Author's note: This story was originally posted on Riders Coming! A The Young Riders Web site. It has been cleaned up, tweaked and re-edited. Feedback is much appreciated.

Standard disclaimer: The Young Riders don't belong to the author, but to MGM/UA Television, Ed Spielman and Josh Kane. I'm just borrowing them. No copyright infringement intended.

Day of Discovery

By Kate Red

Bright slashes of red and yellow filled the horizon as the sun peeked from the behind the mountains. Sam Cain marveled at the beauty before him, happy to be witness to it every day. He knew he would never cease to be amazed by the untamed grandeur of the West. To him, only one woman can hold a candle to the wild magnificence of Mother Nature, and the image of an irate Emma Shannon prompted Sweetwater's marshall to spur his horse to a gallop to continue his early morning journey to the Pony Express station.

As he approached the station, Sam pulled his horse to walk. He didn't want to wake up everybody and spoil his surprise to Emma. Sam smiled as he patted the hamper tied to his saddle. He woke up the Sweetwater Hotel's cook at an ungodly hour to ask him to prepare a picnic basket for two. The temperamental French guy nearly swooned when Sam told him he wanted to surprise "Miss Shannon." Apparently, the marshall's romance with the owner of the Pony Express stationhouse was not quite a secret.

Sam got off his horse and walked towards Emma's house. After tying his horse loosely to the porch post and taking down the basket, Sam took off his hat and used it to slap the dust out of his coat and pants. He finger-combed his hair into some semblance of order, wondering not for the first time if he should have asked his deputy, Barnett, for some of the pomade he used. Satisfied he looked presentable, Sam moved towards one of the windows to peer inside. Seeing nobody, he decided to go around and go in through the back door.

Just as he was about to go around the house, two figures emerged from the barn. Sam dropped down to a crouch and tried to make his way to the space between the bunkhouse and Emma's house. As he leaned on one side of the bunkhouse, he saw the Kid get on Katy. Lou followed a little distance behind. The two riders spent a couple of minutes talking, minutes Sam spent wondering if he should reveal himself. The decision was made for him when Kid looked around, then reached down to draw Lou to him and kiss her lightly on the lips. Shocked, Sam stumbled backwards and landed on the seat of his pants.

Kid and Lou? He was confused. They did kiss on the lips, didn't they, the two male riders? He'd known of men who were attracted and had relationships with other men, but he didn't peg the boy from Virginia to be the type. Not that there is anything wrong with that, Sam told himself. Righting himself, Sam peeked again from the side of the bunkhouse to see another rider gallop in and Kid take the pouch. With a wave of his hand, he was off on his morning run.

"Sam Cain? What the hell are you doing there?" Sam turned to see Emma wiping her hands on the apron tied to her waist.

"I, ah, well uh ..." Her raised eyebrows indicated Emma was waiting for an explanation. "Happy birthday, Emma," Sam blurted out. The sight of men in liplock seemed to have robbed him of speech.

"Why thank you, Sam. Is that the reason for the picnic basket here?" Emma pointed to the hamper with a toss of head.

Recovering, Sam stood up and brushed the dust from his pants. So much for looking your best, he thought. "Well, yeah. I thought we could take a nice long ride together. Down the lake, by the willows. What do you say?"

"I've got work to do."

"Aw Emma, it's your birthday. Teaspoon can hold the fort for a day." Sam wrapped his arms around her waist and drew her to him. "C'mon, just the two of us together. No unruly town, no rambunctious boys."

As if on cue, Cody burst out of the bunkhouse. "Emma, I got a special run.

But I need breakfast before I leave. Can I eat before the others?"

Shaking her head, Emma glanced at Sam before turning to look at the young man. "I'll talk to Mr. Spoon first."

"Aw, Emma." Cody shut up when Emma tossed him a look, grumbling as he made his way inside the bunkhouse. Sam caught Emma's hand as she walked toward the riders' quarters. She looked up at him and smiled.

"As soon as I talk with Mr. Spoon."

He had the woman he loved beside him. They just finished a scrumptious meal. But Sam's mind wasn't on his and Emma's private celebration. His thoughts jumped from one memory to another as he racked his brain searching for clues to Kid and Lou's "unusual" relationship. True, the two riders have been extremely close, but Sam thought it was just because they were the best of friends, like Buck and Ike. He didn't think there was anything out of the ordinary of the bond between the two young men. Though he did wonder at the extreme reactions of Kid and Lou when the other was in trouble.

Sam remembered seeing Lou cry on one occasion. Kid and Cody were missing and Lou went after Jimmy for not showing enough concern for their fellow riders. Jimmy shouted back, leaving a tearful Lou. Later, when the Kid arrived, Sam noticed how Lou's face lit up and he surreptitiously exchanged his full plate for the Kid's. The incident was forgotten for right after that they got the message Buck was in danger.

