Dani still had nightmares most nights. Sometimes they woke her, sometimes she'd just toss and turn and kick until she was sweating. Either way, Sadie would hold her close, stroke her hair and soothe her until she fell back to sleep. Dani would shake and cry and whimper "don't leave me", Sadie assuring her that she would never do that each time. During the day, they would act as though nothing happened, whenever Sadie used to ask to talk about the nightmares, Dani would snap and tell her there was nothing to talk about, that it was "just a stupid nightmare". Sadie knew better, of course, but didn't push.

Dani had changed since Beaver Hollow. She was never really a smoker before, but she'd been smoking and drinking a lot more now. Some nights the only way Sadie could get her to stop drinking was whispering in her ear and taking her to bed. Some nights she would have to practically drag Dani from a bar, chastising her for wasting what little money they had on beer or whiskey. After splashing water on her face, Dani would apologise profusely, crying and begging Sadie to forgive her for being so messed up. Sadie didn't know how to help her. She'd offered to find John and Abigail, but Dani refused every time. Her brother had asked her and Sadie to join them after Beaver Hollow, but Dani no longer wanted that life she'd always dreamed about. Not like this. So, they parted ways, Dani promising Jack she'd see him real soon. Abigail winced when she'd said that, knowing her son would just be disappointed. When Dani went to hug Abigail goodbye, the brunette smacked her arm, "thought you wanted to see him grow up?" she bit out. Dani had sighed, pulled Abigail into a hug and whispered, "that's why I have to go". Dani believed the boy would be better off without her, and it broke Abigail's heart.

Three years after Beaver Hollow, Sadie's patience had finally worn thin. Dani had lost them a hefty bounty because of how drunk she'd gotten, and it was the last straw for the blonde.

"How many times do I have to say I'm sorry, Sadie?" Dani pleaded as she watched Sadie gather her things from their hotel room.

"None." Sadie huffed.

"What?"

"None, Dani. You don't have to say sorry anymore, 'cause I'm done. I'm sick of hearin' it. Sick of even needin' an apology in the first place! It's been three years, Dani. I know what happened was hard on you, but I feel like I don't even know you anymore. I thought you just needed some time to...I don't know, process everything but it's been three damn years now and you're still gettin' shit faced every other night! We always said that as long as we have each other, we'll be alright but you ain't been alright." Dani just stood and listened, her head tilted downward, keeping her eyes on her feet as she fidgeted with her fingers. Sadie sighed, "All you had to do was talk to me, Dani. That's all I wanted. But now…" She shook her head. "Now I don't know."

"I-I don't know what to say...I-I can stop drinkin', though!" Dani tried, looking up now with those damn eyes Sadie had to look away from.

"It ain't," she sighed, "It ain't just that, Danielle." The younger woman winced at the use of her full name. "You won't talk to me no more."

"There ain't nothin' to talk about!"

"There's plenty to talk about! You still have nightmares that you won't talk about, and don't tell me they're just stupid dreams 'cause I know better. I know it's hard, but it's me, Dani. If you won't even talk to me then," Sadie shook her head and shrugged, sighing, "then I don't know what it is we're doin' anymore."

Dani shook her head and stepped closer to Sadie, "Don't, don't talk like that. Put your stuff back. I-I can do better, I'll talk! I'll do whatever you want, Sadie, please just don't go." She was crying now, finally seeing just how badly she'd messed things up. "You said you'd never leave!"

"So did you!" Sadie snapped. "I can't do it anymore. I can't be the only one tryin'." She blinked away tears, trying to keep herself together.

"But I'll do better! I will! I swear, I'll stop drinkin', I'll-I'll try talkin' about the nightmares, I'll do anything, Sadie, just please, please, don't leave me." She begged, her voice getting even smaller when she spoke again, "I...I don't wanna be alone."

"That's the thing...you don't wanna be alone? Well, these past three years, I ain't felt this alone since Jake died."

Dani's heart broke at Sadie's confession. "I...I'm sorry." She hated herself for making the woman she loved feel this way. "I never meant-"

"I know. I just think that, even if you don't want to be alone...that's exactly what you need right now." Sadie walked towards the door, stopping to kiss Dani's cheek as she passed her.

The sound of the door opening snapped Dani from her daze, "Sadie." She turned to meet the blonde's gaze, "I love you."

Sadie nodded, giving her a sad smile, "I know." She heard Dani break down once the door was closed, and it took everything she had to not turn back.

Dani had spent the next couple years cleaning herself up and trying to track Sadie down. She thought it would've been easy, but Sadie could be very elusive when she wanted to be. She thought about tracking down John and Abigail, but talked herself out of it. They're better off without me, she'd told herself. The nightmares didn't stop either, but she swore to herself if she ever found Sadie, she'd tell her everything. Until then, she felt she deserved the pain they brought.

She was sick of bounty hunting for money. Dealing with assholes who thought they could charm or bribe her into "losing" them. She found herself in Valentine, hoping the saloon or gunsmith would give her a job. They didn't. The gunsmith owner didn't take her seriously, and the saloon owner said she wasn't pretty enough. She slumped down on the porch outside the saloon with a sigh, holding her hat in her hands. She kept telling herself she didn't need to drink, but damn was it tempting.

