Extra Luggage Part II

The time, 18:12 of the year 2015, when the world turned back its clocks for Sam, me and the two notorious ex-outlaws Hannibal Heyes and Kid Curry. Nothing had seemed so strange, but it was true, and now that we're back in our own time, we decide that we'd keep them at our house until I at least could find a way to send them back.

After escaping the fair, we settle down at our vacation home in the Rocky Mountains near Estes Park, Colorado. The log mansion sits in perfect view of one of the mountain's summits, surrounded by a crystal-clear lake, complete with a roaring waterfall, at the left side and a radius of three acres around the house itself. Around the back of the house, alongside the lake, is our stables where we've let the boys round up the horses while Sam and I watch them with joy. Some people would say we're rich and they'd be right as far as material possessions are concerned, but so far we've had the worst luck with men. Sam and I observe the mixture of things from a balcony overlooking the lake. I turn to Sam, my twin in appearance, but opposite in personality, and call, "Sam?"

"Yeah Alex," she responds looking up from her baking dish.

"How do you suppose we're gonna get them back?"

"You'll think of something, you always do," she un wraps her apron from her waist after she sets her apple pie on the counter to cool. Taking off her apron reveals her royal sapphire halter v-neck dress. Her chestnut hair rolls off her shoulders in various curls and forms to her naturally glowing face. She may look nice, but it's going to earn her ample teasing for at least two years. Especially since she's redone her make up.

"I'd like a little input," I say with a hint of sarcasm as I toss another crumpled piece of paper from my journalist notepad onto the already towering pile of used ideas. "Tell me something. When you were alone with Heyes and Curry, what did you tell him what we do for a living?"

"I told them we were journalists from New York."

"Good."

"But."

"I think we should tell them the truth. After all it's pretty hard to hide this," I press a small button camouflaged with the floor tile, which activates the hidden storage system to open up from the floor. Several shelves rise from the hole in the ground, filled with pistols, machine guns, grenades, and, my favorite, knives. Another step on the raised button secures the tray of weapons back to its concealed hiding place. "Need I say more?"

"Good point, but are we going to stay here long enough for it to count, really?"

"Who knows if we're going to be able to send them back? They might have to live here forever and I don't even want to think about that. Them, living here? One hundred fifty years into the future. Sam, we're talking about two beings adjusting to the greatest change they'll ever experience and they're outlaws for goodness sake."

"Listen to yourself, it's like you don't believe in them."

"How would we adjust if we were them?"

"Alex, you should have a little more faith."

"Faith's for people that are too afraid to admit the truth."

"And you're not like that."

"Nah. But I had you going, didn't I?"

"You dork! Mom always said you should've gone into the acting business."

"Yep, but I settled for the super cool F.B.I. field agent job that I could share with my sister. It gives me a chance to travel, meet new people and the pay's not bad either." A sudden beep from the timer signals the pie's readiness to be eaten, which alerts us much after the smell of the delicious dessert floating through our nostrils like clouds on a summer day. "Ooh, looks like you're pulling out all the stops or does Curry just happen to have a big sweet tooth?"

"Well you know what they say," and in her best "old lady" voice she continues, "The best way to a man's heart is through his stomach."

"Whoa, aren't you being a little too obsessed?"

After a short period of silence and stammering, of some small note, she comes back with, "Shut up."

"Ooh you're getting red. Sam and Kid sitting in a tree, k-i-s-s-i-n-g." I walk over to our other oven of six and pull out my fully baked cinnamon apple, after which I grab a wine bottle with a couple of glasses from the on hand wine cooler. Snatching up a ribbon from the table and wrapping my hair in it once my stuff is neatly packed into my own picnic basket. I, myself, am adorned in a sage knee high a-line dress that flitters about my thighs with every effortless step, and a v-neckline lined with a ruffled collar. I may not have done make up, but I'm pretty pleased with the outfit.

"Shut up," she says while locking her stuff away in her own picnic basket and turns to me with a glare in her eyes.

"What are you going to do, bite me?"

"I will if you don't shut up." It's then that she notices my outfit and gives her own smirk. "And you call me provocative. You're pulling out all the stops too, just for a chance at Heyes."

"Pretty much."

Sam chuckles a little before muttering, "You are such a hypocrite. Must you be so blunt with everyone?"

"Yeah."

"But I'm your sister."

"That just makes you more gullible."

"Alex!"

