Author's Note: There is ART for this story! :D It's not much, but please go to my Deviantart page and chec out the four pictures I've put up already for this story! I hope you guys like it!

Guest: Here is the next chapter! ;)

CROWPRINCESS: I'm glad you liked the last chapter, and sorry if the Spanish was a little hard to understand, I just figured that since the Coyote is Mexican, it might make sense for him to say a few Mexican words here and there. Look it up on google translate - that's where I got it. And I would love a TV Tropes page, and if one comes up, I'll let you guys know :) And I hope you had a good Halloween as well!

Anonguest: Woo-Hoo! So happy you like the gold-mine twist! :D Granted, not the most original thing for a western, but I decided things might get little dull otherwise ;) And oooooooooooooh! You don't know how busted! XD

MMM: You'll find out ;) And I'm not sure if I'll have a sequel, depends on how this story turns out.

Pieces of the Puzzle

"I've got a ways to go on this ride

But I got a hand to hold that fits just right

You make me laugh, you make me high,

You make me want to hold on tight," Chris Young – 'Who I am with You'

Any woman would be mortified to learn that she was 'too big' to fit anywhere. Later on, Grace would blush and look herself in the mirror, as any woman would. Her rational side would berate her because of course she was too large to fit inside the doctor's office – for she was much longer than any of the doctor's usual patients. But that wouldn't settle her womanly vanity for thinking perhaps she might need to lose a little weight…

But at that moment, when the doctor said she wouldn't fit in his office and would have to settle for his yard, she was too out of it still to think much of it, and so let Beans lead her into the yard beside the doctor's office. The yard was filled with junk and crates, and the one-eared doctor hiccupped as he pocketed a bottle of whiskey. Chuck had already cleared a place for Grace, and she laid down gratefully.

Despite his… not completely sober state, the Doc told Beans to help him with the blankets and they hurriedly set to work on getting Grace nice and warm. It took a little while, but with the blankets to dry her off as well as keep whatever heat she had inside her, the desert heat slowly did the rest, and soon Grace was back to functioning normally. Though after that, she only shivered when her mind wandered to what she had just gone through… safe to say that almost dying is a rather haunting experience.

Doc then checked her over, before seeing to the cuts she'd received. The glossysnake had hissed when he'd poked them, and almost recoiled completely away from him when he tried to clean the wounds with alcohol. It was only through sheer force of will that she kept herself still. Doc bandaged her up, and gave her a stitch or two for the slash on the side of her tail. By the end of it all, Grace was fit for the world, but exhausted.

From the corner of her eye, Grace noticed that Jake was lurking in the entrance to the yard, leaning his neck against the side of Doc's office building, his coils completely blocking the way in or out. He loomed there like the shadow of death itself, and he was watching Grace with a very hard glare, his red eyes almost glowing from the shadows. Grace hid her gulp, suddenly extremely nervous, though she tried to ignore it. It was only just beginning to dawn on her that it had been Jake who had saved her from a watery grave, and then had given her his warmth. She could feel the phantom touch of his coils around her, could remember how his muscles had tightened on her with such power she knew he could've crushed her if he felt like it. To think that he had helped her, and then held her… it astonished her to no end, and made her blush with embarrassment at the same time.

"Teddy…" She croaked out as she raised her head slightly, blinking as if just awakening from a dream as she remembered her son. His had been the last face she'd seen before she'd almost… She couldn't finish that thought, and decided it was time she saw her son, a desperation building in her. "Where's my son?"

"He'll be here soon." Chuck assured her.

"You can go get 'im when Rango gets here." Beans said to Chuck. "I'm sure he's gonna have his questions."

Grace didn't like that idea, she wanted to see her boy now, but sighed as she settled herself. It wouldn't do to act hysterical now. She would just have to wait.

Not long after that, with the late afternoon sun beating down, Rango came back into town, and even Grace could hear the crowd excitedly telling him how the water had returned. That was when Chuck quietly excused himself – wisely choosing to exit through the Doctor's office rather than climb over Jake. Only minutes later, Sheriff Rango came through, looking a little dusty from the desert sand, but looking around with keen interest. Chuck was absent, but Wounded Bird came into the yard right after Rango.

"'bout time, Sheriff." Jake grumbled.

