Caution: There is a brief mention of sex in this chapter. It seems pretty mild to me, but let me know if I should still up the story's rating because of this.

Jesse's solemn whistle mingled with the jingle of his spurs as he strode toward the small trailer hitched to the back of the rented truck he'd spent a good chunk of that morning driving. When he reached the doors at the back of the trailer, the cowboy paused to check his surroundings for signs of danger. Seeing neither man, beast, nor Omnic anywhere around him, Jesse flung the doors wide open and stepped inside, allowing his gaze to rest upon the trailer's cargo.

Jesse smoothed his hand across the shiny red hull of the hoverbike, remembering the day he'd 'acquired' it. Though it had been years since that confrontation between him and the Deadlock Gang, Ashe's banshee-like scream as Jesse rode off on her hoverbike still remained fresh in the cowboy's mind.

Now that he'd finally found the misplaced keys to the darned thing, it was time the bike was returned to its rightful owner.

Since the bike had become rusty due to years of disuse while the keys were missing, Jesse had brought it to the most skilled and professional mechanic he could find to have it renovated. The cost of the job was by no means cheap, but there was no way in hell Jesse McCree was returning an item he'd 'borrowed', especially from someone like Elizabeth Caledonia Ashe, in less-than-mint condition. Luckily, the mechanic didn't disappoint; even in the dim light of the trailer's interior, the bike glistened and gleamed as it might have the day it first rolled off the assembly line.

Jesse retrieved the keys from his pocket and seated himself on the bike. His plan was simple enough: ride up the gorge to the gang's favorite clubhouse, park the bike in the garage just across the road from the clubhouse, then hurry back to the diner on foot and leave with Jorge before any Deadlock goons noticed them. According to an informant, Ashe was in San Bernardino meeting with another gang leader that day and wasn't expected to return to Deadlock Gorge until the following morning at the soonest, so even if Jesse was discovered before he could escape from the gorge he wouldn't have too much of a fight on his hands. And Jorge would be safe as long as he stayed inside the diner and out of sight of any gang members.

Kid shouldn't be in a place like this, the cowboy thought to himself. If only his mama weren't so dang insistent I take him for the week. Sure, we haven't had much time together these last few years, but I'm just tryin' to keep him out of harm's way like any good father would. With the law, the Deadlock Gang, and who knows who else on my back, there's just no tellin' what may happen to my boy if I let my guard down for even ...

A sharp beep from his watch brought him out of his thoughts, reminding him of the risky task he came here to complete. Sighing, Jesse checked the time.

11:55.

"Well," the cowboy mumbled to himself, "time to get this show on the road." He slid the keys into the ignition and, with a quick twist of his wrist to the right, started up the engine. Much to his satisfaction, it rumbled to life beautifully. Gripping the handlebars with both hands, Jesse stole a glance at the old photo on the dashboard.

"Don't say I never did anything nice for you, Ashe."

Turning his attention to the road before him, Jesse carefully guided the bike out of the trailer. Once clear of it, he revved up the speed and zoomed up the gorge, leaving a cloudy trail of dust behind him.

Jorge had never been more shocked in his life. He could not believe what he'd just heard. His new friend Natalie was the daughter of the legendary Elizabeth Caledonia "Calamity" Ashe, head honcho of the Deadlock Gang and his father's former partner-in-crime.

"Sh-she's your mom?" the boy stammered. Though both waitresses had returned to the kitchen he was careful to keep his voice low so only he and Natalie could hear.

Natalie nodded. "And judgin' by how your daddy was speakin' to me earlier, he probably knows, too." The girl glanced uneasily out the window. "I hope he doesn't tell anyone about me."

Jorge tilted his head questioningly. "Why not?"

"Momma doesn't want the law findin' out she has a kid," Natalie explained. "She's afraid if they do they'll take me away from her, and neither of us want that."

"Is that why you grabbed his poncho before he left?" Jorge asked.