"What? It's true." Baskets in hand, and appearances cleaned up, we both start down towards the lake, where the boys now seem to be taking a breather.

"You know Alex sometimes I don't get you."

"Read a little more Chicken Soup for the Soul and a little less history textbooks and you just might."

"I'm surprised at you really, you know."

Stopping dead in my tracks, jaw dropped and eyes propped open, I stutter out my next set of words, holding back my anger to the best of my abilities. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Oh nothing, except you'd allow yourself to fall in love after."

"I know, I know, after what happened with (shudder) Peter!" I yell defensively, cutting her off. I take out a small butcher knife from the basket and slip it into my concealed knife-holder high up on my thigh. "Almost forgot for a second there."

"What's that for Alex?"

"Protection."

"I don't think Heyes is going to kill you and Peter couldn't make it through here with a map, a GPS and an Indian guide."

"How have restraining orders stopped guys before? They'll lie, cheat, steal and follow you until the day they die."

"Good point, which is why I brought the gun," she says opening the lid of the basket to reveal a simple revolver underneath the tablecloth.

"Because of Ben? Oh the restraining order and since when do those work?"

"Precisely. Now let's not keep those gentlemen waiting." We soon reach Heyes and Curry at the edge of the lake, playing poker as usual. As we approach Heyes is the first to look up, followed by Curry, but their reaction is still the same.

Their eyes grow wide and their jaws drop from all the exposed flesh and funniest of all, they almost fall off their seats beholding the spectacle in front of them. Kid tries to cover by crossing his arms in front of his chest and restructuring his countenance, but his dancing eyes betray his acting. Heyes actually does a decent cover up by looking away towards the stables. They both then look at each other, with a subtle hint at the same psychic communication that I've shared with Sam ever since we were kids, and with a synchronized shrug, they stand from their uneven stools.

"Now boys is that any way to greet a couple of ladies who have happened to have brought food," we both pat our baskets as I smile sweetly at their flattering gawking while Sam talks with an assertiveness identical to Kid's.

Heyes and Curry snap back into attention when food is mentioned, more Curry than Heyes of course. "Certainly not Sam." Both of them stroll over and offer their arms to us like the gentlemen they are. Sam heads over to the waterfall direction with Kid while I take Heyes over to another part of the lake where a boat awaited our arrival.

With Heyes, the food, and me on board, we ship off to the center of the lake. The few rays of sunlight peaking over the mountains rest on the surface of the water and bounce off everything near by, including Heyes' soulful eyes. The basket sits in between us and when we pull out to the center I pull out the baked apple, but not the wine just yet.

"All right close your eyes."

"Can I trust you?" He does comply, but turns into a "smart" guy when he opens one eye while squinting the other one.

"What am I going to do, flip the boat over? Just trust me." He closes his eyes with a subtle bit of hesitancy that I almost don't catch, but I do. Making a mental note of the reaction in the back of my head, I rip off a piece of the apple and swing it slowly in front of him. His nose twitches as the odor rises through his nostrils. The apple soon disappears from my fingers shortly afterward and after he chews, he opens his eyes and smiles dreamily at me. "My compliments to the cook, she's outdone herself."

"She tries. I…Heyes can I ask you something?"

"You don't have to ask to ask."

"Alright. If you don't make it back, can you do me a favor?"

"Yes?"

"Don't stay here. I know that sounds sort of odd, but you'd be in too much danger here. Sam and I have made enemies doing what it is that we do. They have literally torn our world apart looking for us, or at least connections to us. If they should find you, they will not hesitate to kill you and Kid. Sam and I are not about to let you two walk into danger that you might not come out of just because our enemies want to draw us out into the open. Therefore the best solution is for you two to leave since they might actually locate us again and come for us. I'm just afraid that next time, Sam and I won't make it."

"I'm sorry to disappoint you Miss Lulson."

"Please call me Alex," I say while putting a finger to his lips. Did I just say that? Good thing Sam isn't here. She'd be laughing crazy, but then I'd just slap her, so no big.

"Well then Alex, there's no way we'd leave you two. We've barely had a glimpse of this future and I can speak for the Kid and I when I say we'd get in trouble the minute we were on own. This world is too fast, too crowded, too loud. Everyone seems so afraid."

"Heyes you don't understand."

"Alex, now it's you who doesn't. If we die here, which seems sort of odd like you said, then we'd rather die with you."

"Oh, Heyes. Now you're making me guilty."

