Kid and Heyes were woken by a frantic knocking on their door and were already half dressed, with guns drawn when they answered it. Catherine Markham her face streaked with tears, gasped at them. "There's a robbery in town, Billy and Tommy must've snuck out, the robbers is holding them hostage, so they can get away. Sheriff sent his deputy to tell us!"

The Kid shared a frantic glance with Heyes, who nodded and ran for their boots, as the Kid laid a gentle hand on the near hysterical woman's shoulder as he said. "Go on home and wait! We'll deal with this!"

"But, Mr Curry!"

"Please Ma'am, just do as I say, can't be worryin' 'bout them and you!"

Heyes arrived back,as Kid was speaking, fully clothed and carrying Kid's boots and holster, which he handed over. As his partner bent to pull on his boots, before fastening on his gun belt and placing his gun in its holster, he said urgently. "He's right! We know an awful lot about robbing banks, makes us experts on stopping others doin' it. Don't need no distractions."

As they sped towards town, Kid shook his head in despair. "If it ain't one thing it's another with that boy! Seems like he don't listen to nothing I tell him!"

"Kid, it ain't his fault some folks decided to rob our town tonight. Think how many times we snuck out in the middle of the night when we was young."

The Kid humphed and said. "Obviously ain't tiring him out enough during the day!"

"Maybe not Kid, so when we got this sorted, maybe you oughta give him more chores or something."

"Or somethin'." agreed Kid darkly.

X

They arrived in town, to be met by an anxious breathless Sheriff Thompson. "They're holed up in the livery, threatening to shoot the boys, if we don't let them leave with the money. I'm thinking maybe that's what we gotta do."

The Kid with his heart pounding loud in his ears said with deceptive calm. "You got any idea who they are?"

The sheriff shrugged. "I heard the Bitter Creek Crew is making their way through this area. They robbed a town 'bout six miles south of here just last month."

The Kid exchanged a glance with his partner, he'd heard of them, a nasty violent gang, notorious for their violence and he swallowed with difficulty as Heyes said with a quick sympathetic look and gentle squeeze on his shoulder." "The boys know what they look like, they'll likely kill 'em anyway."

The Sheriff sighed heavily. "They're armed to the teeth, ain't sure we can do much to stop 'em anyway."

Heyes grinned and slapped the Kid hard on his back. "Well, we're a two man army, leave it up to us! Sheriff there some kinda back way into the livery?"

"Sure there is, but it's locked this time of night and Ole Man Simpson didn't answer when we tried to knock him up, he likes a drink and even if we get him up I'm figuring he won't know where the key is anyway. His son does most of the work and he's away visiting his sister."

"Oh I don't need a key, Sheriff." Heyes paused then turned to his partner. A gleam in his eyes. "Kid, I'll sneak in and free the boys and send them fellas your way and let you deal with them."

"Be a real pleasure Heyes, believe me!"

X

Kid wincing in pain, clasped his tearful son tightly to him, trying to ignore the sting from the bullet graze on his leg. Heyes had headed back to the Markham's place with Billy. The gang were under lock and key and the money safely returned to the bank.

Tommy eventually pulled away as he said. "We just wanted to see what the town was like when it was dark. We were going to be back before dawn! Weren't no one meant to know."

"Oh Tommy, don't you ever listen? I told you more than once to stay home when it's dark." The Kid suddenly felt overwhelmingly weary, it seemed his son was bound and determined to ignore him.

Tommy started to cry again. "You gonna send me away to an orphanage because I don't listen?"

The Kid was genuinely confused. "Why would I do that? You ain't an orphan, you got me and your Uncle Heyes." He paused and laughed dryly. "Though with the strain you're putting on my heart..." Tommy's crying intensified and the Kid cursed himself as he held his son even more tightly and said gently. "C'mon son, lets go home."

The Kid waved away the sheriff and the other grateful townsfolk wearily, gritting his teeth against the waves of pain from his leg. "Tomorrow! I gotta get my son home."

X

The Kid winced as Heyes bound the wound on his leg as he said. "I said you was slowin' down, Kid. Not so long ago you'd never have missed that one hiding in the shadows. I'm kinda disappointed I had to shoot him for ya!"

The Kid was about to snap a reply, when they were both surprised by Tommy appearing in the kitchen behind them. His face pale, but his voice was firm as he glared fiercely at Heyes. "That ain't right Uncle Heyes. He's as fast as them characters in those dime novels that Billy's Pa pretends he doesn't own, but that Billy lets me read! Maybe even faster!"

The Kid sighed, hating the gleam in his son's eyes, but knowing there was little he could do about it, and merely sighed, before saying less calmly then he'd have liked. "You oughta be in bed, Tommy! We got things to discuss in the mornin'."

Tommy blinked, looked a little worried, then ran to Heyes gave him a hug, before doing the the same to the Kid as he sniffled quietly and whispered. "Love you Pa." Then without another word, went quickly back to bed.

Heyes grabbed the bottle of liquor on the table, poured two hefty measures out of it, then handed one of the glasses to the Kid and said seriously. "Whatcha planning Kid? Boy got a bit of a fright tonight, don't seem fair to add to it."

The Kid took a large gulp of the drink, enjoyed the burn, hoping it'd soon take the edge off the throbbing in his leg, before sighing and saying softly. "I'm gonna write a nice long list of chores, so that he'll be tired enough that running off to town in the dark don't seem too attractive to him. I ain't got the heart to do much more."

Heyes laughed. "Extra chores was 'bout the only thing that worked for us as I remember anyway, though with the mood you was in when we found out what the boys had done, I'm kinda surprised you ain't planning on more punishment."

The Kid sighed as the memory of his son's panicked expression swept across his mind, and he took another drink to steady his unsettled emotions. "He thought I was gonna send him away, it 'bout broke my heart."

Heyes shot him a sympathetic glance and said. "Well Kid, he's only seven and his Ma left, ain't that surprising he's scared you're gonna tire of him."

They drank in silence until the Kid with a glare at Heyes, as what he'd been implying sank in, said, "I was nowhere near as bad as Tommy, I'm sure of it."

Heyes snorted and said. "Oh Kid, believe me, you was worse, much worse!"

X

Heyes and the Kid walked into the Sheriff Thompson's office nervously, still not exactly comfortable in this environment, and looked round them almost expecting to spy their wanted posters on the wall. But the Sheriff's face lit up and he shook their hands firmly, before waving them to sit and handing them both a coffee. "I can't thank you enough. A gang of dangerous outlaws caught and you realise that you're looking at a nice reward for stopping them!"

Heyes and the Kid exchanged a glance, before Heyes cleared his throat. "We ain't wanting the reward. Use it to build that schoolhouse extension Miss Lowell was pushing for."

The sheriff looked between them and obviously noting their determination, nodded. Then after a pause glanced over at the Kid, and said with some amazement in his expression. "Ain't seen nothing like that shooting of yours!" Then he stopped, before adding with some sympathy in his tone. "How's the leg?"

The Kid snorted and after gently rubbing the bandage, replied. "Hurts like hell, Sheriff and as my partner was keen to point out last night, that was nowhere near as fast as I used to be."

Heyes patted him on the back and met his gaze as he nodded in serious agreement. "Ain't that the truth, Kid? You're getting soft, since we ain't wanted no more. I think you better start practising more, as blood is hell to get out of clothes. Mrs Greeley won't be happy with you. Hard enough getting Tom's clothes clean, without his Pa adding to it by forgetting he ain't twenty seven no more."

The Kid glared as he said with a growl. "Heyes!"

Heyes flashed him an unrepentant grin as he replied. "Just sayin' Kid!"