Disclaimer: I do not own Tombstone or any of its characters. I do not own Liberty Valance. I own Andy 'Kid' Matthews, Aggie, and Sally.

(A/N: The Fanfiction Trailer for "The Cowboy's Secret" is now up on youtube. You can either go to my profile to get the link or go to youtube and type in DimensionalTraveller in the search box. :) )

The afternoon sun made the town of Axle look different in the daytime. At night it was eerie almost resembled a ghost town. Now the streets were filled with people going about their daily routines, however one street of Axle had been barred off by the Cowboys. The large group of men were watching their youngest member learn to shoot a gun, laughter rang out at times.

Andy narrowed her eyes.

"Quit that!" Ringo snapped for the third time, "You're tryin' to aim ta shoot something, not make yerself see double."

"You told me to straighten my eyes along the barrel of the gun!" Andy replied, exasperated.

"Yeah, you need to straighten them, but not at the barrel of yer gun, at your target. You're using the top of the barrel here," he said as he traced his finger along the top of the barrel of his second gun, "to keep a good line of sight of where your bullet is headed to."

"Can I try again now?" Andy questioned.

"Not until Ike recovers," Ringo replied with a growing smirk, he looked over at the older Cowboy.

Ike was leaning against a hitching rail and mumbling that he didn't get any satisfaction or respect from any of the Cowboys; and now their youngest member was attempting murder him without reason.

"Ike, I'm sorry," Andy called out again.

"Yer sorry?" The bearded man guffawed, "Sorry? Tell that to my hat!" He replied as he held up his hat, revealing a bullet hole that had traveled through the very top. The bullet had barely missing the top of his head.

"Ike, I wasn't trying to kill you....I'm so sorry-"

Curly Bill erupted into another bout of loud and heavy laughter in front of the boarding house. He slapped his hat against his knee before he stood from the rocking chair he had been sitting in.

"Kid," he exclaimed, "Ike's just sore," he snickered, "He'll get on over it. Billy's first shot was worse than that, hell he shot some guy's toe off. Just listen to Ringo and do what he tells ya and for Pete's sake don't let go of the gun this time!"

Andy nodded, glad the heat of the day masked the fact she was blushing.

"Alright then," Ringo exclaimed, "Now look none of this one handed business, not until ya get better at shootin'," he exclaimed, "Now lift your hand."

Andy did so.

"Now train your eyesight to that barrel," he instructed.

Andy stared at the middle of the barrel, the ground was scoured with little bullet holes. Only once had a bullet nicked the side of the barrel, and the gun had misfired.

"Now, don't look down at the barrel, you're gonna go cross eyed again if ya do that," Ringo exclaimed, "Just notice it with the bottom of your vision. Does the straight line on top of the gun's barrel line up with the wooden barrel over there?"

Andy paused and kept her focus on the wooden barrel, the gun was too low, "I can't tell."

"Raise the gun, but keep it a healthy distance away from ya," Ringo said.

Andy raised her gun higher until she saw the line of the gun's barrel line up directly to the wooden barrel.

"Alright, it's lined up."

"Now take the bottom of your left hand and cup the butt of the gun, this will help you to both keep your aim and to keep your hand steady when the gun fires. After a while you'll become stronger and won't have to do this. But until you become a straight shot yer gonna keep doin' that.....After all Ike still has a few good years left in him."

"That ain't funny," the older Cowboy pouted from his new seat on a railing outside of the boarding house. He had learned his lesson when it came to Andy handling a gun.

"Now brace yerself but don't tense up," Ringo instructed, "Keep those shoulders squared."

Andy did so, she stared at the barrel and looped her right index finger onto the trigger of the gun. Even though she had fired nearly seven times the small smooth piece of metal still felt foreign.

"Fire!" Ringo shouted.

She quickly squeezed the trigger, the gun fired and attempted to push her arms back, but her grip on weapon kept it from moving too much. The bullet whizzed past and landed in the middle of the barrel, a moment later a small stream of whiskey began to pour out. The Cowboys whooped and grabbed their canteens and piled under the hole to fill the containers with one of their favorite drinks.