"Don't be. Besides, I do have some good news. A theory, in fact, newly formed."

"I'll take any suggestions right now."

"Well, I've been thinking. You came to our time through the sheriff's office and all of us came here through the sheriff's office, so my theory is."

"Go back to that office. I thought about that, but the fair has left."

"Not finished. You told us that a gypsy in town told you where you'd you be able to go home."

"And about the extra luggage."

"Right, so if we find that gypsy. We can find the way to go back."

"I see your point. Tomorrow we'll go back to the fair, the remains of it anyway, and find that gypsy."

"There's one more thing."

"Yes Heyes?"

"I never realized that a woman can look as beautiful as you are while thinking," he takes hold of my hand within both of his as he compliments me with his gaze as well as his words.

I recover from the sudden change in conversation with a rightful grace, "Right back at you outlaw."

"That's ex-outlaw."

"Right. Right." Hoping to move into a more humorous atmosphere, I look down at the water and continue with, "I bet you I could balance on the bow of this boat." I bet you I could balance on the bow of this boat! Argh! I'm such an idiot. I'm surprised he doesn't call me on that.

He seems stunned at first, but then gets my message, "I'll take that bet, go ahead." He moves out of the way for me to have enough standing room. I move slow and steady, which allows success in my approach to the uneven place. I manage to keep my firm footing and stay there for an extra few seconds of gloating.

"See, told y." I slur the last word of my speech as my footing looses itself from an unknown force hitting me square in the back of the knees, causing my legs to buckle under me and fall into the water.

The cold water pierces my lungs like a thousand knives. The sudden surprise sets off my body's instinct to gasp for air, which shocks it even more when there is none. I swim rapidly to the light above and surface with a sigh of relief. The relief turns to anger when I see Heyes' smug smirk on his face. "Excuse me, why did you do that?"

"Couldn't resist," he cries with a hearty bellow of laughter in his voice.

With my own smirk I continue, "Oh yeah. Well resist this." I grab the underside of the boat and spin the boat onto its flipside. I laugh cheerfully at my cruel joke until I don't see a sign of Heyes coming up for several minutes. Okay, where is he? No, don't tell me he can't swim. He must be drowning somewhere and there'd be no way I could find him through all this water. No, I'm not about to let this happen again, not to two men in my life. Panicking, I dive down and search for some type of figure. Despite the crystal clearness of the lake, and much to my anxiety, I see nothing. Returning to the surface, I take a breath of air and dive back down to another direction. No such luck awaits me and soon I'm forced to return to the surface for air. "Heyes! Heyes, where are you! Heyes, Heyes! Hey-Ah!" Something seizes my shoulder and pulls me under the boat. I struggle against this as best as I can, but the strength is too great. Once I resurface under the boat, I find myself looking into the trickster eyes of Heyes himself. "How dare you play with my mind? I thought you were dead-argh!"

"It's okay. Alex it was just a bit of fun."

"Fun? Joke then about losing your father to these very waves when you were but five years old. Joke then about remembering the screams and the tears, not being able to do one thing about it." I breathe in heavily and bite my lip to stop the tears from leaking through my eyes. "I couldn't go back to this cursed water, until tonight when I thought I could trust you. How could I be so stupid?"

"Alex."

"You know what, forget it."

"Alex!" The coldness in his voice stops me dead in my tracks, which didn't work on me very often. I could hear the tortured cries of prisoners, which I did on a regular basis, and not be bothered. Something about Heyes though, maybe from my sincere attachment to him caused my reaction to be so. "I'm sorry, I didn't know. That doesn't mean I don't care. Remember I like you and think you're an honorable woman, am I wrong?"

After a long and awkward silence, I decide to forgive him. After all his parents died when he was young too. "No you are not wrong."

His arms slowly wrap themselves around my shoulders trying to soothe my angry soul. Not being able to stand the almost comical sincerity in his sympathetic tone, I draw myself into his chest and onto his warm lips. The sensual nature of the kiss shocks both of us for a moment, but then we venture right back to where we left off. Our lips clash and graze over each other as if in a stumbling race until I fully realize what exactly I'm doing. After the heat dies away, and the compounded frost feeling from the cold dampness of the water comes flooding back into my heart, I open my eyes to the sound peace resonating in Heyes' eyes. "Let's go inside Heyes, it'll be cold soon." We manage to make it back to the shore with only a little trouble. Once I climb onto the ground, I hug it and kiss it like I hadn't seen it for years. "Land! I love you land!"

