She swung her legs as she sat quietly on the wooden fence line, eyes closed as she felt the rare, cool breeze sweeping past. Her hands rested on the wood on her sides, gripping the older fence as she felt the rough patches. "Victoria Dawn Vega! How many times do I have to tell you to not-sit-on-that-fence until it is fixed?" a shout bellowed in the distance.

Coffee brown eyes roll open, and a small groan left her lips as Victoria shoved herself off of the fence line. Brushing off her trousers, the girl strode to the small ranch house near, kicking a stone down the dirt road as she brushed her long, dirt brown hair from her face. As she plopped down on one of the wooden dining chairs, Victoria gave a crossed sigh, frowning slightly at the wall, wondering what to do.

"Why do you wear pants?"

"Why wouldn't I? They're comfortable," the girl murmured impatiently, tired of her sister's antics. "And why do you care, it's not like you should anyway."

In the doorway stood a teen girl, hands on her hips which connected to legs which disappeared underneath a long skirt. "You only want to because you want to be like pops."

"Nothin' wrong with that, at least I actually want to help people instead of shut herself off at a ranch," Victoria spat, annoyed.

"Now wait just a minute, why are you mad at me? I help a lot around here y'know."

"And ruined my favorite pair of kakis..." the younger sister muttered.

"I apologized-"

"After pops told you to." The two glare at each other, rather half heartedly since this battle had played out for a couple of days. Though the urge to bicker was wearing thin; Sheriff Vega hadn't been home for a few nights, and it started to take its toll on all three of the other Vegas. Softly, Victoria put her hands down on her lap and fiddled with her fingers, her frown turning bitter.

Crossing the room, the older sister sat down in front of Victoria and whispered, "You worrying about him?"

"Why wouldn't I? First the kid moves away and then Lilianna... He wasn't having it either," she answered hoarsely. Nodding slightly, the older brunette took her sister's hands and drew her into a hug, feeling as Victoria's breathing slowed. "Trina?"

"Yeah?"

"You think I'll be a good sheriff one day?"

"The best," she chuckled before going off to tend to the cows with her mom a ways away. Looking up at nothing, Victoria's gazed blankly out as she thumbed the buttons of her shirt, teasing one that had to be stitched twice already with her unconscious habit. However, her hazed stare switched over to the side, flickering alertly.

Curious to the soft, gradually louder hoof steps, she pushed herself off the chair and jogged through the door and outside, hanging by the door frame. In the short distance Victoria recognized the deputy on his grey mare, no hint of the usual joking nature on his grin. If he actually had a grin that is; no his face was only somber and oddly emotionless.

"Deputy?" the girl asked, stepping forward as the horse obediently halted.

"Hello there Miss Vega," he tipped his beige hat to her, "Is you're mother around?"

"Naw, she's over by the cows... Why?"

"Well, best give the news to you then, I need to get back to my chase an' the ranch was here so I'd thought I'd drop on by," he muttered, brushing off his tan shirt.

"What sort of news?" Victoria frowned slightly.

"It's 'bout your father... The sheriff," he added with a sudden bitterness, "Got himself down a hole that no man can do nothin' with but bury him."

"What?" the youngest Vega asked, giving the quarter horse a small pat in between the wide nostrils.

"Your father... Well, you know 'bout Lilianna?" he asked before continuing after looking at her slight nod, "Well, he found the man an' shot him dead... Bolted at the scene too. Obviously we can't catch th' fastest horse in the county so, here we are."

Victoria could only stand there, feeling as the chills run down her spine and her limbs do rigid. "And to think that I saw him as a leader, let alone friend," he spat bitterly. As he glared off in the distance, as if searching for Sherriff Vega, the young girl's eyes flickered over to the side by the barn, frowning at the moving shadows. "Well Miss Vega," he begins, taking Victoria's gaze, "I'll be off, we'll catch him soon..."

"Okay, bye Deputy Gary..." she mumbled as the grey mare turned at her hocks and galloped across the dirt road. Once he was out of her range, she swayed before bolting straight to the barn as quietly as she managed.

Once around the cool corner, Victoria turned her head, eyebrows knitting together slightly at the lack of movement. "Pops? You 'round here?" she called quietly, hands shaking nervously.

"Over here Dawn," a mellow voice spoke at the far end. The daughter couldn't help but grin as she saw her father, tired though he was, with his tan mare. She went to him, giving a squeeze as she muffled through his shirt, "I missed you."

"So did I sweetie," he smiled before pushing her away to kneel in front of her, gripping Victoria's shoulders. "How's the foal doing?"

