A/N: Hi Lovies, listen I know I'm super late with this. I also know you were all probably expecting Kitty. Sadly, my partner-in-crime has fallen ill with the Sniffles. So, I will be taking over this chapter. I would've gotten started on it earlier, but I didn't know Kitty was sick until I got to class this passed Monday. Also, this week was final testing week, so basically everybody was chaos on legs. I could give you a hundred and one more excuses as to why I didn't work in my free time, (I had tons of it,) but the hard truth is; I am incredibly lazy, I don't like typing, and I spent most of it either on social media or taking stupid quizzes that don't really matter.

Sorry, Lovies, but it's true. I'll due better next time. (Hopefully.)

Well, here goes nothing…

Chapter 3: Wanted

Alex joined the group in their visit around town that afternoon. The morning had consisted mainly of jokes, laughter, more forced kisses, and loud music thanks to the rainbow-haired jongleur. The afternoon was much more…. nerve-wracking.

Kiara was walking next to Danny while Alex strode backwards in front of them and Oliver kept pace with Danny on the other side. Alex was loud and funny and Kiara was kind of starting to warm up to her.

They had just reached the part of town that Oliver said was filled with the good shopping, when Alex's eyes widened and she mutely pulled Kiara by the wrists into a near-by alley. Oliver tilted his head to one side, confused. Danny seemed to understand faster. He quickly followed the girls down the alley.

Kiara tripped as Alex tugged harder on her arm. "C'mon!" Alex's eyes were wide with…was that fear? Kiara wasn't quite sure. "Faster! Quick, hide here!" She tugged Kiara down behind a pile of wooden crates and boxes. The garbage stunk of old tomatoes and dead rats. Kiara gagged.

"What the hell are we doing down here?!" she demanded as the boys caught up. Alex ignored her question.

"Look, I don't know what you're wanted for, and frankly, I don't care. All I know is, I like you a lot. And so does Stupid over here," She jerked a thumb behind her where her twin was kneeling.

"Hey!" Danny protested and Alex shooshed him.

"And he's a Ranger," she muttered to herself. Then she looked up from where she'd been staring at her boots. "Kiara, I just saw a Wanted poster with your picture on it. I'm kind of surprised no one's recognized you yet, but it's only at matter of time before somebody does. People are stupid- trust me, I know- but they're not that stupid."

"So, what's the plan?" Danny asked. Kiara was getting the feeling Alex was normally the leader of this group.

"Ok, here's the plan," Alex drew Oliver's Saxe from his belt, (despite the fact she had a perfectly good one herself) and began to draw in the sand. "We split up; guys with guys, girls with girls That way, if anyone stare at you two," she pointed at the boys here, "They'll be thinking 'Two Rangers! Oh no! Better say away!' because, you know they're stupid. If anybody states at us, they'll be looking at me and wondering what the devil is going on with my hair."

The boys were nodding; they thought it was a good idea. Kiara on the other hand… wasn't so thrilled. "But what if guards come? Or someone knows me and alerts them?" She didn't even question why Alex was helping her.

"Ah, good girl!" Alex pointed the knife at her approvingly. "That's when I'll create a distraction, and you'll skip town, where you'll then proceed to our meeting place," she turned to address the guys. "If she turns up without me, assume I had to make the afore mentioned distraction. The guards will probably arrest me for helping a fugitive, or, they may kill me if I run of fight. Obviously, I won't do either of those things. Ollie, I'd like to think you'd use your power as a King's Ranger to rescue me from the dungeons?" she tilted her head to one side questioningly.

Oliver nodded instantly.

"Hold up, what meeting place?" Kiara was still hung up on that. She'd heard the rest of it, and liked the plan a bit more. But still, this whole meeting plan thing was confusing.

The group exchanged glances, and then they turned to her and said in unison, "The Ranger Cabin,"

"Oh," she slumped a bit lower to the ground. It was obvious they were a close-nit bunch, and that all of their past plans had ended at the local Ranger Cabin. Will I ever fit in completely? After all, they must have so many stories together… I'll never be fully accepted. She fought the urge to sigh sadly as those thoughts ran through her mind.