"Care to tell me what you're doing," Heyes asks with a small hint of a chuckle in his huffed voice.

"Kissing the ground."

"You are one of the most direct girls I've ever met and I probably won't ever meet another like you again."

"I hope not."

"Why?"

"Cause it means you'll remember me when we get you back."

"I'd never forget you. Wait you're going to stay here?"

"Our life is here Heyes. If we left, things would be a lot different."

"Because you're journalists?"

My own laughter finds itself and pushes it out into the open, which my side commences to protest to. "Yeah about that we sort of didn't tell you the truth."

"About what?"

"At the beginning, when we went back to your time. We thought that all of it was a dream, including you two, so we decided to fudge a bit of the details about our life. Sam and I are, what should I use, ah sheriffs/bounty hunters, on a national level, in your terms."

"I think I'll retire now."

I almost have to race to keep up with him but I can still say, "Heyes, if I was going to arrest you, wouldn't I have done it by now?" He looks back at me, looking for a sign of bluffing no doubt. However, unlike our other bluff-catching contests, this comment truly is honest. "Now come on, I have a surprise for you."

"What?"

"I can't tell you otherwise it wouldn't be a surprise now would it."

"Alright you win. Lead me on."

Turning a little red, I look Heyes up and down and fully understand that to fit in, he's going to have to ditch the outlaw clothes and adorn some modern ones. We continue through the doorway of the walkout balcony and past the kitchen, where upon we enter into the luxurious living room suite filled with antiques from the Victorian era, where I finally gather the courage to say, without cracking up, "Now about those clothes."

Once the waterfall arrives in sight, I start to really think about my surroundings. Especially about the gentleman, whose arm is intertwined with mine. Wow. I don't really believe this. I mean I've dreamed of him, imagined him, I've even wrote stories about him, but to actually see him. It's incredible. I wonder what he thinks about, being an outlaw on the run. Silence enfolds around us for several moments and we each lie in our own thoughts until I call Kid's withdrawnness. "Do you always keep to yourself?"

"When there's stuff to be thinking?"

"What are you thinking?"

"About everything, mostly."

"I mean right now, what's on your mind that causes you to be drawn into such concentration."

"Getting back, I guess."

"Is your time really that important?"

"It's all we have. What about you? Is being a journalist that important?"

"Well let's just say that this time would be a lot different without us here's a good spot, but I know an even better one. Follow me." Leaving the basket behind, I take Curry's hand and lead him over to a small trail leading behind the waterfall.

"Where exactly are we going?"

"It's a surprise."

"Oh that's helpful."

"Isn't it," we hop along the next few bits of rock and jump through the crashing waves. Two more stools are lined against the back wall, making the main focus of the enclosure the few rays of light coming over the mountains and through the thundering waves. "Here sit." We take our seats and behold the view in silence of words, but not in thoughts. I'm the first to break that ice coagulating between us. "The water's amazing isn't it?"

"I've never actually grown up around the water, but you're right. It is amazing and so are you Sam."

"Yeah it reminds me of Rome when the sun hits the rocks along the water…. excuse me?"

"I said I never thought I'd see this much beauty in a woman until I saw you. You're awfully pretty and it was my privilege to shoot that drunk in the shoulder when we first met."

"It was such a whirl wind, I know, but I still remember you and I hope that you'll remember me."

"How could I forget you?"

"Well, I know that Alex and Heyes will find a way to get you both back. Won't you miss me then?

"No." He must have noticed my stricken look because he quickly finished his sentence. "No, I won't miss you because you and Alex are coming back with us."

I smile brightly, "I'll come back with you. I'll just have to convince Alex to come too. I'm sure it wouldn't be hard."

"Heyes and I, well, we're still wanted. Even when we get that amnesty, we'd still be watched a little too closely for my own approval. I couldn't bear it, if something should happen to you. But I can't leave you behind."

"Kid. Now listen to me. Believe in me when I say this. Alex and I are more than capable to handle ourselves in that sort of situation."

"Like the two drunkard situation."

"Okay that was bad luck. We froze." Before another word can escape my lips, I find myself with a new form converging with my lips. My hand reaches up to graze his face with a gentle touch, but accidentally knocks off his hat. I smile a bit when I can pull his face closer and not get hit by the brim of his hat.

