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For me no sorrow, nor the hopeless tear;

No chant, no prayer, no tender eulogy:

I may be laughing with the gods- while here

You weep alone. Then make no grave for me.

Chris met the men as they rode up in the yard, his children standing close at hand. "Raiders."

"Any idea who they were?" JD asked calmly. The boy had matured into a steady, solid man.

"Nope seven rode out, the rest are over by the gulch. Kev and Annika caught them in a crossfire and whittled 'em down a bit. They sure weren't expecting that kind of a greeting," Chris grinned maliciously. "Kev said they started south but swung west once they were out of sight.

"The Little Falcon would know," Chanu nodded. Dark eyes looked toward the grape arbor in concern.

"Kev got hit but it doesn't look too bad," Larabee reported.

"Too soon to bear a warrior's scars," Chanu sighed.

"He shouldn't have to," Chris growled.

"He is the Falcon's son, born to be a protector. This is only the first of many. Would you have him be otherwise, Lar-a-bee?" Chanu asked seriously.

"No, no, he is what he is. It's just hard thinking of my boys facing trouble." Chris sighed.

"It is hard, I have often wanted to hide him in the mountains," Chanu admitted ruefully. "He has made a place in my heart as well."

"Been meaning to talk to you about that. Kev needs to go to school," Chris sighed deeply.

"If he came to me at those times I would bring him back," Chanu said firmly but his eyes twinkled. Better you than me. A thankless job keeping the Falcon inside walls when he wants to fly.

Chris smiled ruefully. "Any idea where he goes at those times. A man worries."

"Out there Larabee," Chanu waved in a large circle. "He will come back," the warrior promised.

"Chris, we need to get after those Raiders. I hate to leave you like this," Sheriff Dunne interrupted.

"We'll be fine JD," Larabee soothed.

"Josiah, Ezra and some other folks are coming out as soon as they get they wagons loaded." JD reported.

"Wagons? How'd you know we were in trouble anyway?" Chris asked curiously.

"Chanu came flying into town saying the ranch was burning," Dunne explained.

"I saw the smoke from the ridge." Chanu pointed at the rise off to the south. "I could see that the Raiders had left, by the time I could get off the ridge I was almost in town anyway so I brought help."

"'Preciate it," Larabee said holding out a hand.

"I will track for Sheriff Dunne now." Chanu grasped Chris' arm before remounting. Dark eyes lingered on the tableau under the grape arbor.

"Come back, Kev will want to see you," Chris suggested.

Chanu nodded before leading the posse toward the southwest where he could cut their trail.

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Nathan fumed softly under his breath as he bent over the injured boy.

"Yah mad wit' me?" Kev's pain filled eyes opened.

"No I ain't mad with you," I just hate patching holes in people I love. Nathan sighed stroking a gentle hand over the boy's thick curls. Yah mad wit' me? I haven't heard that since your daddy died. Let's hope you're a better patient. . . . Kev sure carries his daddy's mark now don't he. Guess it's seeing Kev laying here hurt bringing it all back. . . . Lord child he was so proud of you. Kev had hardly took his first breath 'fore the poor boy was an orphan. I should have kept Tanner in my clinic. He wasn't in any shape to watch his back. Chris and Buck were with him, I thought it would be better. Didn't seem right cleaning Branwen up for the burying with Vin looking on. Still can't figure what went wrong during that birthing. Poor girl just started bleeding and wouldn't stop.

Kev's nose twitched and he sneezed, jerking hard. "Unca Nate, it hurts a might," Kev gritted, fists turning white knuckled as he clutched the sheet.

"Got some medicine for you. Should make it stop hurting for a while." Nathan coaxed smiling warmly over at Annika as she picked up the cup.

"I want you to drink it all Kev," Annika ordered placing the cup to the boy's lips while Nathan lifted him.

"Uck," Kev grunted but swallowed the laudanum laced water without further protest.

"Are yah sure the babies is fine?" Kev asked worriedly.

"Pestering your Uncle Buck the lot of them," Annika soothed.

"I'm sorry Momma," Kev turned his check into the palm of the only mother he had ever known.

"What for son?" Annika asked faintly.

"I tried but there were just too many. I'm sorry your purty lace got all burnt up," Kev answered sleepily.

"Hush now, you saved what was important to me. Sleep now," Annika began to sing a Swedish cradlesong. Kev smiled faintly and relaxed soothed by the familiar tune.

"Sarah heard you," Chris carried over the softly fussing baby. "I tried to calm her but I think she's hungry again."

"Sit with Kev while I see to her," Annika stood up and held out her arms to the baby.

Chris sat down and held Kev's hand. "Buck and Mr. Campbell are taking the door off the root cellar. We managed to make a couple of saw horses so you won't have to try and work on Kev while he's on the ground."

"Thanks, that'll be for the best. Never know when this ole knee is gonna seize up." Nathan sighed, rubbing the aching leg distractedly.

"Wish there was some way to fix that," Chris sighed deeply as well.

"Better my knee then a hole in my head. Did I ever tell you thanks for knocking me out of the way?" Jackson once more tried to relieve the guilt Larabee felt for damaging Nathan's knee during the rescue.

"Only a hundred times. Still doesn't make me wish it had never happened," Chris muttered.

"It did and I'm alive, so things worked out for the best," Nathan patted the ex-shootist's shoulder.

Nathan leaned down and raised one of Kev's eyelids. "If they've got that table put together it's time, Kev's under good and deep."

"Looks like Annika's putting a clean sheet over it now." Chris lifted the slender boy into his arms and stood up with a soft groan.

"Just wrong, I brought that boy into this world just yesterday. He's too young for me to be sewing up bullet holes." Jackson fumed as he followed Chris to the jury-rigged surgery.