I do not own the Young Riders. I am just taking them on a run.

This story has a mind of its own. I wanted to get into catching the bad guys. But some characters needed to talk about what happened to Lou.

Kid awoke with his head pounding. He was moving slowly trying to remember exactly what happened. He sat himself against the tree was down and also had some relief that Katy was still there and seemed to be alright. That's when Kid heard the sound of horses coming and coming fast. He hid behind the tree in the rode.

"Whoa," Buck said and then slide off his horse to survey the land.

"What is it Buck," Cody asked?

"There is an imprint of a body that laid here."

"Look there is Katy," Jimmy said as ride over to Katy while the other scouted the area.

"Kid", Noah called.

"Buck, Cody, Jimmy, Noah" Kid murmured while trying to stand.

"Kid, what happened," Jimmy questioned while coming to Kid's side to help him stable himself on his feet.

"I think I was hit on the head because my head hurts," Kid explained. "What going on that has you, Buck, Cody, Noah, and Ike, riding like someone had been shot and actually worried about me?"

"Buck, how does the trial of these fellows look? Is it possible to track them," Jimmy said ignoring Kid's question?

"Well, we received some word that you may be in trouble because someone was after the bank notes," Noah explained without going on into too much detail.

"That explains the pounding headache," Kid sighs, "do you see the pouch on Katy?"

"Nope! But I found their trail. Seems to be three of them, Buck said.

Ike signed to Buck "do you see Lou's trail?"

"Lou," Kid stated but started to stumble to the ground because of how much his head hurt.

-oooooooooooooooooooooooo-

Teaspoon brought Dr. Banes to Rachael's house to help Lou.

"Doc before we enter I need to know that we will have your complete secrecy on whatever you find out about behind this door."

"Marshal, your express riders are always getting hurt and I never said anything about them or how they got hurt. Now let me see the patient," he said frustrated.

"Yes, Doc, but this might be something you will not agree with; therefore I would like to have your word, as a gentleman, before you go in," Teaspoon stated.

"YES, Yes, you have my word now may I go in and see my patient."

Teaspoon leads Doc Banes to Rachael's sick room.

"Hello Ms. Dunne."

"Doc Banes," Rachael questioned. "Teaspoon, should the Doctor be here?"

"Rachael, Doc Banes gave me his word nothing will be said about what in this room," Teaspoon said with a reassuring hand on Rachael's shoulder.

"Doc Banes please call me Rachael and let me introduce you to Louise McCloud. She came in from her run about two hours ago looking like this and was barely conscientious saying she was being used as a distraction."

"A Girl!" Doc Banes shouted while shaking his head. "You express people keep surprising me. Every time I think I seen it all from you, I see something else that's more surprising. "

"Rachael, will you stay with the good Doc while I get ready to catch up with the boys," as Teaspoon left to saddle his horse.

OOOOOOOOOOOOO

After Teaspoon finished saddling his horse and grab some more provisions and ammunition, he went to check on Rachael and Doc on Louise's condition. Teaspoon knocked on the sick room door and explained to Rachael he was leaving.

"Doc, how is she doing," Teaspoon asked while pulling the doctor way?

"She's a tough girl there that you have Teaspoon."

"I know, but she's living kind of life that she wants to live and I wasn't about to deny her that. Besides, I did not find out she was a girl till after Sam and Emma left. How is she?"

"Physically the bruises will all heal, but Teaspoon I hope you catch the guy Hopkins for branding her."

"But," Teaspoon questioned.

"Mentally it may take her awhile. I'm confirming you suspicions she was forced upon by at least two not three men."

"Merciful God! Thank you Doc," Teaspoon said as Rachael walked out of the sick room.

"Teaspoon and Rachael, you can let Lou know I will not let the secret out," Doc said.

"Rachael I'm on my way to catch up with the boys. Doc will you be around to help Rachael," Teaspoon asked.

"She should be coming around in a couple of hours, but sleep is the best thing for her to heal physically. I will be back in the morning to check on her."

"Thanks again Doc," as Teaspoon mounted his horse.

"Ride safe Teaspoon," Rachael said.

O-O-O-O-O-O

Teaspoon picked up the boys trail just outside of Sweetwater. Teaspoon was pushing his horse harder with every thought that what Lou went through. He caught up to them as they were about to follow the trail after Kid was able to get his balance back.

"Boys what happened here," Teaspoon sounding harsh.

"Teaspoon, Kid was ambushed here and the bank notes were taken and their trail leads this way. What wrong," Jimmy asked?

"Nothing but a little trouble back in town," Teaspoon lied. "Kid are you ok to ride?"

"Yes Teaspoon."

"Well, let's get going. Buck how much of a lead do they have on us?"

"I would say a half a day, Teaspoon."

"Let's stop wasting time here," as Teaspoon rode onto Hopkins trail fast and hard.

"What going on with him Jimmy," Buck asked?

"No clue, but I would hate to be the person who made him this upset," Jimmy stated as he and the others headed in the direction Teaspoon rode off in.