"Cheers' fine, though I caught him kickin-" she stopped herself, her mind picturing Deputy Gary, "Dad?"

Sheriff Vega tensed slightly; the only time any of her daughters called him 'dad' was in a serious situation. "Yes Dawn?"

"You... You didn't shoot him, right?"

"I-I'm afraid I did... Victoria, listen to me. You're the reason why I'm here, while I love the others to death, they wouldn't understand." He sighed, his gaze suddenly finding a rock on the ground interesting.

"Pops, what do you mean? Why can't you?"

"Well, for one they haven' learned the news yet and... Dawn, listen," he brought his eyes to meet hers. They were identical, right down to the pigment. "There's lessons that come up in people's lives an', well, when they call out, answer 'em. All throughout mine I thought that my work was always priority, number one. That's why I followed each code of honor in the sheriff's name of Skull Canyon county...

"I did betray that a few nights ago Dawn, and I feel ashamed but more so confident. See, I've been told all of my life to keep my head high and powerful with my job but stand taller with the other things. I ignored 'em until a few nights ago when he raped and killed Lilianna. Dawn, I can tell you honestly that in another lifetime I would do it again, and again, and again just to give that man justice. My actions may speak louder than my reasons but... I feel those whispers among the hollers dig deeper than they should've, and I don' mind.

"But," he shifted on his feet, his hand reaching for his side and pulling out a pistol, "I want you to have this."

"What? I-I can't, I'm only fourteen-"

"You're old enough. Perhaps not in the years of your flesh but in the years of your soul, you're ready Victoria Dawn," he smiled at his daughter proudly. She gazed at the weapon placed in her palm, eyes running across the custom made Peacemaker, her date of birth on the side.

"But, I'm always a little to the left-"

"And you were a lot to the left. Dawn, you are the best shot I've ever seen, so don't go telling me any excuses..." Sheriff Vega's arms wrapped around his daughter's as she did the same, placing down the gun beside them. "One more thing," he murmured, rummaging through his vest before pulling out a shiny, gold star, putting it carefully in Victoria's hands, "You are better suited for this."

"But- I, I can't..."

"Not now, no... But in years time you'll be able to follow in my footsteps Dawn. Except, be sure to travel down the paths with your mark, while you may start as my shadow, end it with the light casting a shadow down on my time."

"You're saying goodbye..." she whispered tearfully.

"Yessum, and I hate to do it. Victoria, listen, and listen from a tired man." She nodded and looked at him, taking in the pale complexion and heavy eyes, the stubble on his chin and the messy hair on top of his head. "I know you may feel angry at me, I know you may hate me once the truth sinks in but... I love you, understand that this is just my journey and not yours. You aren't me but a better version. Dawn, you know why that is your middle name? It's to symbolize the power over people you hold, protect the ones you love Dawn. Even if that means throwing something away while at it. Even if it means finally understanding my actions..."

"I love you too dad," she whimpered in his buttoned shirt, feeling his warm hold.

"I love you too sweetie, now I got to go... bye Dawn."

Coffee brown eyes blink open, their gaze holding a plaque on the wall. Framed with a dark wood, engraved in a stone read 'The Purest of Them All Should Lead-No Blood Shall Spill on the Badge from Bullet Wound as long as the Sheriff Holds it with Pride'. Those words had been etched in her mind as that fateful day had, constantly presenting itself each morning as she placed down her grey hat on the desk.

Victoria, nine years senior of that day, wore her recognized black boots underneath the dirt tan trousers. Under the belt buckle was a dark grey buttoned shirt, a black vest over that. As she shifted her weight, hands behind her back, Victoria felt the familiar star beside her chest, hidden from any other's gaze.

She found it most effective to have the badge on the underside of the vest, close to her heart were she would always feel its lingering presence. However, it was the holster on the side of her right hip that would be guarded. Everybody in Skull Canyon county knew of the infamous pistol, even before Victoria's time of sheriff which started five years prior. After all, inside the black holster was the pistol that held the gun which had tainted the prior Vega's shining.

Just as he said, the youngest Vega couldn't imagine why he would do such a deed, and for that she grew angry. Not only at her father, no, but of the man who had shot him. From the moment he whisked away with that mare Victoria knew he was a dead man, but by the law not by some merciless man who was deemed a hero. The young sheriff damned the name of Prewalskin, ever since she was told of her father's death only hours after she had last seen him.

"Sheriff Vega?" She shook her head and turned her gaze over to the thin, black curled hair man with an almost permanent scared look on his face.

