She remembered that Valentine's Day not so long ago when he'd saved her life. It'd been the start of something between them that hadn't been a love affair by any means, not at first but a tentative friendship between two very different people.

Now they were married and had a child on the way to add to their already good-sized family. She thought of that as the fatigue of the hours spent wondering if they'd live or die inside the schoolhouse.

No, no one was going to die any more than they did inside the hotel when she'd been entrusted by Ethan to look after Claire and George and Scotty and Mary's baby. A pack of outlaws kin to Buck and the others were holding them at gunpoint inside and the town at bay outside.

She did what she had to do to survive, to make sure the rest of the hostages did too because the outlaws had taken interest in her in ways that only partly had to do with a bank filled with money and precious metals.

Her skin felt clammy even now as she remembered the hands that had grabbed it, fondled it to try to take from her…but she'd known how to keep them at bay. Outlaws had been a part of her life after all in ways different from that of her husband the town marshal.

"Amelia I think that Buck's going to do something crazy."

Ella who'd been quiet most of the time, content to comfort the smallest children spoke up now and both Claire and Amelia looked at her.

"It's going to be just fine," Amelia said, "We have to trust the men."

Amelia did particularly her husband in different ways some highly personal but he'd always been there when she'd needed him. Not that it'd been easy…she'd been so difficult herself when he tried to understand why she put up so many walls between them.

He'd taken every single one down in that manner of his that could disarm any woman.

"I want to…it's just that I'm scared and I don't know how to keep the children from knowing it."

Amelia smiled.

"You're doing just fine Ella," she said, "It shouldn't be much longer."

"What about you? I mean you're the one who's expecting…can't be easy."

Amelia sighed.

"I'm just fine…we're all going to be fine."

She felt more nervous than she let on but she knew she had to be calm. If she showed fear, the others might as well including the children and that could push Buck off his delicate edge. Everything had to be done carefully…she thought as she watched him pace with his hand on his holster. She knew his eye was on the action outside and she worried about her husband and the other men.

"I don't know how you hold it together…"

"If I didn't what good would it do? I've been scared Ella…really scared but it just doesn't help you free yourself from what makes you afraid. Love does that."

"I just wish I could be so sure we're getting out of here."

Amelia reached over to touch her hand looking her in the face.

"We will get out of here," she said, "You'll see."

Ethan grabbed some coffee while John Taylor joined him near the bar. He'd been running on empty since the adrenalin wore off from the shootout. Charlie and Dakota and the others went to go stock on the food left over from the party.

"It'll be getting dark soon."

It'd only been hours since this siege began but it felt like days.

"Might help your tactics," John Taylor said, "easier to hide."

Ethan sat down and nursed his coffee.

"I got to get them out of there…and soon. Buck's likely to lose it soon and take it out on the hostages."

"You've got him wound up but that's not a bad thing," John Taylor said, "I think it might work to your advantage like it did in the hotel."

"Amelia mostly wound them up there," Ethan said, "turned them all against each other…which could have gotten her killed."

"It didn't and she's smart and tough," John Taylor, "Nice to see that marrying you hasn't changed that."

Ethan had to smile a little at that because his friend was right. Marriage had changed him a lot more than he'd expected in a short time. It'd happened quickly enough when he'd found out that she was with child on Christmas Eve after they were apart so long and before the brand new year started, she was his wife.

"I know but it's still dangerous in there. I don't know what's going on with her and the rest of them."

John Taylor leaned forward.

"You know she's taking care of the children with Claire helping her," he said, "and Ella."

Ethan worried about the children but he knew they were well cared for and they were resilient enough to do what they were told.

"I know…I just got to get them all out of there before I run out of time."

John Taylor couldn't argue with that. He'd been in the hotel too, treating a gunshot wound suffered by one of the outlaws one he wound up killing to stop him from shooting Ethan. Amelia had shot one of the others who'd tried to shoot him in the back.

Dakota walked over to them.

"You got a plan boss?"

Ethan looked up at him.

"I think so…I want to bring this to an end."

They both headed away from the table while John Taylor watched.

Amelia looked over at Buck who just looked too agitated. He'd gone on about her wayward husband, the one who was actually her ex. She didn't want him to figure out that she was married to the marshal who had him cornered in the schoolhouse.

Claire went to check on the boys and returned.

"They're telling the others stories…very quietly," she said, "though it's been hard for the students to understand what's happening."

Amelia imagined so. But if they could hold on for a while longer…

Buck came over and reached for Amelia.

"I need you to come with me," he said, "to give me more bargaining power."

She didn't fight, she just nodded as they went to the window. She looked out and saw Dakota and Ethan leave the hotel to come outside.

The next round had just begun.