Okay, so hopefully you all don't think I'm too mean with that horrible cliff hanger. I just didn't have this chapter editted until now! It wasn't too much of a wait, though for Jess I imagine it felt like forever.

And to whoever told me to take a vacation so I could finish... all in due time! Working for a school district does have its benefits, for sure!

Back to the story...

Chapter 21: A Watcher Revealed

Jess could only stare up at his shadowy figure. He could not move, he could not think. He could only wait. A single tear slipped from his eye, mingling with the sweat and blood on his cheek. Lan kicked Jess in the chest, sending him tumbling back. Lan pressed a boot into Jess' abdomen, pinning him where he lay. Jess stared up at him, his heart pumping so hard it was all he could hear.

The moonlight flickered off the dull metal of the buckle in an almost hypnotic manner as Lansing raised the belt one last time. Jess found he could not look away or close his eyes - he was going to face death with his eyes open.

Lan's arm started its descent, the deadly buckle swinging down in almost slow-motion. Jess held his breath. This was it.

Thump!

Out of nowhere, a shadow flashed over Jess' head. A man-shaped figure stopped the belt's arc, hands braced under Lan's arm. The man's knees bent with the strain, then with a mighty heave, he threw Lan's arm up and away.

Jess could only lie in shock as the new figure grappled with Lansing, pushing him away from Jess' prone body. The two struggled, muffled thuds of fists in flesh and answering grunts carrying in the night air.

Jess propped himself up, trying to distinguish which one was Lansing and if he was winning or not.

The fight was over almost as soon as it started, with one figure delivering a roundhouse punch to the other, driving him to the ground. Jess watched in bated breath as the victor stood over the fallen, as though checking if the other was truly out or not.

The figure stooped and picked up something from the ground, raising it up stretched between both hands. A quiet jingling was heard.

"The belt! Lansing is the winner! NO!" Jess panicked. He scrambled to his feet and fled, tripping up the slope that ran down to the pool.

"Hey!" he heard but ignored as he struggled to make it to the top of the small crest. He had to get away! Someone had tried to save him, but had failed. He was on his own.

Jess ran as fast as he could in his state, but the rope, that ever-present, dadgummed rope got tangled around his feet. Jess was tripped up and fell full-length, unable to stop his fall.

"No, no, NO!" he shouted as he frantically fought the entanglement. Footsteps quickly trotted toward him, spurs jingling. Jess kicked his legs frantically, trying to get back up, yanking at the rope but only pulling it tighter around his ankles.

"Jess!"

"Get away from me, just get away!" A hand pressed onto his arm, but he shook it off with a shrieking "No!"

"It's me!"

"Yeah, it's you, back to finish what you started." Jess was almost maniacal now, ripping at the rope with all his strength. The hands were back, pressing him into the ground. He writhed, biting and snarling. "Let me go, you crazy son of a-"

"JESS! Calm down, it's me, Slim!"

Jess froze. "Slim?"

XXXXX

Slim had watched in astonishment as Jess cleared the depression and ran full tilt for the trees. Funny way to show appreciation. The lanky rancher quickly followed his friend into the shadowy trees.

Earlier, he had followed the tracks and had ducked behind a tree just in time to see the man who had taken Jess appear with a branch in hand. He had looked around, then started brushing the ground. Slim tied up Traveler and followed the man at a distance. He paused frequently so as not to be spotted, though in the pressing darkness that would have been difficult.

He was almost too late by the time he arrived to be able to vaguely make out the struggling figures by the pool. He watched as Jess tumbled off the stone table and struggled with his captor on the ground. Slim was afraid to shoot because it was so dark, so he did the best he could by running up to fight hand-to-hand.

Now, after defeating the madman that was trying to take his friend's life, he was chasing that same friend through the trees. Slim had been gaining easily, and following Jess was an easy task - he just located the sound of Jess' labored breathing and crashing through the trees as if he could not avoid running into them.

Then it had been Jess who caught himself when he tripped and fell. Slim struck a match from the waterproof case in his pocket and held it up near his face.

