"Well, don't it seem weird to you that Kid and Heyes just roll up and say they wanna spend sometime here at the hole? I bet they're planning to take over again, amnesty weren't never gonna be a reality." He grunted. "I told 'em that, you wouldn't get no law-man fooling Wheat Carlson with a pipe dream. No sir, I'm cleverer than that. So I'm tellin' you, Kyle, I ain't having it. They can't just roll up and expect us to welcome them back."

Wheat Carlson glared at his partner who scratched his backside through grubby pants before rubbing his nose with a shrug. "You're leader now, Wheat, you can do what ya want. No one is gonna argue, the folk who rode with us when they was in charge weren't happy when they left and some of them ain't even here no more. You tell 'em to go if that's what ya wantin'. They ain't armed, they tossed their guns real easy when Max asked 'em to."

Wheat jumped on his horse muttering to himself. "It ain't right them thinking they can just turn up and invite themselves in so I'm just gonna send 'em on their way."

Kyle's bovine gaze rested on him. "Well, Wheat, they ain't exactly done that. They ain't even tried to come in. Just fired the shots and asked." His face crumpled into puzzlement. "Weren't really like either of 'em to be that polite neither, or give up their guns so easy- ya know what the Kid is like with his."

Wheat glared at his friend and said. "They're just tryin' to fool me! I let 'em in and that'll be it. I ain't falling for that, no siree, my mama didn't raise no fool."

While he rode up to the lookout, he planned all manner of less than friendly and maybe even downright proddy things to say to his former leaders, but the sight that greeted him gave him a bit of a jolt.

The Kid was half-lying on the grass, his back against a rock, his rolled-up Sherpa behind his head and his hat on the ground beside him, while his horse munched behind. Heyes had also dismounted and was crouched by his side and in a voice kinder and more concerned than Wheat thought he'd ever heard him use asked softly. "Better?"

Kid smiled weakly at his partner and nodded. Heyes reached over him and gently placed his hat on his head to shield his eyes. Neither had even noticed his approach too wrapped up in each other, which struck Wheat as strange as he would have figured they'd have been alert to any danger.

It did however give him the opportunity to study them and he was shocked at what he saw. They both looked very dusty and they had lost some weight. Heyes especially, and although the Kid looked to be in worse shape than his partner, as Heyes with a final pat on the Kid's shoulder stood slowly, it was obvious he was in some discomfort too.

As he moved away, Kid stirred and without removing his hat said. "Wheat ain't forced to be friendly Heyes, he's well within his rights to just up and tell us to leave. And folk might think we're slipping back into our old ways."

"Ain't no one gotta know where we are. And we ain't planning on staying more than a few days anyways, just long enough so you can rest up some and not be bothered."

"Well we gotta be prepared for the fact that he won't be happy and just send us away. I ain't in no shape for a fight, we gave them our guns and he'll have the gang backing him up."

"I know, Kid, I know, but we gotta try as I ain't got nothing else." Heyes sounded exhausted.

Wheat having heard enough cleared his throat to draw their attention. Kid immediately struggled to his feet, his arms folded, looking every inch the dangerous gunman. Heyes smiled his usual irritating grin, but with what he'd heard Wheat recognised both things as camouflage.

"Heyes, Kid..."

"Wheat." Kid nodded at him, confident, laconic and seemingly unconcerned, but Wheat having seen and heard what he had, could spot the creases of pain in his forehead.

Heyes' eyes flicked between his partner and Wheat. "How long you bin here?"

"Long enough." Wheat felt some satisfaction at the slightly pained expression that crossed his old leader's face and the slight flush that had appeared on Kid's cheeks.

Heyes glanced at Kid who shrugged carefully, then he looked back up at Wheat, his face now composed to show no hint of discomfort. "Then you know we ain't fixing to come in and take back over. We're just wanting a quiet place to rest up to avoid the storm that we figure is heading this way. And before you ask, we ain't got no one on our tail. We lost 'em days ago."

Wheat let his gaze flick between them, savouring the fact that for once he had all the power. How the mighty have fallen he thought letting a smug smile break across his face. His grin only broadened when his unexpected and not entirely welcome visitors winced in a way that had nothing to do with physical pain. He decided that it'd be satisfying to play the generous friend and nodded at them. "As long as you ain't planning on overstaying your welcome, guess it won't do no harm to let ya in."

Quickly shuttered relief crossed Heyes' face as he said with every appearance of meaning it. "We're mighty grateful, Wheat. Like I say won't be for more than a few days."

They carefully mounted their horses, Kid with far less ease than usual. As Wheat turned to lead them up the path to the hole, he heard Kid mutter to Heyes. "Think they're gonna give us our guns back?"

"Don't push it Kid..."

XXX

Wheat glanced back at the two former leaders of the devil's hole gang as they followed him into the bunkhouse and hid a smile at the Kid's wince when he was slapped firmly on the back by Lobo, who grinned wide. "So, boys you finally come home then?"

Wheat felt his hackles go up, ready to demand they leave, but Heyes shook Lobo's hand firmly, while shaking his head. "'Fraid not, we're just here a few days hoping to stay amongst friends while the storm passes, then we'll be on our way. Ole Wheat here seems to be doing a good job for you boys. If you don't mind, we're just gonna take a coupla beds in the bunkhouse, play a few games of poker."

Lobo's face fell briefly, before his expression lightened. "Yeah, Wheat, ain't got such grand ideas, but we do pretty well out of the ones he does have."

Wheat glanced between the two men and saw the tension ease out of them both and feeling happy that they weren't about to dethrone him, waved over to the far wall. "We got coupla free bunks over in the corner."

Heyes glanced over at the Kid who nodded and made his way over to where Wheat had indicated and flopped down carefully, closing his eyes, as Heyes turned to grin at the rest of the gang. "Well it's mighty fine to be in such a friendly gathering of folk for a few days. I got some whisky in my saddle bags and a new pack of cards."

Heyes sat down at the table in the middle of the room producing the bottle and the cards with a flourish. The others quickly gathered round him and soon a game was in full swing. Wheat stood leaning against the wall watching, met Heyes' gaze steadily as he looked up, and hoped his face showed that he was aware that the poker game had simply been a way of distracting the men from the Kid, to allow him to rest. But he also shrugged to let his old boss know that he was more than willing to let it go. He even joined in the next hand that was dealt.

Wheat saw Heyes glancing over between hands at his now fast asleep partner, a slight crease of worry in his brow. Wheat shook his head- he'd always known Heyes wasn't as smart as he figured he was and this proved it. But if they were fool enough to carry on seeking an impossible dream, it weren't no business of his and as long as they were, his position was safe, so there weren't no need to fuss himself as he held all the aces for a change.