"Jake." Rango nodded in the rattlesnake's direction respectfully before turning to Grace. "I suppose I have you to thank, Miss Grace for solving our aquatic conundrum." Rango smiled at her, ever at ease. But Grace didn't say anything. Rango's eyes then caught on the bandages on her tail, and his beady eyes widened a little. "Holy Baloney, what the hell happened?"

"Nearly drowned in them tunnels beneath the town." Beans said.

"The tunnels?"

"Coyote claws." Wounded Bird grunted out as he pointed his crutch at the little scratches on Grace's tail that were visible.

"Coyote?" Rango echoed in surprise before he looked back at Grace. "Who did this?"

"Some thug," Grace grunted. "Like Wounded Bird said, a Coyote."

"Well, what'd he look like? I can put a warrant out for his arrest."

Grace wanted to roll her eyes, for she honestly didn't think that would do much good, but decided to humour the Sheriff anyway. "He was rugged, he had a torn left ear, and he had claws and teeth hanging from his belt like trophies." She shuddered, and then focused her mind as she tried to remember something. "I think one of his men called him… Arvenga?"

"Son of a bitch." Jake muttered.

"Whoa, Jake, you know this person?" Rango asked, taking one look at the already angry rattler and deciding not to make a comment on his language.

"Ramirez Arvenga," Jake spat with clear distaste. "But the prissy prima-dona prefers El Azote Negro. The Black Scourge."

"Who is he?" Rango asked.

"A no-good Mexican thug who tries to make himself look like a head-honcho." Jake growled irritably.

"Would he have anything to do with them Hellhound boys?" Beans asked.

"He's their leader." Jake gave Beans a look that said she was stupid for not figuring it out sooner.

"You didn't think to tell us this earlier?" She bristled. Jake glared at her.

"This Remirez any trouble?" Rango redirected the snake's attention back onto the conversation.

Jake snorted. "He wishes. That yellow-bellied dog was always too spineless to ever be of any interest to me."

"What's he doing here?"

"Him and his sort usually're hired by somebody."

"He mentioned a boss…" Grace put in softly.

"Usually only works for the highest bidder." Jake said.

"But what was he doing down in the tunnels?" Rango asked as he turned to Grace. "What did you find down there?"

Grace sighed, knowing she'd have to tell them everything. "A gold mine." She murmured.

"Whoa!" Rango breathed.

"I found the pipes blocked up," She continued to explain. "And loads of workers mining the whole thing. Gophers, moles, they were all digging it up. Ramirez looked like he was in charge. But he mentioned a boss."

"Someone cut off our water to get to that there gold." Beans murmured as her eyes darkened with anger at that thought.

"It's worse than that," Grace said trying to make them see the urgency. "Ramirez mentioned that to get to the gold closer to the surface, they needed to get rid of the town."

"What?" The others gasped. Jake kept quiet as he continued glowering in the corner.

"Makes sense." Wounded Bird grunted. "Get people out of the way, and the spoils are his."

"So all those thugs comin' here 'nd scarin' us? The fire? The water? It's all for gold?" Beans demanded.

"Somebody wants us out…" Rango murmured to himself thoughtfully.

"Well, they can think again." Beans declared fiercely. "I ain't givin' up my home without fight."

"Nobody will. I promise." Rango touched her shoulder, and such a soft look passed between them that Grace's eyebrows rose a fraction. Was there something between these two? Before she could think on it, Rango had already turned to her and was tipping his hat to her. "Miss Grace, this town owes you a hell of a lot. You saved us from this drought, and you've also warned us about these varmints. So I thank you on behalf of the town, and as a personal one as well."

"Thanks…" Grace murmured, not sure what to make of such sincerity.

"Right then." Rango said enthusiastically, and went to lead the party out, but paused and turned to Jake, respectfully softening his tone so that it didn't sound so much like an order. "Jake, could you come by my office in the morning? We're gonna need to up our game if we're gonna catch these fellas."

Jake said nothing, just nodded stiffly.

Rango, Beans and Wounded Bird each offered Grace their final respects, Beans saying that she would go and tell Chuck to collect Teddy for Grace, before they all left. The Doc then made a point of telling Grace to take it easy for a day or two, and then told her she could go home when she felt up to it. The glossysnake thanked him, and he quickly turned and left.