"Yeah." The girl rested her chin in the palm of her hand as she poked at the remains of her soda with her straw. "I know what you're gonna tell me, that Momma and her gang are bad people who shouldn't be raisin' a child, and I deserve better than to be raised by criminals. I know that, but-"

Feeling tears starting to form in her eyes, Natalie closed them as tightly as she could and took a deep breath to calm herself.

"I can't leave them, Jorge. I know they've done terrible things and all, and they deserve jail, but ... they're still my family and I love them anyway. They're all the family I've ever known, and I don't know what I'd do without them. It would especially destroy Momma to lose me, 'cause if the law did find out about me they'd most likely send me to live with her parents, and she doesn't want me growin' up like she did.

"You see, my mother never had a proper family growin' up, the kind that loves you and is there for you no matter what. Sure, her folks had a ton of money to buy her whatever she wanted, but they were never there for her when it mattered; couldn't even be bothered to celebrate her birthday or Christmas with her, or comfort her after a bad day at school.

"When she got older she started gettin' in trouble with the law, even got sent to jail a number of times, to see if her parents would start payin' attention to her more, but they'd only send B.O.B. - he's Momma's butler - to get her after bailin' her out. She never told me for sure, but I'm guessin' it was in jail where she met the guys who later founded the Deadlock gang with her."

"Do you think my dad mighta been one of those guys?" Jorge asked curiously.

The girl shrugged. "Probably. Considerin' Momma's held on to his picture all these years and won't get rid of it, I think it's safe to assume he was a foundin' member, or at least someone important to her."

"How about your dad? Was he a founding member, too?"

Natalie shook her head. "Nah. Momma didn't meet him 'til much later, at a black market auction. She'd heard talk goin' around there was a new dealer in town with a knack for findin' buyers for even the hardest-to-sell items, and she wanted to meet him for herself. Luckily he didn't disappoint her, 'cause they saw each other more after that. After they'd gotten to know each other for awhile, they ... uhhhhh ..." Natalie sat upright and placed her folded hands in her lap, glancing uneasily around the room. "How should I explain this?"

"It's okay, Natalie," Jorge told her. "My parents explained that stuff to me already. I know how it works."

"Okay, then," Natalie responded, then continued her story.

"Momma had Dad over one night at the gang's main hideout and ... well, long story short they got carried away and I happened. At first Momma didn't want a kid 'cause she was afraid she'd be no better than her own parents, but Peyote - she's the gang's medicine woman and one of Momma's closest friends - convinced her to at least think it over before makin' a final decision. In the end Momma decided to keep me 'cause one, what better way was there to prove she was better than her snotty rich parents, and two, she needed someone to lead the gang should karma or the law finally catch up to her. Might as well be her own flesh and bone since she didn't trust any of the other gang members to do the job."

"Not even B.O.B. or Peyote?"

Natalie shook her head. "Nope."

"Wow, she must have some high standards," Jorge remarked.

"You don't know the half of it," Natalie responded. "Anyhow, for both our safety Momma had to lie low for about a year. No heists or anythin' else dangerous durin' that time. As soon as I was born she made sure she was there for me as much as possible, but B.O.B. and the others helped her when she needed it, 'cause it wasn't easy runnin' the gang and raisin' a kid at the same time." The girl sighed pensively. "Momma often tells me she always knew she was lucky to have such a motley yet supportive crew for her family, but she never knew just how lucky 'til I came along."

"Do you see your dad often?" Jorge asked.

"Not a whole lot," said Natalie. "He usually just calls or writes, but he does visit me from time to time. After all, I'm his kid, too, Momma reminds him."

"I don't see my dad a whole lot, either," said Jorge. "He says it's for my own safety 'cause just like your mom he's got the law and a bunch of other people after him, and he's afraid if they find out about me they'll come after me, too. He didn't even want me to come with him on this trip, but Mama wanted him to take me 'cause we hadn't had much time together the last couple years. Also, my mother works with people Dad doesn't trust for some reason, but I've been around them most of my life so they're like family to me." A smile of realization crossed the boy's face. "Kinda like how your mother's gang is like family to you."

"Looks like we have what my mother would call an 'understandin''," Natalie remarked.

