Next morning when I woke up, the sun had already risen and I saw there were three bodies and horses missing. Billy was kicked the fire.

"They left?" I said.

"Headed to Mexico." He said.

"You didn't go with?" I said.

"Is your home in Mexico?" he asked. I paused but shook my head, "Didn't think so."

"Billy, won't you be safer in Mexico?"

"Ahahaha… not with Murphy's men. They'll find us eventually. As long as I kill most of them first." He said.

"But your gang… they won't want to leave Mexico with you to finish your war." Billy looked at me and smiled.

"I can be mighty convincing when I want to. Sides, we won't be in Mexico when I meet up with them, but I know they'll want to head that way." I hesitated… remembering Young Gun's scene "You have to test yourselves gentlemen." I gave a small smile.

"Now… about where you live." He said.

"Billy it's not…" I started, but he held up his hand.

"Now that the gang's gone there's something I want to tell you… come on. On your feet."

"What?"

"Up." He said. Without my concent or really even giving me the chance to stand up, he hooked his elbows under my arms and picked me up.

"Alright!" I said.

"Close your eyes." He said. I planted my hands on my hips, remembering what happened last time I had closed them.

I shut them tight.

Billy pushed me back gently.

"Follow me." He said. I did so. We walked for quite a ways… a good distance from camp and further into high brush. I could feel it rubbing against my elbows and arms and then I heard the trickle of water.

"Open em." He said. I did so. What lay before me was something you'd only see in movies… because places this beautiful didn't exist anymore (in my time). The mountain provided a backdrop to the scene which lay before me now. A crystal clear lake with a creak trickling down the hill provided a small waterfall on the far end. I could see all the way down to the bottom and from here could feel the heat of the water.

"Hot spring…" Billy said. I smiled.

"It's beautiful." I said.

"Ya… I miss places like this. Do you know I can read and write?" Billy asked.

"Ya… I said starring at the sparkling water.

"You know how?" he asked.

"You're mother taught you. She was a school teacher…" I said.

"Now… this is a wild shot. But I'm guessing the same reason you know so much about me and my gang… is the same reason you won't tell me where you live."

I stopped.

"You said I wouldn't believe your story and I'm asking you to trust me and spit it out."

"Billy… if I told you, you'd think I'm crazy."

"A girl who wears pants and shoots at the law only to save a bunch of convicts? It's a little late to stick with the sane theory." He said.

"Oh my gosh can we leave it? Look, I'll go back to Albuquerque, and you can meet up with your gang and go kill off the last of Murphy's' men…"

Billy was watching me carefully. He licked his lips and then looked at the floor.

He sighed.

"Ya I could…" he said and the look up at the sky "only to get shot in the back by Pat Garret with my boots off on the middle of the night of some festival?"

My blood went cold, and I shivered.

"H… how do you know that?"

"How do you?" he asked. I swallowed.

"Billy..."

"I asked you to trust me. You said you're story was unbelievable and I said you'd be surprised. Where are you from Elisha?"

"I already told you… Lincoln." I said.

"But you didn't stick around Lincoln…"

"Because it was different."

"Different when? Different from where you came from?"

"Billy I…" I didn't know what to say.

"You know when I was born Lish?"

"Yes…"

"You think you know… everybody thinks they know the date. Historians think they got it down."

I starred at him.

"No… you're… you're lying." There was no way…

"And you think I wouldn't believe YOUR story. Lish, I know how to read and write because I learned at Brigman Elementary school. I know exactly what happened to you. You ARE from Lincoln… just not this time period…"

I just starred at him, wondering if what I was hearing was true.

"This hear pond… is plowed over for some rich man's mansion. So music rapper named Tupac."

"RAPPER…"

"Had his own private jet and everything…"

"Billy how…"

"You think you were the only one?" He asked, "Get you head outta the clouds. How'd you think I avoided the law for so long as such a young age? I'm barley twenty Lish… think it was luck? The time change changed me, just like I know it changed you."

"Are you even the real Billy the Kid then?" Billy rolled his eyes.

"Yes. Yes I am. I swapped times when I was thirteen. I grew up here. Learned the way of life and I accepted my life in the west. I became the outlaw written in the history books. My name really is William H. Bonney. I really am Billy the Kid. But I'm not from here."

"That's…. that's no possible." I stuttered. He laughed.

"Coming from you… that's saying something. I knew there was something different about you when I saw you. The moment I saw you, I thought "I wonder." Our paths crossed again, and I saw in your eyes the same look I see in mine. That look… the time change does it to you. That spark in your eye… that cold stare that would turn a rattler's blood hot."

"But… i… it's… the… HOW?" Billy shrugged.

"My mother died here. I enjoyed it here. John Tunstall did to. He would have made it far if he hand't gotten shot."

"If you know the history so well… why didn't you change it?" I asked, "Why didn't you try and save Tunstall?"

"I did. I tried." He avoided my gaze, starring at the floor, "Believe me I tried. But you can't overwrite history. I can't change it. You can't."

"But you're gonna get shot…"

"Supposedly. There's rumors and theory's that I survive and grow old with a woman named Rosanna… or something." He said. I nodded.

"That Patt Gareet missed or let you go…" I said. Billy nodded. "Billy that's a rumor though… and most of it leans towards foolish dreams of hopeless romantics."

"What do you think?" he asked me.

"I… I hope it's not a rumor… I hope it's true. I've always hoped you survived that night." I said.

"Well when that time comes… I'll find out. I'll find out if I live or die." He said, "Meanwhile, I'm gonna kill every Murphy man in my sights."

"What about going back?"

"Back to what? Nothing there for me." He said.

"Then… you said you would get me home… and you knew all along?"

"I suspected. I could only guess. You wouldn't tell me. I told you that if you trusted me I could get you home…" I looked at him. He was looking at me his blue eyes alight.

"… and… can you? Get me home?"

"Yes, Elisha. I can." He smiled.