That left her alone with Jake. She thought he would sulk off as well and leave her alone, but to her surprise and anxiety, he stayed exactly where he was, and continued to glare right at her. Evening was quickly drawing in as the sun got lower to the horizon, casting more shadows in the town and a red haze over the sky. It made Jake look extremely dangerous as his form was engulfed by the darkness and his red eyes matched the sky as if he had just stepped out of the gates of hell itself. Grace did her best to repress her shiver and mask it to make it seem like she was still cold. She avoided his gaze, but could feel him still glaring at her, making her skin crawl, unsettling her more with every second that passed, until she could stand it no longer.

"Jake…?" She spoke in a small and hesitant voice.

"Yer a fool. You know that?" Jake spat out in such a cold tone that she actually flinched.

"What?" She blinked at him, startled.

"Yer a ridiculous, stupid, crazy-ass fool!" He hissed, slowly coming towards her, and Grace was reminded of a great predator stalking its prey. "I expected this from a kid with no brain-cells!"

"I don't know what you're –"

"Today, ya stupid woman!" He snapped, his rattle shaking loudly in agitation behind him as he made himself bigger as he loomed over her. "You goin' prancin' off thinkin' yer some hero and gettin' caught a damn fool! Bit off more than ya could chew, didn't cha!"

"I got the water back, I see grateful isn't in your vocabulary." She retorted, trying to regain some semblance of control of this situation. She was reminded of when they met, how he almost killed her… if he was that angry, would he kill her now?

"I ain't grateful fer nothin' when I got to save yer sorry ass!" He yelled.

"Well, sorry for the inconvenience!" Grace rose from her curled position, daring to try and match him as she too raised her voice. It was all a front to try and cover the fact that she was shaking in her boots – figuratively speaking.

"Ya couldn't wait for someone to go in with ya?! Huh? Ya had to be the hot shot and play it solo?" Jake demanded, his pupils becoming as thin as paper, his tail continuing to rattle threateningly as leaned into her personal space, lip curling to reveal his many curved and sharp teeth.

"No one would listen to me, I –"

"Bullshit!" He shouted, and Grace couldn't hide it this time when she did flinch back away from him, her eyes widening in fear of his temper. "If you'd stuck around until the Sheriff got back, that flimsy fool would'a followed you in. I'm sure folks could'a lasted a few more hours!"

"It had to be done. I wasn't waiting around." She muttered, trying feebly to have some form of defence.

"Then yer worse then I took ya for. Yer a damned idiot!"

"I don't see why you're so pissed." She said, brows furrowing in genuine confusion. "I don't remember bothering you so much!"

"Are ya soft in the head, woman?!" Jake glared at her. "Or did ya forget the part where I was fetchin' ya out and tryin' to make sure ya breathed?!"

"Well, sorry for being such a liability!"

"Don't be sorry, just don't ever do that again – ya hear?!"

That made Grace pause. There was some form of urgency in his voice, something that hinted at more than just his anger. Grace remembered when Teddy once tried to jump across the creek behind their property, he nearly broke a rib doing it. Grace had been so worried that when everything had settled down, she'd been furious. Could Jake be the same now? Had he been… concerned for her? She shook it off as nonsense, for surely it wasn't true…

"Didn't know you cared…" She muttered dismissively, but eyed him.

"I don't." He corrected her sharply, perhaps a little too quickly. He then brought himself incredibly close, and Grace had to back up away from him before he could ram into her. But then her back hit the wall, and she realised with horror that he had her boxed in. He glared at her as his voice came out cruel and quiet. "Make no mistake woman: I don't care if you live or die. Hell, I think I'd be happy to watch them pretty brown eyes close-up fer good!"

The words stung. She didn't know why, but they did. She had thought that maybe because he'd been less hostile with her lately, and then saving her, he might not kill her if given the chance. It served her right, she guessed. He was an outlaw after all, a criminal whom she couldn't trust.

But then, Jake let out a sigh, and his eyes closed for a moment. He was so close that Grace got a good look at his face: he looked tired, worn, the scales under his eyes dark as if from lack of sleep. Had he not been sleeping in the barn? Or was it that since his lifestyle was so full of danger, he could never let his guard down? Then she noticed that above his top lip, there were just a couple of black scales that made up a thin moustache. How had she never noticed he had a moustache before? It gave him a somewhat sophisticated and… charming look.