A drunk man came stumbling out of the saloon, bumping into her and knocking her off the porch and into the mud. She stood with a growl, ready to knock the idiot out in one punch when someone grabbed her arm, "I wouldn't do that if I was you, drunks around here can be real mean."

She spun around when she heard that voice, "Jess? Jesus, you have no idea how good it is to see you." She laughed.

Jess held Dani at arms length, stopping her from pulling her into a hug, "Let's maybe get you cleaned up first? This is a new dress." She smirked.

"Shit," Dani chuckled, "Yeah. You live 'round here?"

"For now, been movin' around a lot. Come on, me and Mary-Beth got a room in the hotel for the night, you can clean up in there."

"Thank you…I'm glad you two are still together." Dani smiled, Jess noticed the sad look in her eyes though.

"Yeah, me too." She smiled back, leading Dani to the hotel, "I guess we got a lot to catch up on?"

"Yeah…" Dani sighed.

"Hello again, miss!" The same cheery hotel owner greeted, looking at Dani.

"You remember me?" Dani smiled back.

"Not many folks around here have fiery hair like yours."

They laughed, "I suppose not. Well, hello again, nice to see you."

"And you, ma'am, bath's 'round the back if you need."

Dani laughed, "Thank you, yes, I think I will need it." They shared another smile before Jess led her upstairs.

Jess opened the door to her room, gesturing for Dani to wait a moment, "Hey," she greeted Mary-Beth, "Found a stray outside, mind if I bring her in?"

"What are you-" Mary-Beth stopped herself with a gasp when she saw Dani shyly walk in, "Dani!" She rushed forward and pulled the redhead into a tight hug, not realising the redhead was covered in mud. "It's so good to see you…covered in mud." Mary-Beth frowned.

"Sorry 'bout that." Dani rubbed the back of her neck shyly, "Some drunk outside the saloon knocked me over."

"Oh, that's okay." The blonde grabbed a handkerchief and started wiping the small bits of mud off herself, before fussing over Dani with it. "Jess, get me the wash bowl-"

"Mary-Beth, you don't have to-" Dani tried to protest, but Jess cut her off.

"It'll be easier to just let her, trust me." She winked, handing the bowl of water to Mary-Beth, who'd sat Dani down on a chair.

"So, how've you been, Dani? How's Sadie? I'm surprised she's not here with you." Mary-Beth asked as she cleaned the mud splatters off Dani's face.

"Uh…me and Sadie, uh," Dani cleared her throat, "well, I ain't seen her in…two years now."

"Oh…I'm sorry, sweetie." The blonde brought her free hand to Dani's knee, "What happened?"

"It was my fault." Dani practically whispered, "Ever since Beaver Hollow I just…shut her out. Started drinkin' every night, smokin'...I get nightmares and she-she would always ask and I just told her it was nothin'." She swallowed, trying to hold back tears as Mary-Beth finished cleaning her face and started on her hands. "We took up bounty huntin', and there was this real big reward for one and I…I was drunk and things happened and the guy got away. Sadie just…had enough. She said she-she hadn't felt so alone since her husband died. I never meant to-to do that I just…things just got so hard and I didn't know how to deal with it and I cleaned myself up and tried to find her but I just can't. I think she knows that I'm lookin' for her and she just don't want me to find her. She…she hates me." She couldn't hold the tears back anymore, she clenched her jaw as they fell.

"Oh, Dani. I'm sure that ain't true," Mary-Beth soothed, wiping some of the tears off Dani's cheeks. "Things…ended badly, but that don't mean Sadie hates you."

"I just wanna see her," Dani whimpered, "Show her I'm better. Tell her about the nightmares. Tell her I'm sorry." She sniffed and choked out a bitter laugh, "I messed up real bad, Mary-Beth. She was the one good thing I had left after everything, and I messed it up. I'm so stupid…"

"You ain't stupid, Dani." Jess told her, firmly, as she put a hand on Dani's shoulder.

"Then why'd I do all that? Why'd I ruin everything?" Dani snapped, breaking down fully now.

"Okay, okay, shh," Mary-Beth tried, pulling her into a hug, "It's okay." She led Dani over to the bed, holding her close once they'd sat down. "It'll be okay."

Jess and Mary-Beth held and soothed Dani as she eventually cried herself to sleep.

Dani bid the other women farewell a couple days later. They tried convincing her to go with them, but she refused. Telling them she felt like she had to go it alone until she found Sadie. They understood, and the three women shed some tears as they shared a final hug.

Mary-Beth and Jess had spoken of a little town called Armadillo. They'd never been there themselves, but they'd met a man in Blackwater by the name of Drew MacFarlane who'd told them about the place, his ranch not too far from the town. They suggested Dani try the town or ranch if she wanted decent work. Dani thanked them for the tip and, reluctantly, accepted their offer of money for a train ticket to Armadillo.