Then there was that time Kid was railroaded into jail and forced into hard labor. Sam and the "boys" rode out to find the Kid. On the trail at night, he heard Buck, Jimmy and Cody trying to comfort a very upset Lou. Again, Sam told himself, they're friends, of course, Lou would be upset.

But there was also that time when that insurance man, what was his name? Oh yeah, Tyler Dewitt. He arrived in Sweetwater. Until now, he could never figure out how Lou got involved with the Dewitt fellow. Both Lou and the Kid clammed up when Sam asked, and since they got the gang, he never thought to ask again. But now that he thought about it, there was something about Kid's concern when he told Sam Lou was missing. At that time, he couldn't quite put a finger on it. But now, Sam realized there was a tinge of jealousy and suspicion in Kid's voice.

"Hey."

Sam opened his eyes to see Emma above him, tickling his nose with a blade of grass. Instinctively, he curled a hand around Emma's nape and brought her lips down to his. When they pulled apart, Emma noticed Sam although Sam was looking at her, he wasn't quite seeing her.

Emma disentangled herself from Sam's arms and sat back. "What's on your mind?"

"Nothing."

"Sam, you haven't been yourself since we rode out of the station this morning. Now, tell me why. Is there a problem in town?" Emma's concerned gaze raked over Sam's face, noting his wonderful mouth, the angled panes of his cheeks, his troubled eyes. "Sam?"

The Marshall cleared his throat. "Emma ... have you noticed anything unusual about your riders?"

"What do you mean?"

"Just anything," Sam grappled with the words, not exactly knowing what he wanted to say, or know, "out of the ordinary."

"You mean aside from the fact that the Sweetwater station has six of the finest looking young men in the territory. All of them dead shots. All of them with stubborn but with good hearts?"

Sam smiled. "Yeah. They are good boys, aren't they?" He stood up and began to pace. Glancing down at Emma and seeing her questioning look, Sam pressed on. "How about their, their uh ... friendships?" At Emma's puzzled look, Sam sat back down and took her hands in his. He didn't know how to tell her. He didn't know what would happen if Emma and Teaspoon found out about Lou and the Kid.

"It's not that it is wrong. It is just unusual. Again, it's no crime. If this is truly what they are, we have to accept it. We are their family now and maybe they'll need people to talk to."

"Sam Cain! Spit it out, you are giving me a headache."

"This morning," Sam began hesitantly then stopped. taking a deep breath, he tried again. "This morning I saw the Kid kiss Lou. On the lips. Before his morning run," he poured out in a rush, bracing himself from Emma's outraged reaction.

Sam imagined all sorts of reactions from the woman next to him, but her peals of laughter were certainly unexpected. "What? Emma? What?"

Emma looked at Sam then collapsed in a heap of laughter again. She tried several times to speak out, but couldn't get anything out. Sam watched, confused with the reaction. Finally, Emma was able to control herself and she dried her tears with the back of her hand. She glanced at Sam, but dropped her head again when she felt her laughter bubble again. She decided she was better off not looking at his poor, confused face. "Sam, promise me you would not tell a soul about what I'm going to tell you. You can talk to the boys but never to Mr. Spoon."

When Sam did not respond, Emma turned to him and found him watching her with a bemused expression. "Sam? Are you listening?"

"Uh-huh."

"Sam, Lou is a girl." Emma watched as a myriad of expressions flew across Sam's face. He started to speak several times but finally closed his mouth when he couldn't form the words he wanted to say. Finally, "How could that be?"

Emma hid a smile as she answered, "Born that way, I guess."

As realization finally dawned, Sam stood up and shouted an expletive. "Of course. Why didn't I see it before?"

"Probably because you weren't looking too hard. People tend to accept things they see at face value."

"She and the Kid?"

"You're right. There's more than friendship there. I think Kid was the first among the boys to discover Lou wasn't what they thought she was."

"No wonder, he is very protective of her. It is a dangerous life she chose."

"But she's very good at it." Pulling Sam down to the blanket, Emma looked straight in his eyes. "Sam, don't tell Teaspoon. I promised Lou."

Sam hesitated. A woman like Lou shouldn't be doing the things she had been doing. The world out there is full of danger. But he has seen Lou in a fight. He has also seen the steely gaze in her eyes and the obstinate thrust of her chin. Searching Emma's face, he saw the strength of her belief in her young charge. "And you? When did you know?"

"Right from the first."

Sam sighed. "Kid is going to have a hell of a time."

The end