last fall, the Hanford Bank job had suddenly turned very dangerous. And for the second time since Heyes had taken over leadership of the gang, a member of the Devil's Hole Gang was wounded.
"We should stop by and see her," insisted his partner. "Explain why we didn't come. Clem will be happy to know we're going for amnesty."
"Kid," objected Heyes, "we can't tell her. Remember it's our little secret."
Kid rolled his blue eyes at Heyes.
"When have we ever managed to keep a secret from Clem?"
-x-x-x-x-x-x