Lou stared at her boots; a particularly worn spot of leather reminded her she would soon need new ones. She sighed but very much welcomed the random thought. It was a brief reprieve from the fretting over her feelings for the Kid; her emotions had escalated to new levels in the last few days and she struggled with the exact reason why.

She had been in a good place with him recently. They had slowly but surely started to find each other again, at a much more comfortable pace than when they were together. While there hadn't been talk about officially getting back together, the Kid had told her in that letter how he felt about her. His very carefully chosen words told her how much he still cared when they were dealing with the Pike situation and they had left her behind. He had been there to comfort and support her when she needed it, but no longer smothered her like when they were together.

Only now Doritha was in the picture too, and just like that everything changed. Kid spent nearly all his free time with her and when he wasn't away doing whatever with her he would come home reclusive and distant. What is more, the whole situation made Lou hate who she had become around him. She was not one to nag, push or be emotionally needy yet this was exactly what she had become since Doritha had come into their lives. '*His* life', she admonished internally.

As she sat on the bench in front of the bunkhouse, on the lookout for trouble together with Buck stood on the other side of the porch, Lou's thoughts went into overdrive. Kid had plenty of female interest and it had never bothered her before – save Samantha– so what was it about Doritha that riled her so much?

When the door to the bunkhouse opened, her thoughts were abruptly interrupted. Doritha stepped out, and Lou instinctively turned her head and briefly look at her. The way she held her hands neatly folded in front of her bristled Lou. It was so dainty, so proper, so….feminine.

"Can we talk? Doritha asked.

"Sure" Lou tried to come across uninterested and wouldn't look up or moving a muscle.

"Alone."

Lou sighed and got up and faced Doritha, folding her arms in front of her chest. "Buck," She called out his name, the tone of her voice making it clear she asked to give them privacy.

Buck turned on his heels and heads out to the side of the bunkhouse. Doritha took a few steps closer to Lou.

"Mind if I ask you a question? It's kind of personal."

Unsure where this conversation headed Lou decided it was best to stay quiet. She looked Doritha straight in the eyes and waited for her to continue.

Doritha cocked her head a little, "I know how you and the Kid feel about each other. Why aren't you…?"

"Together?" Lou finished the sentence for her. "We tried it once, time wasn't right I guess."

Doritha nodded and slightly pursed her lips. "There was a time I would have given anything for him to belong to me"

The admission felt far too intimate to Lou. She stared back without blinking, her gut churning uncomfortably and mind reeling with a flurry of thoughts and emotions. Lou found herself wishing this conversation would be over, she didn't want to hear how Doritha felt – not then and not now. Nevertheless, it was clear the blond-haired woman with the dainty hairdo had not yet made her point - she paused for a moment - as if to think of the right words to use for wat she wanted to say next.

"Just tell me one thing; does he know how lucky he is having you for a friend?"

Lou had stopped breathing for a moment; not prepared for the feelings that came with being called Kid's friend by her direct competition. Lou realised she didn't want to be the Kid's friend, not primarily anyway. An avalanche of emotions, carefully ignored over the last months and buried deeply inside came rushing to the surface. More than anything in the world Lou wanted to know that Kid was hers and hers alone; she wanted – no, NEEDED - to get back together.

"You be good to him, Louise," Doritha's voice sounded strained as she made her way back inside.

Lou sat down, her stomach full of fluttering butterflies and she felt the need to clutch her sides to calm herself down. It was hard to hate Doritha, especially after this. While Lou struggled through most of this conversation, it had nothing to do with Kid's childhood friend. Doritha had been nothing but gracious, nice and caring.

Her mind made up just like that; all she could think of was reconnecting with the Kid. But she realised that getting together would require something she had been avoiding for a while now. They would have to work through their issues, and Lou had no idea how to go about any of that. Fully engrossed in her thoughts she nearly missed Kid returning to the bunkhouse.

"Any luck?" She asked, already knowing the answer by the look on his face.

Kid held up his hands a little and gave her a brief shake of his head before reaching out to open the door. Just before he steps in Lou called out to him.

"Kid?... I can see why you loved her."

Lou looked down, afraid to meet his eyes. This situation was hard enough for him without her throwing oil on the fire, but she wanted to let him know she could see through his eyes, no matter how difficult it the situation. It was a good enough a place to start, she figured.