All eyes were on her as she walked into the saloon in town. She figured they didn't get many visitors, especially armed women with flaming red hair. She took a seat at the bar, and ordered a shot of whiskey, downing it without even wincing. She only did it as an attempt to impress all the staring locals, she had no intention of ordering any more. It seemed to work, she glanced around as the bartender took her glass away, and noticed the staring had stopped.

"You want anything else?" The bartender asked, eyeing her up, trying to get a sense of whether or not she'd be any trouble.

Dani shook her head, "No, but I do need directions to, uh, the MacFarlane ranch? I'm lookin' for work and a friend told me about the place." She gave him an almost pleading look, trying to tell him that he could trust her.

He thought for a moment before slowly nodding and giving her the directions.

"Thank you." Dani nodded once as she got up. She reached into her pocket for a dollar, putting it on the bar before taking her leave. She couldn't help but tip her hat as she passed a table of men watching her as she left, "Gentlemen."

She'd sold her new horse a while ago, when she was hungry and desperate for money. She'd never had another horse like Midnight, never been able to grow attached to one like she had with her old girl. And with having far too little money now, she made the long trek to the MacFarlane's ranch. Not that she wasn't used to walking, but it was times like this, walking distances like this, that she missed Midnight the most. She'd never known a horse to have as much stamina, and do so well in all climates, as Midnight did. She was family, and Dani knew it would probably be a while before she could stop comparing all horses to one so special.

She finally made it to the ranch. She stood in the archway at the entrance and took it all in. It was an impressive place, with its own general store and everything. As she strolled down the main road, she saw a house, the biggest house on the land, and knew that must be Mr. MacFarlane's house.

"Okay," Dani breathed out, dusting herself off, "here we go." She took a deep breath before knocking on the door.

"Can I help you?" Mr. MacFarlane, Dani assumed, frowned as he opened the door.

"Mr. Drew MacFarlane?" She asked with a smile.

"Yes?"

"Hello, my name's Danielle Marston, I believe you know my friends Mary-Beth and Jessica?"

"Oh! Of course! I do remember meetin' them in Blackwater, how are they doin'?"

Dani smiled again, "They're just fine, sir. I ran into them just recently and when I told them I was lookin' for work, they mentioned you and your ranch."

"Ah, I see."

"I-I'm willin' to do just about anything. I'm a real good shot, a-and I'm a fast learner, too!"

"A good shot, hm?" Drew thought, scratching his beard, "Well, we could sure use more of those round here. Coyote's are a nightmare, and every now and then some bastards from Thieves Landin' come 'round. And it sure would be nice to have a little extra security when we've got the wagon out on runs."

"I can do that!" Dani nodded, eagerly. "And I'd be happy to help out with other things too if you ever needed it!"

The older man chuckled, "Well, I'm glad you're eager to work. Well, come on in, I'll introduce you to my daughter and we can talk some more."

Dani let out a breath she didn't realise she was holding as she followed him inside. "Thank you, sir."

He led her into the living room where a woman sat on a couch, reading a newspaper. "Who was at the door, Pa?" She asked.

"That would be this young lady. Danielle, this is my daughter Bonnie. Bonnie, Danielle here's lookin' for some work so I thought I'd bring her in for a little chat."

Bonnie put her paper down and stood to greet Dani, "Nice to meet you, Miss?"

"Marston. But, please, call me Dani, or Danielle, if you prefer. It's nice to meet you Miss. MacFarlane."

"Call me Bonnie," the blonde smiled.

After sitting down and discussing things like what would be expected of Dani, her pay, and days off, Mr. MacFarlane insisted Dani stay the night in their spare room while a place was set up for her. Even though Dani had assured the man she was used to sleeping just about anywhere, so she wouldn't have minded sleeping in even the barn, he wouldn't take no for an answer.

"Alright," Dani relented, "on one condition." She added, a teasing tone to her voice, "I can take a bath in the mornin'."

The MacFarlane's laughed, and the elder shook Dani's hand and instructed Bonnie to show her to the guest room.

"It's been a while since we had someone new around here." Bonnie mentioned as she led Dani up the stairs. "And you don't seem the type to wanna work at a place like this."

Dani noticed the suspicious tone in Bonnie's voice. "Yeah, well…it ain't exactly what I'm used to, but a job's a job, right?"

Bonnie narrowed her eyes, "Right."

Dani sighed as they reached the guest room, "Okay, look, I'll be honest because you and your Pa seem like real nice people. I'm probably not what ya'll would normally hire 'round here. Probably not what you'd call a good person, either." She rubbed the back of her neck nervously, "I was, uh, in a gang until a few years back. Been with 'em all my life. Then some…things happened and we all kinda went our separate ways. I was a bounty hunter for a little while, got sick of it, wanted somethin' different. Then my friends who met your father told me about this place and it just…felt right, I guess. I swear to you, Bonnie, that life is long over. I wouldn't be here if I thought I'd put anybody in danger."

Bonnie slowly nodded, "You know, I don't know why, but I trust you. But one step outta line and-"

"I'm gone." Dani nodded, letting out a sigh of relief, "I know. Thank you, Bonnie."

And as Dani lay in bed that night, she felt, for the first time in a long time, that maybe, just maybe, she'll be alright.