Jorge chuckled. "Yeah, I guess we do." The boy scooted to the left and leaned out of the booth to get a better look at the clock. "I wonder when Dad's gonna get back."

Suddenly, Natalie's head whipped sharply over her right shoulder so she, too, could get a look at the clock. Her face fell when she saw what the time was.

"Oh, shoot!" the girl muttered when she noticed she'd stayed at the diner longer than she'd intended. "Peyote's probably sendin' someone to look for me before Momma gets back. I'd better get goin'!"

"Natalie, wha-?" Jorge started to ask, puzzled as to why his friend had jumped out of her seat and snatched up her purse so suddenly.

"I gotta get goin', Jorge," Natalie explained. "The gang's probably wonderin' where I went, and Momma'll be back from her Marauders meetin' soon." The girl fished her wallet out of her purse, removed a five dollar bill from it, and placed it on the table. "This is to tip the waitress, so don't touch it."

Jorge rolled his eyes. "I know, I know."

Natalie slung her purse over her shoulder and made her way to the door. As she stood before it, she turned to look back at Jorge one more time.

"It was nice meetin' you, Jorge. Maybe if we're lucky, we'll see each other again someday."

"It was nice meeting you, too, Natalie," Jorge called after her as he watched her scurry out of the diner and down the dusty trail leading up the gorge.

"Hurry up, let's move! Ashe will be back any second!"

Rosalee 'Peyote' Todicheene paced anxiously across the floor of the Deadlock Gang's warehouse, clapping her hands to get the attention of her fellow gang members, some of whom were sorting through various crates containing either stolen goods or emergency supplies. A few more stood idly by leaning against the walls, awaiting the return of the scouts Peyote had sent out earlier so they could take over from them.

"Gosh, Peyote, we're goin' as fast as we can!" growled Diamondback, a tall noodly-limbed man whose real name was Noah Hayes. "No need ta be yellin' down our backs like we're dogs or somethin'!"

"Yeah, don't blow a gasket!" chimed in his cousin, Lois Mae Hudson, or Hudsy, as she was called.

Peyote rolled her eyes and groaned. The medium-tall Navajo woman just knew today was going to be chaotic from the moment she woke up. Diamond and Hudsy were difficult enough to deal with on a calmer day, but on a hectic day like this one they were impossible.

The gang had hardly finished breakfast when they received a call from Ashe, who had been in California the last several days meeting with another gang, the Mojave Marauders. The Deadlock leader had decided to cut her Marauders meeting short a day early and was on her way back to Deadlock Gorge with her Omnic butler, B.O.B, who'd accompanied her to California. Peyote, whom Ashe had left in charge for the duration of her absence, wasted no time in handing out tasks to be completed before her boss's return.

Even Natalie had been given some tasks to perform, though hers were much simpler than those given to the older gang members. Ashe was adamant that everyone in her family of outlaws, including her eleven-year-old daughter, pulled their own weight.

"Just because you're my kid doesn't mean you can just slack off," the Deadlock leader would tell her daughter. "You gotta do your fair share, too. Just like everyone else."

For the most part Natalie was a good kid who finished her chores and lessons before doing anything else, but the girl was also a restless one with a habit of sneaking off without anyone else noticing. Her mother never enjoyed disciplining her, since it often reminded her of the times she'd had privileges revoked by her own wealthy yet uncaring parents, but she could not and would not allow her daughter's carelessness to compromise the gang's safety under any circumstances.

"She's just being a good mom, looking out for her kid as well as the rest of us," Peyote would tell herself whenever her overly sympathetic side felt Ashe was being too hard on Natalie. "That's what you do in a family. You look out for each other."

"Um, Peyote ..?"

Flo, the gang's cook, approached her fellow Deadlocker tentatively, her artificial eyes displaying concern.

"What is it, Flo?" Peyote asked, trying not to sound irritated.

"I can't find Natalie," the Omnic responded nervously. "I haven't seen her since I asked her to brush Cooper's dog hair off the furniture."

Peyote remained calm despite the panic in Flo's voice. "That was at least an hour ago. Did you check her room or Tino's stall?"