She stared at the sand under her feet for a minute, hoping the others wouldn't sense her sadness. They did. She felt a hand on her shoulder and she looked up. Alex was looking her dead in the eyes. "Hey… buck up alright? You've got to stay positive. Just because you didn't know the meeting place doesn't mean a thing. You're new. You'll get the hang of it. Trust me." The jongleur dropped her hand and rose easily to her feet. "Come, we've got to get you safely out of here."

Alex strode quickly through the market place, Kiara jogging to keep up. "How the hell do you do this?" she asked Alex when they finally stopped.

"Do what?" Kiara's rainbow-haired companion turned to her, looking truly confused.

"This, fast walking thing," Kiara said as she leaned against a wall.

"I don't have a horse. I travel on foot. I have to walk fast. Habit, I s'ppose." Alex shrugged and stood next to Kiara for several moments in silence. Then suddenly, she looked at the assassin. "We have to go back to the inn."

"Why?" Kiara asked.

"My stuff. I need my stuff."

For the first time all afternoon, the assassin noticed Alex wasn't wearing her instrument case over her shoulder. She didn't have her hat either. "Oh," Kiara muttered.

"Yes, yes, 'Oh'," Alex said impatiently. "Let's get going,"

"You eve sure it's still there? I mean, that stuff was worth a pretty penny, if I'm not mistaken…"

"You're not," Alex snapped as they started walking again.

"…Then how do you know someone didn't steal it? People suck like that, you know. And you're not from around here; they most likely figured you couldn't do anything about it. Hell, they've probably already skipped town…" Kiara never got any farther than that.

"NO ONE STOLE MY STUFF! I MADE SURE OF THAT!"

'…How?" Kiara squeaked, startled by the sudden change in attitude. She remembered Danny having a similar episode earlier that morning.

"IT'S BEHIND THE BAR COUNTER! I BRIBED THE INN-KEEPER WHILE YOU WERE SNOGGING MY BROTHER!"

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry! How was I to know? Like you said, I was snogging your brother when you did it!" Kiara took a step back. Alex was naturally loud, but when she was angry, she was ten times as bad as Daniel. It was a bit frightening.

Alex calmed down as suddenly as she'd started. She took a deep breath, then, before all the anger drained, she turned to the crowd that had gathered. "WHAT'S YOUR PROBLEM? NOTHIN' BETTER TO DO, EH? HAVEN'T YA EVER SEEN FRIENDS FIGHT BEFORE? GO ON, GET!" She made a shooing motion with her hand, and then took a threatening step forward. Several people hurried away. Others were very offended, and stalked away with their noses in the air.

Alex took another deep breath, closed her eyes, and smoothed her top before reopening her eyes and looking Kiara.

"You're right, I shouldn't have snapped at you like that. Sorry," She added the last bit on almost like a second thought.

Kiara nodded, "It's fine."

"Really? Ya mean it?" Alex asked. She looked almost desperate.

"Yes, yes of course."

"Yay!" Alex squealed and she took her new friend by the hand and took off toward the inn.

They got Alex's stuff, and took off. Several drunken men whistled and cheered when Alex appeared, and they all booed and jeered as she left. They knew her profession; they wanted a song or two. Preferably two, men liked that liked to look at girls like her as long as they could.

They managed to not have to cause too much of a deal when it came to guards. Once, Alex did have to juggle a couple of tomatoes on one foot at the request of a few, but that was really it. She got good money for the trick, too.

Alex had told Kiara to high tail it while she preformed; but after everything the jongleur had doe for her, Kiara couldn't do it. In stead, she hid in a near-by alley and waited until she was done. She momentarily pissed Alex off afterwards when she revealed herself, but she bought the girl a pastry and all was forgiven.

They arrived safe and sound at Oliver's home at around six in the evening. The sun was heading towards the horizon, and the air was getting chilly. Kiara was tired from all the hurrying after Alex, worrying about guards, and general walking. Alex, of course, wasn't tired at all.