After the moment of weakness, I realize just what exactly I just did and I don't like it. What am I doing, no, it doesn't matter. I love him. Yes, I will go back with him. No matter what, I promise to help you Kid. Small pools of liquid crystal slide down my cheeks from my frustration of the problem. I wanted to be in love, but I have too many enemies. I'm tired of running as it is, this would make it even worse. Kid seemed to have sensed my tears as he pulls away and wipes them away with his thumb.

"What's wrong?"

I look into his blue eyes and before I loose my courage. I tell him what I should have said when we met. "Before Kid, when we went back to your time. Alex and I thought it was a dream, so I lied to you about our lives. We, Alex and I, are what you would call sheriffs or bounty hunters."

He fidgets a little and looks down at me with uneasiness, but I could tell he really cared about that. He must've been seduced and betrayed before. If only I could convince him that Alex and I wouldn't do that. Before he can say another word, I continue on, hoping to not hear what I'd fear to hear from him, "You can see why I didn't want to tell you, but just know that if we wanted to arrest you two, we would've done so already. Anyway, over the years, we made enemies and they're relentless. They will find out that Alex and I are involved with you two. They will literally tear our world apart until they find you and they will kill you. I couldn't endure the pain if that would happen, if anything happened to you. They probably already know and are on their way, so it's best if we either go back with you or you two just leave. It'd be best for everyone." I suddenly leap from my natural seating and head towards the entrance where we came.

"Except I wouldn't be able to see you anymore and that's not high on my list." Kid grabs my shoulder before yanking me into a tight embrace. Standing there for several moments in his arms reminds me of when our father last held us before he was killed. The memory frightens me, but it doesn't matter. All that does right now, is holding this man and him holding me. We may become partially deaf from the roaring waves beside us, but what does it matter. The light once blaring through the water has dimmed from the time passing away and it's never safe to be alone at night, even with a fast drawer like Curry.

"It's getting late. We'd better head in for some real food. I only brought my pie, which I forgot."

"You made a pie and you didn't tell me?"

"It's apple."

"Nice. Let's dig in."

"Nothing stands between you and food does there?"

"Not even a meeting about amnesty."

Hopping along the path of rocks leading out of the waterfall, I joke, "You're such a character Kid."

"You have no idea," he helps me over the next set of uneven ground before eyeing the picnic basket. "This it?" He goes over and lifts open the lid to where he can "pretend" to smell the cooled pie. "It's cinnamon apple."

"Okay so I missed one detail. The proof is in the taste."

"I'll say."

I watch the man in awe as he digs into the pie for a couple of heaping bites of the dessert, "We can't live on pie though. Let's go back to the house. I'll put on some coffee."

"Coffee?"

Reading his thoughts like an open book I sigh, "Yes, and no, mine isn't as bad as Heyes' coffee."

"Good, my stomach didn't want to be burned through."

"Like the bars at the jail cell you once burned through to escape?" He stands there speechless when he realizes he didn't tell me about that. "You two are history characters. Every western fanatic will know everything about you. I'll show you the book."

"So you know everything about us?"

"Pretty much, from the day you were born to the day you died."

"What about our amnesty?"

I wonder if I should take a page from Alex's book. Nah, I'll go easy on him. "You'll see." With one last gleeful chuckle, I start to run from Curry as he chasses me all, across the backyard and into the house. I even trip and fall a few times, but recover by crawling under a log, into places unreachable to Curry. Eventually we make it back to the house and when we don't see Heyes and Alex right away, I put on a cup of coffee.

The dome shaped room echoes from our footsteps. The fine layer of dust that's collected since we've been gone, adds a shade of light gray to all of the wooden surfaces. I really need to talk to the cleaning lady. The walls are lined with shelves that are filed with books from every genre known to man. Heyes' eyes seem to bug right out of his head when he sees so much knowledge within his grasp. It almost hurts that Heyes hasn't seen this much knowledge in his life, but hey, how could he with all his outlawing. Two mahogany desks are placed against one another in the middle of the room, with computers that haven't been used in months. We've just memorized where the books should be so much that we didn't need them anymore, however I'd need it to locate the history book. Sam usually deals with the history, horror and psycho thrillers of our compilation.