Ringo smiled, "Bout time."

Bill stood up and walked over to her, he proudly slapped her on the back, "Fire again, this time with me close."

"But-"

"Yer gonna hafta get used to it, Kid," Bill replied, "Cause yer comin' with us to Mexico, and Hell or high water yer gonna be shootin'."

She swallowed, hoping she wouldn't have to shoot people. She lifted Ringo's gun and aimed it once again, this time at a second barrel. When the Cowboys noticed she was lifting the gun they began to scatter until Ringo shouted at them to stop.

"Ya need ta learn how to fire at a target and not living people," Ringo exclaimed, "This should be fine practice."

Andy looked at Bill wide eyed.

"Well...Fire," he exclaimed nonchalantly.

She stared down the line of the barrel and shot. A moment later the bullet pierced the wood and more whiskey poured out. For nearly two hours she continued practicing, sometimes aiming at barrels, other times at bundles of hay.

Andy's arms and shoulders were aching from the gun jolting in her hands. Her index finger was cramped from being crooked around the trigger for so long. She didn't complain and made sure to keep her face blank and expressionless to avoid any comments from Ringo or any other Cowboy about being too girly.

Ringo finally walked over and carefully pulled the gun from her hand, "You look like you've had enough."

"For today," she replied.

Ringo smirked, "Well by the end of this week you'll have your own guns."

Andy wondered why the Cowboy was so excited about her having weapons. The only reason she was having to learn to use them were for two reasons: the first being she wanted to stay with the Cowboys, the second's name was Liberty Valance. If she ever ran into him again she wanted to be able draw fast, shoot, and worry about any guilt or fear later....Hopefully she'd be alive.

-------------------------------

The Red Axle restaurant was known as the best eating establishment in Saw Dust, and had quickly been overrun by hungry Cowboys. Ike had his arms folded on the table and leaning forward, his blue eyes narrowed, "What do ya think of the Kid?" He asked his son.

"Tougher than I thought, so he seems ta have it out for you," the younger Clanton snickered.

"That ain't funny, I took that from the others and I ain't about ta take it from you young man," Ike snarled before he glanced over at Andy. The kid had apologized over and over again, finally he had accepted it to get the teen to leave him alone for five minutes.

His anger had left him when the teen had walked into the restaurant a few minutes before. In his arms he was carrying a brand new hat which he presented to Ike. The hat fit much more comfortably than his old one had, and it's large brim kept his eyes shaded from the sun. Finally he had truly accepted the Kid's apology, he would just make sure from now on to be far away from where the teenager was shooting.

In truth he was growing close to the little bugger. The Kid was small was a boy his age, and face seemed slightly older than fourteen. But there was nothing feminine, besides his speech, about him.

"You still gonna teach him about knives?" Billy drawled.

"Hell yes I am, he needs to know more than guns. Though most fights out here are gun fights there's always going to be a time you'll need a knife," he replied.

A metal mug filled to the rim with Whiskey was slammed onto the table top in front of Ike so hard the liquid splashed onto his arms. Ike backed away, "Watch where you're puttin that thing!" He roared before looking up, his stomach fell down into his legs. "Aggie..."

"Don't you Aggie me Ike Clanton!" The short gray haired woman replied as she set her hands onto her hips, "How dare you show your face here in Saw Dust again!"

"Again?" Billy asked, "Ma'am, I think you got the wrong Ike."

-------------------------

Andy heard Ike roar and jumped, she and several others turned around to watch the spectacle. Ike Clanton was standing tall with his shoulders squared glaring at a gray haired woman. The woman was short, her strong arms were crossed, her sharp chin was jutted outwards as she scowled. She wore a simple blue dress with an embroidered blue flower pattern on it, and a white apron that started at her waist.

"Aggie, c'mon now, please....Don't do this," Ike pleaded.