Jess' eyes glowed in the little fire-light, the fear and fight still blazing strong. He sat completely still, his entire body as taunt as a bowstring. "Easy, pard, you've had a rough time, huh?" He put his hand back on Jess' arm, feeling the muscles jump in response. He looked back up to see that Jess' eyes were glued to a spot just above Slim's shoulder, as though watching for someone, just as the match flickered out.

Slim didn't like the looks of this. He needed to get Jess warm and dry as fast as possible, as it was very possible that Jess was going into shock. "Come on, Jess, let's get going." He went to help Jess to his feet when he noticed what had caused Jess to fall in the first place. His hands tangled in a long rope that he blindly followed to Jess' arms. When he made contact where the rope was attached to Jess' wrists, the cowboy jerked his arms and hissed in obvious pain. "Sorry, sorry," Slim apologized, quickly pulling out his pocket knife. "Jess, I'm going to cut this rope off, but I'm going to leave your wrists alone for now. I don't want to hurt them any more than they already are."

He snapped the knife open and grasped the rope in one hand about an arm's length from Jess' wrists. He figured Jess had been tied for some time and that his wrists were raw, so it would be best to saw at the coarse rope a little distance down. This way there would be minimal jerking motions as he cut.

He quickly sliced the majority of the rope away, and stood to pull the rope free from where it had tangled in Jess' legs. As soon as he had done this, he went to help Jess up. However, Jess was already scrambling to his feet. Slim shrugged internally. "You think you can walk back to where we were before? We ought to tie up that man."

"Lan," Jess' gravelly voice croaked. "His name is Lansing. He… he isn't all there."

That little comment at the end seemed to speak volumes, and Slim knew that getting to the bottom of all of this would be like trying to dig a well with a teaspoon. Jess could clam up tighter than anyone Slim had ever known.

Slim grabbed up the rope and coiled it up sloppily. "Make good use of this…," he commented somewhat to himself. If he could have seen in the darkness, he would have been saddened by the haunted gleam in Jess' eyes.

XXXXX

Slim left Jess under the same rocky overhang to retrieve Traveler after having tied the man Lansing up. He came back in time to hear Jess screaming, "Shut your mouth, shut your stinkin' mouth!"

Apparently the insane man had gained consciousness, as Lansing was laughing from the ground. "You learned real good, sonny. You'll never forget the lessons you learned from me."

Slim quickly rushed forward, bandanna at the ready. He cinched the material around the prisoner's mouth, not even sure what he was stopping the man from saying. He quickly lit another match, grief hitting him like a punch to the stomach when he saw Jess sitting backed up as far as he could in the cave, his knees drawn up to his chest.

"Hey pard," he said soothingly. "I got the lantern from your saddle. It was real nice of you to pack one." He pulled out the small miner's lantern that Jess must've packed when he left Laramie that first fateful day. He pushed the dying match inside, lighting the candle within its tin frame. He carried the small light into the cave, pocket knife already unfolded. "Let's get you free, huh?"

"Sounds good," Jess commented, his voice hoarse. He extended his arms, and Slim almost recoiled from away. Jess' hands were purple in the dim light, at least what skin was visible. Blood was smeared up and down Jess' arms in red and brown streaks. "Holy smokes," Slim breathed.

Jess was staring as well. "Not so pretty, I guess."

"That's putting it lightly," Slim thought to himself. He placed Jess' elbows on Jess' knees, leaving the wrists extended. "This'll hurt some." He put the knife against the rawhide strips and gently drew it back and forth. The first layer snapped free with a pop. The strips had gotten wet, and therefore shrunk into Jess' flesh. Slim was struck with a horrible fear - were they too late? Jess' hands hadn't had circulation for a while now. Would they recover?

With each layer cut, Jess' let out a small groan. Fresh blood welled and dropped to the floor as the circulation was able to flow again. The final layer had to be carefully peeled away, and Slim was positive some skin came with it.