I turn on the computer and smile when it works so well after all this time. "Ah technology." As I wait for the machine to start, I rummage through some of the books scattered on the desk. Poetry of the Rich and Famous. No. Creating Fantasy Characters, no. Isn't there anything here on history? Of course not. Wait Psychology of the Modern Man not even going there. Looking around for any useful knowledge gets me nowhere and hopefully the computer will help us. It's programmed to hook up to the Internet, to a different western website, each time. Sam and I thought it was cool at first, but not this time. The website randomly generated appears on the screen, but I see the loading icon still charging at the bottom of the screen.

Thinking the computer must be slow from the absence of use, I stroll over to the window where I snap the curtains shut. You never know who'd be watching you in this day and age of society. Suddenly a roaring sound of gunfire is heard from the computer screen along with the blaring screeches of twenty drunken men and the thuds of their rumbling horses. My eyes bulge from the surprise, but I don't startle as much as Heyes.

I forgot to tell Heyes about how the computer might do that and quite frankly it didn't cross my mind at the time. I pay for it dearly as soon I become aware of my body being pushed to the ground and the shouting from Heyes to "get down". He pulls out his gun from his holster and fires off a couple of rounds through the window where he thought the sound was coming from. The shattered glass rains down on us from the window above and one of the pieces cuts into my arm.

The sounds from the website stop almost as soon as they had begun, where Heyes becomes even more confused. First he hears the thundering sound of a posse coming towards them, then a pause of silence and followed by a small groan from me. He must be shocked I know. I would be. Despite the pain in my arm, I burst out into hysterical laughter. My sides commence to protest when they get an added dose of side burning laughter after the collision with the floor.

"What are you laughing at, you almost got killed. Your arm is even bleeding, you okay?"

"I got to hand to you Heyes. You never present a dull moment. Never mind about my arm, it's my bad. I should've told you about the new technology." I struggle to get up and walk over to the computer, but I reach it soon enough to redial the site. After a shorter time of downloading, the thirty seconds of western chaos replay themselves in the room. "You see the information is transported through this device." moving my finger from the main computer, to the monitor, and then to the speaker, ".the central apparatus, to the display center and then to the speaker where it produces the sounds you hear. That may of all sounded like blah, blah, blah, but that's the best way to explain it. Now for my surprise."

"What about your arm," he says indicating the gash in my forearm while I seemingly ignore the wound by continuing to type.

"Yeah, guess I better take care of that, huh?" Pulling open several drawers before I get to the one with the first aid kit takes an increasingly annoying time. Finally completing the packing of the wound in gauze tape, I continue with the searching. "Let's see, what was the bar code number on that book?" While thinking of the number, I wander onto Sam. Surely she heard the shots. Where could she be? As if my thoughts had been broadcasted, Sam bursts into the room along with Curry, whose gun is also drawn.

Sam looks at me with concern when she sees the wound in my arm and the window shattered with the glass on the floor. "Alex care to explain."

"I didn't tell Heyes about computers."

"And the website came on."

"With it's own theme song."

"What were you even doing on the computer?"

"Looking up a book, but since you're here you can tell me."
"I was going to show Curry that one too. It's right over." Sam walks along the far side of our library and pulls out a large leather bound book with a black buckle lock. She unlocks the book and flips through a couple of pages until she smiles with satisfaction and slams the book down on the table. Heyes and Curry stare on in horror while Sam and I just smile at the heading at the top of the page.

"Gentlemen, I believe this is your life."

"I see it, but I don't believe it."

"Heyes, this is the future."

"Now if you two don't mind Sam and I'll leave you two to reading while we clean my wound a little more."

"Promise you'll stay here and not touch anything."

"Promise."

We both nod in thanks as we quickly turn the computer off and head down to the bathroom down the hall. We walk into our spacious bathroom with two baths and numerous sinks with a sort of disgust. I lean over the massive porcelain tub and turn on the lukewarm water. As the water runs down my wound, I rub away the loose skin. Sam crawls onto the counter and leans against the framed glass mirror with her eyes closed. After a minute she opens one eye and asks, "Alex?"

"Yeah Sam?"

"Whose idea was it to buy the random website generator with surround sound from that sales guy?"

I cringe from scrubbing away the last of the loose skin from the cut and shut off the water before I answer, "Yours Sam, all yours."

"That's what I thought. Here." She tosses me a white towel and some more wrapping gauze. The clean up ends soon and we decide to slip on some more comfortable clothes. We pull out a couple of silk nightgowns and lacy white robs from the linen closet to change into and find ourselves right outside the library looking in on the boys reading that book.

"Kid can this be true?"