"Yes Shapiro?" she murmured.

"Well, ah, there's been a kidnap."

"What? Who?" she asked hurriedly, placing the hat on her head.

"One of Marble's prized cattle... Said that boy stole it," he reported, holding back a small chuckle.

"Alright, stay here and I'll go ahead and take care of it," Victoria muttered, brushing past the deputy. As she opened the door to the small room with another desk and cell, the Vega checked the keys for the cell. Still on the hook, as they should have been. The front door opened and a whistle called out, alerting the gentle horse off by the side. "Come on Cheers, got to go to the Marble's."

The red roan quarter horse only gazed at her with a calm eye, swishing his tail as flies annoyed him. "Ready?" she asked before the lead was unlatched and they were off. One of the many perks of being a sheriff, Victoria thought many times, was the run through the landscape as they traveled a few minutes from place to place.

Skull Canyon wasn't a very big town, really. The county's territory was huge, covering around fifteen to thirty-five miles of every direction of the town. The sheriff's office shared on long street with stores and bars, curving slightly as it opened up to a motel and a train station. Thirty minutes East of the town's square, which wasn't really a square, was the Vega's landing, Victoria's home. Ten minutes north were the family farms that supplied the town with much of the fresh food and other products.

As they count down, Victoria slid off, mumbling, "Make sure you stay in the shade Cheers, gonna be a hot one," before heading to the front porch. Knocking on the door three times, she waited patiently before it swung open to Mrs. Marble. "How are you doing today miss?" she asked.

"Why just fine, thank you Sheriff. Now as you know, the cow..."

"Which one?"

"Not our best one but it's twin actually, the poor Swiss was calling out to her all morning and we don't know where the other one is," Mrs. Marble explained.

"Alright, so could I by chance let the twin let loose around the property? I think she may know where her sister is if she's making all that racket," Victoria smirked slightly, hearing the long streams of calls.

"Indeed," she nodded, allowing the Vega to open the gate a few yards away. The cow strode out, bolting over to the furthest side of the ranch, followed by the two women. Abruptly it halted, gazing lazily at the bushes while it began cud chewing.

Rolling her eyes at the lazy cow, Victoria strode into the bushes and immediately snatched an arm, pulling it out with the struggling body connected to it. "Let-me-go!" the blonde boy bellowed, sending the twin from the bushes and out to the pasture.

"You are really pathetic, you know that?" the young sheriff snapped, "How many times are you going to try and sell other's animals in the auction?"

"Just let me go! I won't do it again I swear!" he whimpered as the grip around his wrist tightened.

"I'll let you go, only because I'm really interested to see what animal you choose next. A rattler perhaps?" the sheriff smirked before her grasp was loosened, letting the boy fall to the ground. He picked himself off the ground and without much of a look, bolted.

"Why'd you let that damn ass run over yonder?" Mrs. Marble growled slightly.

"Well I wouldn't exactly call hiding inside the bushes with a cow a crime now. If he made it off your property then yes, but he was simple caught in the act."

"I suppose so," she chuckled, turning her head over to the curious steps behind them. "There you are miss, now mind your manners and welcome our guest." Victoria gazed over at Mrs. Marble's daughter, Louise, who played with her hair nervously, not making eye contact.

"Hello sheriff..."

"Now why are you all nervous? I'm telling you she's the life of the gathering, really. Ain't got enough to make her hush to be honest," she looked skeptically at her daughter. "Like she's hidin' secrets. I swear you better tell me who you slept with last week..."

"What?" Victoria asked, pulling a straight face.

"Yes, to think our daughter would be off and around in someone else's bed before she's done livin' under our roof. I tell ye', gonna find out soon otherwise I wouldn't have enough space in my house yonder," the older woman gestured towards the ranch house.

"Now I wouldn't go that far," Victoria muttered. "Seems to me that she's just trying out what suits her before she'll have to learn some time later."

"Yes... maybe," Mrs. Marble nods slightly, "I'll have to go and check on the chicken coop now, see you later sheriff." Once the older woman picked up her skirt a bit and hurried off, Louise stared at her feet, shifting her weight left and right.

"Thank you for not telling her..." she finally mumbled under her breath after some time.

"Not a problem, wouldn't do it anyway. Besides," the young sheriff gave a small smile, "I had fun."

"Really? But isn't it a one time thing?"

"'Course it is, everyone needs something to keep their minds off things. Just next time, tell the other person your age," Victoria winked before heading off to Cheers, leaving Louise feeling slightly better. Only slightly.