"Don't do what? Yer the one who walked out on me and yer daughter, Clanton! How dare you walk into this town again! How. Dare. You." Aggie growled, her face beginning to turn red, her gray eyes glazing with unshed tears.

Andy felt a tug at her heart, Ike was a father to Billy she had known, but she didn't know the Cowboy had a daughter. Obviously he didn't either, his eyes were narrowed in surprise, though his face showed utter confusion.

"How do those two know each other?" She questioned to Ringo.

The other Cowboy shrugged, "I don't know, every Cowboy's got a past and a secret."

"D...Daughter?" Ike stammered out.

"Yeah, daughter," Aggie replied, "She's fifteen now, real pretty little thing. It breaks my heart every time that girl asks me 'ma, who is my pa?' and all I can do is to tell her he was some drifter who came through town, took my heart then smashed it."

"Now, Aggie, I told ya I'm a Cowboy I'd be havin' ta go soon. We only knew each other for a month-"

"A month is a longer time period than you think, Ike Clanton!"

"It ain't that long!"

"It was long enough for me to become pregnant and give birth to a child who never knew her father," Aggie replied.

"Well, let me meet her!" Ike exclaimed.

"Ya already have you belly achin' fool," Aggie replied.

"I...Have?"

"She brought ya yer food, you idiot," she snarled, "Sally, c'mon over here!"

Andy watched as another waitress, only around fifteen or so, weaved through the crowd of curious Cowboys and to her mother's side. She had long blonde hair she kept in a knot at the base of her skull, she wore a plain green dress with a white apron starting around her shoulders. Her face was long and narrow, her chin ending with a rounded point. Her eyes were stunning the blue, the same shade as Ike's and Billy's.

"Yes, mother?"

"Sally this here is Ike Clanton, he's yer father." Aggie replied.

The teenager looked at the Cowboy, she bit her bottom lip and attempted to control her emotions. She stared at Ike.

"Sally-"
"I don't need you," Sally replied, "My mother is strong enough to be a man and woman both. You hurt her, and you hurt me, the sooner you leave the better things shall be, Mr. Clanton."

"Now c'mon, don't talk to yer father like that," Billy interrupted.

"And who are you?" Aggie asked.

"Billy Clanton, Ike's son," Billy replied.

"What?" Aggie questioned as she glared at Ike.

"He's my son," Ike replied, "His mother was the only woman I've ever and will ever love."

Aggie's bottom lip began to tremble, "B...B...But...I...I thought...I thought..."

"I warned ya back then, I ain't never lovin' any other woman, I warned ya back then. Now how 'bout you say hi to my son and properly introduce yerself, then do the same with the Cowboys," he paused," Andy, come over here."

Andy jumped and glanced at Curly Bill.

"Well go," Bill exclaimed, "I ain't holdin you back."

Andy stood and walked towards Ike, her heart pounding, what was he going to do?

Ike beamed, "Sally, this here is Andy, he just joined the Cowboys yesterday. We call him 'Kid,' he's already grown to be one of us, haven't ya Kid?"

"That I have," Andy replied with a nod.

"And how old are you...Young man?" Aggie questioned as she clutched her apron, struggling to get control of herself.

"Fourteen, ma'am," Andy replied.

"And livin' alone and carin' for himself," Ike said proudly, "When we found him he had his own boardin' room, job, and has the maturity and courage of a grown man."

"He just can't shoot!" Whooped another Cowboy.

Andy pushed the brim of her hat down low, feeling her cheeks go a bright shade of red.

"What does this have to do with anythin' Ike?" Aggie questioned.

"Andy here has schoolin', he knows how ta read, write, and how ta do math. He knows history like the back of his hand. We're gonna be here for about a week or so durin' that time, Kid here can teach Sally how ta read and write."

"I know how to read and write, Mr. Clanton," Sally replied, "I'm blonde...Not stupid." She turned and stalked away.

"Ike Clanton!"

"Aggie," Ike smirked.

The woman bared her teeth before stomping off after her daughter. The Cowboys began to laugh before they slapped Ike on the shoulders.