Part Four.

Ezra felt secure at the gambling tables, at ease. The green felt and tense, careful expression that surrounded him setting him at perfect ease. Rarely did he feel so in control. He was confident and relaxed on horseback, and even in control of a gun, but there was something different about the tables, a familiarity that had lasted a lifetime. They had scalded him before, angry losers, hotheads and drunks were heavy features in his memories, but never had he lost his sense of ease at gambling. It was like riding, if you fell off, you got back on. He wasn't even sure it was the wining that drove him on any longer, or just the sense of comfort and repetition, so little else of his life had been stable after all, better to have one thing that remained.

Chris, like Ezra, had often privately lamented on this, observing Ezra's relaxed pose, and his complete command of emotions, as well as his command of the game, and those unfortunate enough to be playing him.

They were all looking at the gambler from where they sat along the bar, six heads swivelled to watch their Southern counterpart's expressionless face, with Buck being the first to turn away, casting his eyes down to their black-clad leader,

"What do you mean 'wrong?'" he asked, his voice hushed slightly.

Chris turned his back to the bar, propping his elbows on the counter-top behind him and gave a non-committal shrug,

"All I'm saying is, there's something strange about Annie Evans,"

Nathan, his face remaining impassive studied Chris' face closely,

"Strange how?"

Chris paused, as if trying to sum together his evidence. As he reflected silently, JD waded into the conversation, his voice displaying his own opinions and a lack of concern as he shrugged,

"Well, Ezra saved her life, makes sense to me she'd want to repay him an' all. Hell, I would,"

Vin, leant casually against the bar beside Chris, chipped in,

"Sure you would JD, but you wouldn't set about mothering him, calling him your son now would you? It's not just her, Ezra wasn't none too thrilled about it neither."

A sad smile crossed Josiah's face,

"He's already got one mother who he feels failed him, why does he want to give another the opportunity to do the same? That, and of course, Miss. Evans is not his mother."

Chris nodded,

"Seems to me there's something going on with her. She clearly got drawn into thinking Ezra was her son, or someone she needed to take care of, and then there's that turn she had…"

He let himself trail off, leaving his statement open to interpretation. Nathan frowned,

"You think she's sick?"

Chris shrugged once more, his face coldly expressionless, but at the same time seeming weary.

"I don't know. Something's not right."

Vin looked over at the healer, a smile tugging at his lips,

"And I'll tell you one thing, she won't thank you for digging into her business neither."

Nathan snorted,

"I can believe it."

Chris looked up as a figure entered the saloon, looking, as she always did, slightly out of place, largely through her determination to look otherwise. Mary Travis looked up, her face softening as she caught Chris' eye. She began to thread towards them at once, a piece of paper in her hand.

"Mrs. Travis," Vin tipped his hat to her as she stopped before them, returning his greeting with a smile,

"Mr. Tanner."

"Something wrong Mary?" asked Chris, his face characteristically expressionless, but a hint of worry creeping into his eyes and voice. Mary shook her head,

"No, nothing at all. I have a telegram for Ezra, I've been meaning to give it to him all day but it's been so busy," she pushed back her hair, casting around for the gambler. As she did, Chris narrowed his eyes, his voice dropping low.

"Mary," she turned to look at him at once, "Do you know anything about Annie Evans?"

The question caught her slightly off guard, and she faltered slightly, pausing to think.

"Not much I'm afraid. I know she's widowed and has no family, I think she may have done once, not long after she arrived I went to visit her, she had portraits up on the walls, one was of a young man, brown hair, strong face, I presumed it was a brother, or a son…" Mary failed to notice the glances exchanged between the six, "…but I didn't ask. Why do you want to know?"

Chris jerked his hand in a dismissive gesture and shrugged,

"No reason."

Mary didn't believe him, but luckily for Chris, a disruption took away whatever question she was about to ask.

"You are a dirty cheat!"

Everyone turned to look as a man sprung up from the seat opposite Ezra, pointing a finger accusingly at the gambler.

"A cheat and a liar,"

Ezra sighed at the man's angry accusations, and continued to pull the money lying on the tabletop towards him, pausing only briefly to meet the man's eye.

"Mr. Rawlinson, as easy as it is to make false accusations in the heat of the moment, I think you should be aware that nothing went on in this game that wasn't completely legitimate."

Rawlinson however, did not accept Ezra's statement so easily, and, finger still pointing angrily in his direction, he carried on,

"Cheat! Fraud! Your sort are nothing but trouble! We'd all be better off without - ," however, he never got to finish, for as he opened his mouth to carry on, another voice joined the debate.

"How dare you!"

All heads turned once again, and Ezra groaned quietly as Annie Evans appeared in the doorway, frail, drawn face set like thunder.

"How dare you," she repeated, taking a slow step towards him, "You talk to the man who has helped to protect this town on so many occasions as if he is nothing more than one of your cattle! You choose to mock and accuse him? Tell me then, how many people saw him cheat? None! If you are foolish enough to gamble with him in the first place, you're foolish enough to lose."

Rawlinson opened and shut his mouth in astonishment like a fish, his face turning an outraged shade of magenta. He narrowed his eyes at the elderly lady.

"I'd stay out of business that isn't yours Evans," he growled. Annie snorted,

"This is my business, and as long as you're in it, so am I."

It was Ezra who broke the tension in the end, by standing with a heavy sigh.

"Mr. Rawlinson, if at any time you would like the chance to win back your money I would be delighted to indulge you in whichever game you so choose," he nodded slightly, the brim of his hat bobbing up and down as he did so, "Miss. Evans…" Ezra stopped, lost for words and not sure of his own temper. He stopped, a sigh escaping from his lips, "If you'll excuse me."

Chris blinked at Ezra's response, he could see, for all his hidden expressions that the gambler was annoyed, and he could tell why, the entire saloon was watching the confrontation, stunned by Annie's defence of the gambler to whom she had never had any real connection with besides sharing the same main street every fortnight.

Ezra took a deep breath. He did not want to lose his temper in front of the saloon, and he did not want to show himself up any further than Annie already had, wading in as though he were a small child unable to defend himself. A dry smile crossed his lips as he wondered if Annie could even begin to comprehend the number of hostile situations he had been involved in within his lifetime. Rawlinson was nothing, and yet Annie had made him seem incapable.

As he stalked off, intent on letting off steam in his room, he avoided eye contact with the elderly woman, aware her sharp eyes were on him the entire time.

As he went to leave, Mary stepped in front of him softly, holding out the paper,

"This telegram came for you today."

She stepped back as he took it, and he met her eyes warmly,

"Thank you Mrs. Travis," his hand instinctively went to his brim in a show of appreciation, before he turned and left the dazed onlookers to talk amongst themselves.

Chris watched Annie Evans quivering in the doorway, taking deep shaky breaths, large eyes on where Ezra had disappeared from view, her expression one of sorrow and confusion. He turned back to look at the others, who seemed equally as stunned and sombre and gave a quick shake of his head. Definitely something up there.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Well, I'm up here at uni. Managed to finish this story off last night, on my first night (I was absolutely shattered btw!) So at least posting should be fairly prompt from now on!

Am off shopping for supplies now! Enjoy! Thank you to my reviewers past, present and still to come as well!