She finished her pastry as they mounted the steps, and Alex thanked her for the fifty-millionth time. No one could say she didn't have manners. When it counted anyway.

A horse whinnied as they reached the final step, and Alex and Kiara turned. "Gipsy!" Alex yelled happily and threw herself over the banister to the horse. "Hi girl! I missed you!" She scratched the horse's ears and the beast whinnied again with pleasure.

"Kiara, this is my horse, Gipsy," Alex turned to Kiara, happily showing off the little pony.

"You told me you didn't have a horse."

"There are two reasons for that; one is that I'm a white liar. The other is that- until just now- I didn't have one. I loaned her to Ollie to help him move. I wonder if he'll let me have her back…" She trailed off thoughtfully, muttering to herself all the while.

"I don't know, let's find out," Kiara said and opened the cabin door.

The cabin was of standard design, and according to Danny, it looked just like the one back at Redmount.

"Just in time! Dinner's ready!" Ollie greeted the two girls with a smile and a warm bowl of stew.

"Mmm, that smell good," Kiara could feel her mouth watering as she sat beside Daniel at the table. She realized suddenly she hadn't eaten a proper meal since breakfast all those hours ago. Was it really just a few hours ago? It seemed like centuries.

"Of course it does, Ollie here is one of the Corps' best cooks," Danny said.

"Well…I wouldn't say that…" Oliver said, looking down at his feet.

"Nonsense, don't be modest. You're fantastic. Right, Al?" Daniel turned to Alex, who was staring at the coffee pot sadly.

"Not until he gives me some of that, he isn't. I want some. Please," She pointed at the pot, still staring intently.

"Yes ma'am, coming right up," Oliver joked and grabbed mugs from the cabinet. "You want some, Kira?" He turned to Kiara and held up a mug.

Kiara started. She couldn't remember the last time someone had called her Kira. It hadn't been since… not since…

"Well, yes or no?" Danny was looking at her kindly, that wonderful smile on his face.

"What? Oh, yes, yes. Coffee, please," Kiara dismissed the thought. It had probably just been an accident.

Dinner had been amazing, just as promised. Afterwards, they all went out to the field out behind the house. There, they showed off their individual weapon skills, rode the horses, (Oliver gave Alex her horse back, which just about made that girl's day) and danced. Alex got out her guitar and sang for them while Kiara, Oliver, and Daniel danced in a circle. When the song ended, they let go of each other's hands and fell into the grass. Laughing, Kiara rolled onto her stomach and propped herself up on her elbows. The action made her side hurt, and she let out a hiss in pain. She'd forgotten all about that wound.

Danny sat up, gently; he helped her do the same and lifted her top up and over her head. He didn't even ask. She made a note to yell at him about that later.

"Yikes. That doesn't look so good." Alex sat a few feet behind her brother, leaning on her hands and sitting on her knees. She squinted. "Yep, that's a bad one alright."

"Thank you Mrs. Obvious," Danny muttered as her inspected the stitches.

"What do you think, Ollie, will they hold?"

"I don't see why not. You did a good job," Oliver was standing bent over with his hand behind his back beside Alex.

"That you did," Alex stood. "But…" she walked silently over to the wound and tugged at the finishing knot. Kiara hissed. "…This is loose…" She knelt down, pulled it tight, and stood up. "…There, all better!"

"How did you even see that?" Kiara asked and Alex shrugged.

"Good eyesight."

That night Kiara fell asleep on Daniel's shoulder.

They were sitting in Ollie's living room, and the fire was warm and relaxing. She felt his arm wrap tightly around her and she thought of something. Something really strange.

Here I am, Wanted for killing Rangers. I've been trained all my life to hate them. All my life I've been taught not the attract attention. Now, I've made friends with a Ranger, and spent the entire afternoon with a jongleur that's prone to gathering attention. Not to mention, I think I'm in love with the other Ranger! The worst part is… I think I can live with that…

…And she fell asleep right there.