~BxR~

Nodding feverishly, feeling sick, the deputy bade his thanks to the train instructor before bolting straight towards the sheriff's office. The door swung open, closing with a bang after hurried steps to the back room. "Sheriff Vega! Sheriff Vega!" he stammered as his fists pounded against the door.

"What?" she answered, sitting at her desk in the back room, eyes full of concern at the pale deputy.

"I-I have bad news..."

"Which is?"

"An outlaw, heading straight here!" he muttered frantically. Sitting down, Shapiro's eyes were wide, full of fear that only the worst of the outlaws could bring out.

"What outlaw?" Victoria asked, hands at the edge of the desk.

"J-Jade W-West..."

"Who now?"

"West! Jade West! Heard of the rumors at the bar?" he muttered.

"You know full well I don't care for those drunken asses."

"Well you will now Sheriff Vega."

"Okay, then tell me about her," she nodded for him to start, leaning back.

"Years ago she killed her brother in cold blood, just to get him out of the picture. Soon after, she ran away, only to cause more trouble with the rangers out here. Every place she's gone to has been attacked, you know about 'em, the Ring Fires?"

"Yeah, 've heard of them," Victoria admitted.

"Well she's the reason, West. Just recently she's killed Beck Oliver, the mayor of SpringWells."

"Isn't that just near here?" the sheriff asked.

"Yes! Which is the problem! She's coming here and soon! What are you going to do?" Shapiro stood up, nervous.

"Well, I'll do what I normally do and remain undercover to try and see if it's the truth. Okay?"

"Right, right... Undercover," he muttered. After a few more descriptions were shared of this convicted criminal, Victoria became nervous herself. How this one person could spark this much fear was beyond her, but she would stick to her plan and continue forth. Under the desk, her fingers fiddled with each other as she recalled the several, gory details among the rumors surrounding this woman.

She was dangerous, dangerous and cruel. Conniving, wicked, and sharp. Never had West been caught, and that's what made her a threat to the desert around. Yet, Victoria had to remind herself, it must be taken grain by grain. Rumors are half truths anyway, add that to a drunken breath and then you have tales. Although, as she began to process through, if any of the stories were true, Jade West was no common criminal, let alone outlaw. She was sneaky, dangerous and unpredictable. Unpredictable, that was the thing that startled the sheriff. Some of the stories about her came from only sightings, and nothing more. Others were of her escapes, attacks and unbridled anger.

Rubbing her forehead, Victorious heaved a heavy sigh and stepped out the doors, looking up at the dusk clouds above, bathed in an dark, blood orange. Passing the resting Cheers, who stood with one hind leg loose, she went to the bar doors and pushed them open. As usual, there were many merry conversations aroused, the merry barista serving drinks. "Well hey there sheriff, drink's on the house," the perky girl smiled, sliding a bottle over to the sheriff's hands.

"Thank you Miss Valentine, tell me... Any fights gonna happen?"

The young woman frowned, gazing over at the men, really, who seemed to laugh and talk with calmer voices. "Seems fine, doesn't look like it no." Just as she finished her answer, Miss Valentine was distracted by the calls for another round. not minding this, the Vega took a long sip from the bottle, feeling as the burning liquid crawled down her throat and into her stomach.

Turning her back towards the counter, the sheriff observed the bar, pleased to see that it was pretty much only the locals tonight, who rarely fought and followed the town rules with a prideful heart. Everybody knew everyone and everything. If word got out in the morning, by noon it would be settled in everyone's mind. So naturally, they would know the sheriff without needing the badge; just the resemblance of the prior Vega was enough.

Scanning for a new face, Victoria took another sip before the swinging doors caught her attention. Immediately she felt her stomach take a dive. Coffee brown eyes simply refused to look away; she was absolutely stunning. At the doorway stood a tall, pale woman in all black, pale, emerald eyes against pale skin, tan locks draping down past her full chest.

The sheriff watched as the now interesting character stride over with a confident spring in her step, taking a seat next to the her and ordered a bottle of beer. There were a few quiet moments, as much as you can get in the bar at that time, before the other spoke. "You know this place well?"

"Yeah, lived here my entire life," Victoria murmured, eyes shifting over to meet the startling green ones, eager to see more.

"Really now?" she smiled, canine teeth glinting. "What's your name?"

"Victoria Vega," the sheriff answered.

"That's a nice name," she admitted.

"And yours?" Victoria asked curiously.

The newcomer took a long drink from the bottle and took a deep breath, eyes surveying the sheriff before quietly answering, "...Jade West..."