"I did. She isn't in either of those places."

"Peyote!"

Zeke and Terran stumbled into the warehouse, trying not to trip over anything or each other.

"Careful, you two!" Peyote scolded. "What's going on?"

Both brothers stopped in front of her to catch their breath.

"Bars says he saw McCree in the gorge," Terran wheezed.

"Oh no, not him again!" Hudsy wailed.

Peyote wasn't thrilled, either. "You sure it was McCree?" she called to Bars, who was just now entering the warehouse with P.T.

"I swear to the Iris it was him," the Omnic sniper responded. "When I saw him, he was heading for the High Side."

Before Peyote could say anything more, her comlink beeped sharply, causing the woman to flinch from the volume. Knowing very darn well who the call was from, Peyote answered it.

"Peyote, it's Ashe. I'm just now enterin' the gorge, so I should be home in about three minutes. How's everythin' holdin' up?"

As her fellow Deadlockers gathered anxiously around her, Peyote felt her stomach churn as if something was rotting inside it. What was she going to tell her boss? There was no doubt Ashe would be furious to know not only was her daughter missing, but her sworn enemy had once again dared to show his face on her turf.

Could this day get any worse?

"Peyote, what's goin' on? Answer me!"

Peyote shuddered as Ashe's voice thundered in her ears. Every neuron in her brain was firing rapidly, desperately trying to come up with an answer that wouldn't arouse Ashe's suspicions. The fact that several other Deadlockers were clustered around her did nothing to quell her anxiety, since it added to the feeling of walls closing in around her.

"I, um ..." Peyote felt the moisture drain from her mouth. She glanced nervously around the group surrounding her in search of assistance, but there was no help there. Her comrades were every bit on edge as she was. Diamond wrung his hands, Hudsy chewed on the nail of her right pinkie, Terran fiddled with his bandanna, Zeke and P.T. shoved their hands in their pockets and stared at the floor, and Bars cleaned his gun while Flo watched.

Seeing she was clearly on her own, Peyote took a deep breath to calm herself before giving Ashe her answer.

"We've reorganized everything in the warehouse and cleaned all the weapons like you asked."

"Excellent," Ashe responded. "No one gave you any trouble, I hope."

"No, ma'am. Even Diamond and Hudsy behaved themselves for once this time."

Diamond and Hudsy exchanged disgusted looks.

"Is Natalie doin' okay?" Ashe asked. "How's she been?"

Peyote sighed in disappointment. She knew her boss would ask about her kid at some point during the call, but she didn't expect it to be this soon.

"She misses you and B.O.B., but other than that she's fine," Peyote responded. "She's outside playing with Cooper right now." She silently pleaded that Ashe would not ask to speak with her daughter.

"Are her chores and lessons finished?"

"Her lessons are finished, but she still has a couple chores left to do. I'll make sure she finishes them."

"Alright, then. See you when I get back."

As Ashe signed off, Peyote heaved a sigh of relief, though she knew she wasn't quite out of the woods yet. There was still the matter of Natalie and McCree to deal with, and she needed to act fast if she wanted this taken care of without Ashe knowing anything was amiss.

"Alright, nobody panic!" the woman yelled, waving her arms to clear the space around her. Her comrades jumped back, startled by her sudden outburst.

"We're getting this taken care of now!" Peyote pointed at P.T., then Zeke, then Bars. "You three, come with me. We'll be dealing with McCree. Terran and Flo, you go look for Natalie. I've a hunch she's at the diner, so check there first. As for you two ..." Peyote turned her attention to Diamond and Hudsy. "You stay here and keep Ashe and B.O.B. busy til the rest of us get back."

Both cousins cried out in dismay.

"Ya can't be serious, Peyote!" Hudsy wailed. "She'll see right through us!"

"Yeah, haven't ya learned by now Hudsy and I happen to be the worst liars on the planet?" Diamond protested.

"Then let's just hope you've gotten better since last time!" Peyote responded sarcastically. As she turned to exit the warehouse, she gestured for P.T., Zeke, and Bars to follow her. "Alright, Deadlock, let's move out!"