Jess gave a mighty shudder and sigh and leaned his head back against the wall. His arms moved slightly side to side, rolling at the elbow. "Pretty stiff," was all he said.

Slim took Jess' right hand in his own and manipulated the fingers, folding them and stretching them out repeatedly and slowly. He watched with bated breath, praying for a miracle.

Jess gasped suddenly and jerked his hand back. "Hurts," he grunted.

"Pins and needles?" Slim asked in what he hoped was a light tone.

Jess nodded curtly and kept his eyes closed.

Slim quickly snagged the hand back, massaging it and the arm above it. Peering at it in the dim light, he nearly cried out in joy. Jess' hand was visibly filling with blood, changing from purple to a healthy pink.

"Jess, try and move your fingers on your own."

Jess' fingers twitched, then bunched to a fist, which immediately sprung open afterward. "Dadgum," he groaned. "That feels horrible."

Slim laughed a little. "Better to feel horrible than to feel nothing at all."

Jess opened one eye, a tiny smirk on one corner of his mouth.

Slim felt relief grow. They would be all right.

XXXXX

They wandered through the dark trees, Jess wrapped in a blanket and hunched over on his beloved Traveler, and Slim walking in front, prodding Lansing ahead. The stumbled upon the main road, and with Jess' direction, eventually made it into a farm yard.

Lights were shining brightly in the house, as was a lantern hanging next to the door to the barn. Slim saw several horses standing tied and recognized his own Alamo.

The front door burst open and Wayne trotted out. He was halfway down the steps when he noticed the bedraggled group standing in front of him. "Slim! Is that Jess?"

"What's left of him," Jess drawled with only a hint of sarcasm.

"I was just about to come out looking for you. It got too dark to follow your tracks through the trees. I figured I come here to Lucy's and get some lanterns, and well, to settle Fred in. Let's have your man join him, shall we?"

Slim pushed the large man forward a step. "Have him, and welcome. I'd like to get Jess cleaned up and in bed."

Jess protested Slim's proclamation. "I'm not a baby, thank you very much." He started to dismount, but his knees gave out when his feet touched the ground.

Slim rushed to his side, but Jess pushed him away. "I'm fine, I'm fine. I'll just tuck myself in." He started to shuffle toward a small cabin when he stopped and turned. "Wayne, did Lucy make it alright?"

"She sure did," Wayne beamed, "all thanks to you. She worried after you something terrible, but her pa told me that she finally lost the fight with exhaustion. She's dead asleep, as is Jeremy."

Jess nodded, and his shoulders lifted a touch. A heavy burden had been released. "I reckon I'll see them in the morning. I think I'd like to get a little sleep myself."

"You deserve it," Wayne said warmly. "I'll take all of you into town in the morning, let the doctor check you over."

Jess waved a hand in dismissal, shooing the lawman away. Slim followed Jess to the cabin, the small candle-lit lantern still dangling from one hand, Jess' saddlebags in the other.

They went into the small cabin. Slim spied an oil lamp on the table and promptly lit it. "Let's get you into something dry, pard." Jess didn't answer, so Slim turned to see what his friend was doing. "Jess?"

Jess was sprawled on his stomach across a bunk, the blanket still tightly wrapped around him. Small snores wafted in the air; the man was out to the world.

Slim smiled a touch and carefully pulled off Jess' muddy boots and fetched several more blankets. He gently rolled Jess onto his back to remove Jess' soaking wet jeans. Jess moaned in his sleep at the movement, a grimace stretching the skin on his face. Slim got the jeans off as quickly as possible, then figured the rest of Jess' clothes were dry enough to wait until tomorrow. He placed the extra blankets onto his friend's legs before finding a basin of water. He painstakingly washed Jess' wrists, then wrapped them in loose bandages he had fashioned from some towels next to the wash stand. These would also keep until the doctor could care for them, first thing in the morning. Slim tucked in his best friend, so thankful that he was safe at last.

XXXXX

Awww! Sleeping Jess is so cute. Phew! Safe at last?