When he spoke, his tone was softened and her attention was brought back to him as he fixed her with his eyes. "But right now, it's my job to make sure ya live through this. So just do me a favour and make it a little easier for me."

He then moved away from her, only now choosing the time to exit the yard, what he wanted to say now finally done. Grace released a breath she hadn't even realised she'd been holding. Blinking stupidly she watched Jake leave, an impulse rising within her. No matter his words about not caring for her, he had saved her life, and he was making sure she stayed that way. It was because of him that she would be able to go home with her boy tonight.

"Jake…" She called out to him before she could stop herself. Jake paused and glanced back at her out of the corner of his eye. Grace suddenly found a lump in her throat. "I… thank you."

Jake blinked, clearly surprised by this. He turned more to fully face her, giving her his whole attention. As his eyes searched her face, Grace suddenly felt naked, and tried to swallow again to find the right words.

"I… I mean it. You saved my life, and you probably had no want to do so. But you did. And I am really grateful for that. Thank you." She murmured, looking down to hide the ever so slight blush in her cheeks.

"Just don't do it again. I ain't paid fer this shit." Jake grumbled, but his tone was not as harsh as before. Grace risked looking up at him, and saw that he was not glaring at her, the corners of his mouth were even twitched upwards if she squinted really hard.

She smirked at him, and half joked: "Maybe I could cook ya extra food to make up for it?"

"Don't ya be goin' all soft on me now." He snorted, and gave a smirk of his own.

Grace snorted, but smiled. She watched Jake, and he watched her and he didn't make a move to leave either. There was silence, but it wasn't awkward. It just hung there comfortably between them, for nothing needed to be said. Grace surprised herself at how comfortable she felt. How could she go from being frightened and hurt one moment, to being completely content in the next? The rattlesnake was a mystery that was for sure.

"Momma!" A voice called out, shattering the moment. Grace snapped her gaze as little Teddy came shooting past Jake and launched himself at her. With practised speed, Grace caught her son in her coils and nuzzled him as he wrapped himself tightly around her. Peeping up at Jake, she saw Chuck standing there, having just dropped Teddy off. Jake glared at the fox, who gulped fearfully, before making a hasty retreat.

"Hey baby!" Grace said as she turned her attention back to her son. "Oh! Am I glad to see you!"

"Chuck was tellin' us what ya did!" Teddy said excitedly as he pulled back to look up at his mother in wonder. "Did ya really bring the water back, Momma?"

"Well it's flowing again, so I must'a done something right." Grace said with a beaming grin. There was nothing that made her feel better about herself then her son looking up at her as if she were a hero. But then she looked back up at Jake, who seemed a little awkward at this touching reunion, and so hastily put her son down. "It's getting late. Why don't we all go back to the house?"

"Okay," Teddy said. Jake just nodded.

It was evening when they eventually made it back to the farm, the sun had set and the dark and the cold of night was drawing in. Everyone was so exhausted from the day, that no one thought much about supper. Well, Jake knew Grace would get her son perhaps a bite or two but the adults were just bone-tired. Jake especially, he felt a little stiff and the stub of his tail that met the metal of his gun was aching; it usually didn't mean anything good, but both things he was more than willing to ignore. He had a bale of hay waiting for him in the barn. It might not have been comfortable or the best sleeping arrangement he'd ever had, but it would keep out the cold.

When they reached the property, Teddy went straight in at his mother's orders. Jake only gave Grace a fleeting glance as he more wanted to sleep at that moment. The day had not gone great, and he was exasperated with everything and just wanted a little moment of peace. He'd felt remarkably better after shouting at Grace – usually when he yelled at someone, he just wanted to shoot them. But that wasn't the job, and just getting all of that off his chest felt cathartic, in a way.

Grace went to the porch, and Jake turned away to go around the corner of the house to the barn out back –

"Hey," Her voice called to him softly.

He was a little surprised and annoyed. What did the woman have to say now? Couldn't she see he just wanted to go to bed? They'd said their peace, so why continue – what was it with women and talking? But still, he held his tongue and turned to fix her with his hard eyes. She was on the porch, though her back end was trailing down the stairs, giving her a half-on-half-off look.

"I wanted to show my appreciation for what you did today –" She went to say but Jake couldn't quite keep in his slight growl of annoyance.

