"Oh no!", Mary sighed in frustration as the cup fell from her hand and smashed into little pieces on the floor. She tried to keep herself busy and decided that doing the dishes might distract her from stealing glances through her window every minute.
She reached for the broom that stood behind the door and furiously started to wipe the floor. Kneeling down, she cleaned the floor and discarded the broken pieces into the bin.
How long could she go on like this, pretending there wasn't a storm on its way?
Mary stood in the middle of her kitchen, not knowing where to go or what to do. For a moment she was wondering if she had done the right thing. Had she only been digging deeper into the wound that was still fresh in Chris' heart? She was sure it was, she knew all too well how all those sleepless nights felt like, how tears lull you to the sleep at the crack of dawn when you loose somebody you loved with your whole heart.
It was a hell. A living hell.
Mary dreaded that she might have pushed him further into darkness.
She rubbed her forehead, her head pounding. No. It was the right thing to do. But, it wasn't enough. She could help him. Hell, she was a journalist, she might as well try to find who was responsible for that horrible tragedy of Chris' family.
Her steps echoed through the house as Mary ran into the Clarion office and pulled out the issue of The Clarion News from the desk. She flipped the pages until she found the one which had held the picture and started to read the article.
Buck watched in slow motion how Chris' fingers unwrapped the small package and his eyes went wide when he saw the content. He could literally feel thousand knives cutting his insides.
Vin creased his eyebrows watching as Chris stared at the package, not even throwing away the paper. He couldn't see what it was, but Vin had a gut feeling that something wasn't right.
And when he looked at Buck, he was definitely sure about it.
"Oh, dear God", Buck breathed, his voice unrecognizable.
The world started to spin. It was like a blue curtain fell down and revealed all the pain, sorrow and anger. Chris couldn't breathe properly. He stared at the photo, his eyes drinking in the sight of his deceased wife and son. His face that never showed emotions, neither good or bad, was a painful sight. His mouth slightly opened and he inhaled a deep breath to chase away the bloody tears that threatened to fall.
His fingers slowly traced the face of a little boy who smiled so happily. What would he give to hold his boy in his arms!
His wife's palm was resting upon Adam's shoulder and Chris traced up her gentle features. The lump down his throat started to choke him.
His face stared at him from the photo, a face of a man who now wasn't more than a ghost from the past. He was happy on the photo.
And that lightened up the fire of pure anger in Larabee and in the next moment he swung his arm and smashed the photo frame on the wall of the saloon.
He hadn't been there for them. He couldn't have helped them. He hadn't been able to save his family from burning alive.
He jumped up from the chair and went towards the broken photo frame, but Buck snapped out of his trance and grabbed the gunslinger in black by the elbow.
"CHRIS, NOOO!", he yelled, aware that Larabee would tear up the photo next. A second later, Buck yelped in pain as Chris' fist kicked him in his stomach and Larabee freed himself from the hold of his hands. Buck caught a glimpse of his best friend's face and winced in pain. Chris didn't say anything, just walked toward the broken photo frame and picked up the paper.
Not saying another word, Larabee untied his horse from the fence and mounted him.
"Chris, wait!", Buck tried again, but this time Vin stopped him.
Like a black lightning, the black stallion galloped away from town.
Pale as a sheet, Mary stood at the window of the Clarion and watched as Chris Larabee rode out of town, her palm covered her mouth as she tried to stop her sobbing.
Vin looked at Buck. He never saw him like this. Buck could make a light out of any situation, no matter how horrible it was.
"Buck?", Vin creased his eyebrows once again as he watched how the shock on his face transferred into anger and in the next moment the ladies' man stormed toward The Clarion news. "BUCK!", yelled Vin, but the tall man didn't turn around.
Mary ran her shivering fingers through her blond hair as the tears fell on the article in front of her. To read all what happened pierced like the sharpest knife through Mary's heart. Than seeing Chris riding away hurt even more. She almost wished that he stormed in here and yelled at her instead of witnessing what she just had seen.
The door slammed open and Mary gasped, the papers falling from her hands.
She saw Buck storming inside The Clarion, furious. Unconsciously, Mary stood up and leaned against the wall, not knowing what to expect, fear and tears squeezing her throat.
"Damn it, Mary!", Buck yelled "What the hell were you thinking, are you insane, woman?"
Vin was a few steps away from the door. He never heard Buck talking to any woman like this. He rushed into The Clarion.
"I-I…", Mary tried to talk, but Buck interrupted her.
"SHUT UP! You've already have done the damage! Do you have any idea what you have just done? How did it even occur to you to give that photo of Chris' family to him? Don't you know that I can't even mention Sarah and Adam to him because I don't want him to drown himself in that bloody whiskey and you go and give him a reminder of what he has lost!"
Vin stopped dead in his tracks once he heard Wilmington's words.
"I didn't mean to, I", Mary's voice was quiet and broken, but Buck just turned around and stormed out of her office, slamming the door behind him, not even giving a glance towards Vin.
Once Buck was gone, Mary broke down completely. She did it. Buck was right. She destroyed Chris.
"Mary", Vin's quiet gentle voice reached her ears.
The bounty hunter came towards her and she mumbled "Vin, I didn't mean to hurt him, I swear. I didn't", the tears broke her down completely and Mary slid down the wall, crying uncontrollably.
Quickly, Vin reached out for her and pulled her in a comforting hug.
"I know, Mary. I know", he held her more tight as her loud sobs pierced the room.
