The punch hit Mark as he fell onto his back while Caleb stood over him, waiting for Mark to get back up.

"Come on, you weakling!" Caleb said. "You want to be a mountain boy? You gotta learn how to scrap like a mountain boy! You go into a town not bein' able to defend yourself and those city folk will eat you alive!"

Mark felt his bleeding nose and tried to get up. He knew how to throw a punch, but his father had never properly taught him to fight. Lucas wanted to raise Mark to be non-violent and had never even trained him on how to use a gun. If he knew how to fight, Mark probably would have fought his way to freedom by now.

"Don't hurt him too badly," Ellie said as she on the porch. "He's just a boy."

"It's time he learned how to be a man!" Caleb told her as Mark rushed him, and found himself on the ground again while the other boys cheered Caleb on. Only Kit was rooting for Mark, nervous that the boy would be seriously hurt.

It had been a month since Mark had been kidnapped and was biding his time until the first frost came and he could make his escape. In the meantime, his feelings for Kit had grown as they spent more time together. But with Kit's mother and brother's constantly watching them, they had to be careful. A A ltitle kiss here, holding hands briefly there. Mark wasn't entirely sure it was love, but Kit was the first person he had felt close to.

It wasn't just an attraction, they had started telling each other deeply personal secrets, sharing everything about themselves. How Mark's dreams no longer involved ranching but heading West to make his fortune with something he'd heard about called 'filmmaking'. It wasn't much now, but in thirty years it would be the next big thing. Kit's dreams involved adopting a son of his own to raise after he'd gotten away from his family. There was nothing the two weren't sharing with each other.

Mark hit the ground hard, his bloody nose dripping on the dirt.

"That's enough," Ellie told him. "You boys can play later. Go on and do your chores."

"We'll make a man of you yet, boy," Caleb said as he walked away. Mark tried to pick himself up as Kit ran up to him.

"Are you okay? Are you hurt?"

"Just my pride," Mark told him as he started to stand up and felt his nose. "I have to get out of here. Pa's probably worrying himself to death by now."

"Would he really take me in?" Kit asked.

"He wouldn't send you back to a place like this," Mark promised. "I don't know if Pa would be accepting of…us, but we could keep this a secret for now, just until we prepare him a bit."

"The morning of the first frost, we'll head out," Kit said. "I'll go with you. I won't let you go alone."

The two hugged as Kit wiped a bit of blood from Mark's nose. "Let's get you cleaned up."

"Barn's just about ready, Mr. McCain," David said as he finished in the loft. With winter coming soon, the loft had been adjusted into a small bedroom so David wouldn't have to travel far in the show. With Mark gone, David had taken most of Mark's responsibilities including taking Blueboy out for exercise. "It might be a brutal winter, but I think the barn will hold up."

"You've done a great job,' Lucas said as David climbed down. He tossed David a coat. "This— this was Mark's. No sense in it just laying around when a boy needs to keep warm this winter. It should just about be your size. I got it for Mark, knowing he would be hitting a growth spurt any day now."

"I can't take this," David told him. "This was Mark's."

"Take it," Lucas said. "If Mark comes back we'll get him another one."

"You're giving up hope," David realized. "You don't think he's coming home."

"I'll never truly give up hope," Lucas said. "But it's been a month. The search party gave up and called it last week. I believe he's alive, but every passing day it just gets a little harder to keep hoping. The day Mark comes home, he'll still have everything he had when he left. You take that coat, you're going to need it because you're going to have plenty to do this winter to earn your keep."

"Thank you, Mr. McCain," David told him. "I'll take good care of it until Mark comes home. He was my best friend, and I'll always believe he's out there."

"Come on, we have the last of the firewood to cut before the first frost," Lucas told him. "Hopefully we can get it done before tomorrow."

Kit looked at the sky as he felt a chill. "It's getting a bit chilly. We'll have to break out winter boots tonight."

Mark put the last of the firewood in the shed as Kit pushed him in and closed the door. He grabbed Mark and pushed his lips against him.

"This might be our last chance to do this before we run, "Mark smiled, their teenage hormones full surging at this point. They kissed madly, trying to get as much time with each other as they can before they took off. "Are you sure you want to do this? Are you sure you want me?"

"I've never been more sure of anything," Kit told him as they went back to their making out. "Since we don't know what the future holds… do you want to go… further?"

"You mean like… getting naked further?" Mark asked nervously, half-laughing. He wanted nothing more than to feel Kit's couch on his body, to really feel his love. But he also knew that his virginity was something he held dear, as his father always said he shouldn't give it up to someone unless they truly loved each other. Mark was still unsure about his feelings for Kit, but he knew he wanted him in his life. "I don't know, I've never gone that far before."

Kit gently touched his cheek. "Then we'll wait. I want you to give yourself to me because you're ready to. When the time's right, we'll get there."

They went to kiss again as the door opened and Gabriel walked in. "There they are, just like I told you! They're foolin' around!"

Mark and Kit separated as Caleb walked in. "My own brothers, messin' around," Caleb said angrily.

"It's not like that!" Mark said as Caleb punched him in the stomach. Mark fell to the ground coughing as he tried to catch his breath. "Gonna beat that evil outta the both of you."

Two hours later, Mark couldn't stand upright as he felt his sore backside. He came into the bedroom and saw Kit laying naked on the bed, facedown, his entire backside black, blue, and purple. Mark shed a few tears as he lay on his stomach next to Kit. He's heard Kit's screaming from the shed as he waited his turn. It was like someone was murdered, and all for the crime of loving someone different.

As Mark heard Kit's cries, which would soon be followed his own, he realized something: He was in love with Kit Carson, and wanted to do anything to prevent him from being hurt again.

"I don't care what they do, we're leaving," Mark sobbed as he held Kit's hand. "And we ain't never looking back! My Pa's not here, and he always says that a man should fight his own battles. Well, from now, I'm fighting for the man I love."