"Yer already said yer thanks, why the hell ya –"

"And I noticed it's a little cold tonight," She continued, her odd words causing Jake to halt as he blinked at her in confusion. She gestured with her head to the house. "Why don't cha come in? I got a guest room that might fit you."

Jake was so shocked that he was rendered speechless – and that was something that was rarely done. Had she just said what he thought she just said? It couldn't be, miss goodie-goodie was too prideful and had made it abundantly clear in the past that he wasn't welcomed in there. But… she was waiting there for his answer, a small and polite smile on her face.

He was immediately cautious – what if it was a trap? But then, he didn't consider Grace a threat of a certain calibre enough to take him on. She was too dumb if the day's events had proven anything. So if this was genuine…

He felt something odd. He felt… grateful. She could've let him have a night in the itchy, stinking hay in the barn, where they could keep to their separate worlds and stay the way they had been acting. Yet she offered him a nice comfy bed in the warm, and he assumed she wouldn't murder him in his sleep – she was too taken with the law for that. Not many people would offer him such a thing, but here she was, and he felt… grateful.

Saying something would have made him uncomfortable and ruined the actual nice feeling in his stomach. So he just nodded. Grace's nodded, her smile widening only slightly, before she led the way in. Jake followed her, and slowly stepped into the house.

The house was old but had obviously been made with love and care. The floor was all varnished wood, and there wasn't so much doors, instead simply large and wide arches in the walls that opened up the entire ground floor. Everything was decorated in warm colours, like soft-deep reds and sunset golds, so that it felt 'homey' and 'welcoming' whilst not feeling stifling. Jake was relieved that he didn't have to squeeze in, though he could never stretch to his full height, he could comfortably stand and that was all that mattered.

The front door led to the hallway, where the stairs leading to the second floor were immediately in front and to the left against a wall. An arch to the left just in front of the stairs led to a large dining room from what Jake could see, and to the right the wall was completely missing to open up into a large sitting room. At the back of the hallway, Jake could see another arch that led to the kitchen, where he could see the sink and part of the stove. The house wasn't built with tactical advantages in mind, he noted, as everything was too bright and open with not many places to hole up in should the premises be invaded.

A polite cough snapped his attention to Grace, who was at the top of the stairs waiting patiently for him. Remembering himself, Jake shook his head, setting his jaw as he slowly climbed the stairs. Rattlesnakes were not the best climbers, so he took the stairs at his own pace but was grateful that they were wide enough to allow him to slither up. Once he'd reached the top, Grace led the way down the hall.

Jake noted the pictures on the walls, namely of Grace when she was younger with snakes that Jake presumed were her folks, and then there was a picture of a pair of glossy snakes Jake didn't recognise at all whom he assumed were her grandparents or some other ancestor. Then he came to pictures of Teddy, of his first birthday or one when he'd had his first professional photo. Jake was a little surprised that there were no pictures of Grace's husband, not even one of their wedding or something. But he paid it no attention and followed Grace.

An open door immediately on the left of the stairs revealed to be Teddy's room and the little runt was snuggling into his bed though seemed to be waiting for his mother. The boy smiled brightly at Jake as the rattler went by, though Jake ignored him. Going around the landing, there were three more doors. The one closest to the stairs led into a bathroom; that left the last two that could only be the guest room and Grace's room. Grace stopped in front of the one in the middle, meaning her room was the one near the front of the house. Jake couldn't help but make a mental note that she not only trusted him to sleep in her house, but to sleep in the room beside hers? Granted, it was the only room available, but still, he didn't know whether to accept this or think her foolish.

"This one's yours." She said as she opened the door to reveal a small-ish room with little more than a closet, a desk and water basin and a bed. But it was large enough for Jake. "Make a mess, you clean it up. You break anything, I break your ass."

Jake scoffed, but gave her a nod. This wasn't as uncomfortable as he thought it would be. This was simple. Nothing fancy, nothing sentimental, she gave him the room, she laid out the rules, and left him at that. That was something he could comprehend, nothing complicating things and messing it all up. He offered her a nod and she nodded back. Neither spoke another word to each other as they both went off, Grace going to Teddy's room to tuck him in, and Jake went into his new accommodations, closing the door behind him.

A/N: Please review!