-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-

Rachael thanked Doc Banes and told him she would have some breakfast for him in the morning when he comes to check on Louise. Doc told Rachael that when Lou wakes expect for her head and private area to hurt and she can have two pain pills until he returns in the morning. Rachael decided to hang around the house incase Lou woke up. Rachael was making some soup for Lou, when she head Lou screaming "get off of me." Rachael ran to Lou's room.

"Louise, honey wake up, it's me Rachael."

"No, No, No, not again, Lou said in a state somewhere between being awake and a sleep.

"Lou, Lou, it's me Rachael," she tried again with Lou thrashing around.

"Rachael," Lou said in a questioning voice squinting her eyes trying to open them praying that her attackers were just a dream.

"Hey, Louise!"

"Rachael, where am I?"

"You're at the way station."

"How did I get here," Lou asked while rubbing her temples.

"You don't remember? What the last thing you do remember?"

"Well, I remember waking up on the ground jumping on to Lightning and telling him to go home," leaving out the memory waking up naked and painfully finding and putting her clothing, "then waking up here."

"Louise, you rode into the station falling off Lightning. As I caught you, you were telling me that Hopkins, and his friends were using you as a distraction to get the bank notes."

"Oh my God, the boys they seen me," Lou's eyes widen in fear that they know what happened, because Lou could all ready it in Rachael's eyes.

"No they didn't. They were out looking for you when you came in and you told me that you did want the boys to see you. So I blocked their entrance into the house and sent them after to help Kid, while Teaspoon got Doc Banes.

"Teaspoon and Doc Banes have seen me," Lou said in a quivering voice as a few tears threaten to fall from her eyes.

"Don't worry! Doc Banes will not tell the secret of you being a girl," Rachael said while handing her the two pills to take. "These are for the pain; Doc said your head would hurt when you woke up."

"Thanks, my head is hurting."

"Louise what happened," Rachael asked trying to get Lou to talk about it. "I mean we all know you didn't show up for lunch. Jimmy told us how he found you, not letting on that she suspects something going on between the two of them, and that you would come to see us after lunch because you missed us and you did not want to see Kid."

"Rachael after Jimmy left my room, Lou smiled at the thought of Jimmy and the night they spent together, there was a knock on my hotel door. I assumed it was Jimmy so I just opened it. It was Saunders and Stewart. I recognized them in the hotel from somewhere and I head they were watching the bank. They knocked me out before I could get a hold of my gun. I awoke in there room and that is when I realized where I knew them from. They were the ones who worked with Hopkins. Long story short Hopkins was after the bank notes in Willow Springs, but when he saw Jimmy he decided that he would get revenge first and then the bank notes. I guess they are still after the bank notes but they played it different this time. Apparently, they had been watching the bank and the pony express station, and that lead them to me.

"Lou what did they do," Rachael asked?

"Rachael, you know what they did, I can see it in your eyes. If you didn't know, I'm sure Doc Banes told you. But if you need to hear it from me they each raped me. I tried Rachael, I tried to fight them," Lou said with tears falling down her face. "I think they branded me to let Jimmy know."

"Why would they want Jimmy to know?"

"Because it will hurt Jimmy and he'll blame himself. Rachael I don't want to talk about anymore."

"But Louise we are two women living in a man's world, if we can't talk about it how are you suppose heal from what happened."

"No I'm not talking about it Rachael," Lou said wiping the tears out of her eyes and looking down into her lap. "Please just leave it, Rachael."

"Alright I'll leave it; for now. I go see if the soup is ready; you must be hungry."

As the door closed to the room, tears ran like a stream from Lou eyes. She stood and noticed her beaten face reflected in the glass window of her room. Then she took of her night gown off to look at her body's reflection. Staring at the reflection, "how could I let it happen again?" "When I was dress as a like a girl I was raped, now that I dress as a man it happens again. I was raped not once, not twice, but by three different people. When can I be safe? I guess that was the problem. I let my guard down. I was starting to feel safe because of Jimmy, Cody, Buck, Noah, Ike, Teaspoon, hell even Kid up until he hit me. God I can't let any of the boys see me. They will know that I'm used and broken. How could they even look at me? I'm having that problem of looking at myself. I need to get out of here at least until the bruises are gone.

A knock on the door brought Lou from her thoughts.

"Are you hungry enough to eat," Rachael asked?

"Yes, thank you Rachael. I'm sorry about earlier. But I'm going to need your help. I don't want the boys to find out. When are they due back?"

"I don't know. I don't expect until they catch them because Teaspoon asked Doc Banes to check in on us in the morning."

"That's good, because I can take the run that comes in the morning that way I will not be here when they get back."

"Lou I don't think that is a good idea. You have to heal and Doc said the best way to heal is sleep and rest."

"Fine, I sleep tonight; see the doctor in the morning, and go on the ride till the bruises fade."

"But…"

"Rachael I know what I'm doing I've done it before."

Thank you everyone for your comments. As I said in the beginning I want to go straight to letting Hopkins and his friends get what coming to them. But it did not turn out that way. It should happen in the next chapter if the characters corporate.