"I don't know Heyes, you're supposed to be the smart one."

"This'd be beyond Heyes wouldn't it?"

"I'd say so Alex. Hey boys."

Both of them look back at the book before Curry finally asks. "How did you ladies obtain this information?"

"Kid, you two are history. People are fascinated by history. Being a part of the past, people tend to know about you. There must be tons of books, plays, you name it, about the Old West."

"I thought you'd be jumping with joy by now."

"Why's that Alex?"

"What page are you on? We were gone for a while." I lean over the two men's shoulders and realize they hadn't turned the page. They must've analyzed everything. I turn the wimpy page and search for a certain article. The article about amnesty. My finger trails along the age old words, trying to find the passage. Annoyed, I flip to the index and look up amnesty. It shows page number thirty-five. Flipping the book back to where I was, I see page number thirty-two, thirty-three and then thirty-six?

"That can't be right."

"Look Alex." Heyes indicates the spine where the missing page has been ripped right from the book itself. "Someone's ripped it out."

"Alex, you didn't read it did you?"

"No. Why didn't you? You're the history fanatic."

"Why is it always me?"

"Ladies!" Curry and Heyes break us away from each other. "Let's not fuss over this."

"Kid it was your only chance to see if all that hard work would pay off."

"I know but Heyes and I figure we have a good chance. This is no time to lose our heads."

"It's getting late. We better turn in. Have a good night ladies." They exit from the room towards outside. Sam and I watch them for a minute while they walk down stairs.

"Heyes!"

"Kid!"

They both turn at their names and await an order of some sort.

"Your rooms are this way. You didn't think we'd let you sleep outside a place like this when it has a billion rooms."

"We insist, please."

"Okay. It'd be nice to sleep in a bed for once." Heyes and Curry climb back up the stairs to the hallway, where we direct them to their conjoined rooms. After they settle in for the night, Sam and I retire to our own rooms.

The moon shines high overhead when I'm awoken from my sleep by a weird rumbling. Wondering what the sound could be, I hear another loud click and then a short tap, tap, tap. Jolting from my lethargy, I slip my hand underneath the pillow and clasp the handle of my knife. I feel around for the radio that should be next to it and find it on the edge of the bed. Turning it on, I whisper into the device, "Sam? Sam?" I'm concerned when all I hear is static. "Sam! Wake up!"

"You hear it too?" Relief floods into me when I hear her voice.

"Yeah. Grab your gun and meet me downstairs." I pull on my healed boots stashed beneath my bed and set my knife into my partially concealed leather holster. Grabbing my trusty pistol from another pillowcase, I cock it to make sure I'm ready.

"What about the guys?"

Looking up, I see Sam standing in the doorway connecting our two rooms. "I said meet me downstairs."

"Since when do I listen? Again, what about the guys?"

"We'll make it quick and contained. They'll never have to know."

"Will we tell them anyway?"

"Probably." My hand twists the doorknob quietly and opens it with a loud and uneasy creak. "Ready?" With a solemn nod, we step outside our rooms and sneak down the darkened stairs. I motion for her to take the back route through the living room while I'd go straight through the kitchen, where I heard the noise originating. I walk up to the door and notice it's been jimmied open. As I kneel down to investigate the craftsmanship, I hear the TV go on in the living room. What is Sam doing? I crawl along the floor and aim my gun ahead of me. I slide up the wall, keeping my wits about me as I do so. My vision creeps around the corner and Sam's disappeared. Normally she'd be right behind me, but there's no sign of her.

A silent cocking sound sounds off behind me, after which I feel cold steel press into my ear and a hairy arm block my escape path. I recognize this very obvious, yet cunning, routine right off. "Peter."

"Hey babe." His voice greets me like hell itself with a heavy accented disdain He flips over his hand and flips up his fingers before ordering, "Give me the gun." I spit in his awaiting hand, which might not have been a smart move when I feel a fist collide with my face. "Babe. I ain't as patient as I was back when you swindled me. The gun, if you please."

I deposit my gun into his awaiting hand, which he equips and tosses his across the room. "What are you doing here? Where's Sam?"

"She's…wait. Almost forgot." He reaches around and feels for my knife holster. Finding it, he unhooks the knife and tosses it by his gun, grazing my backside while doing so.

"Satisfied?"

"Not for years."

"Where is Sam!"

"Babe, still so demanding. Well she's probably with Ben."

"Ben. You brought her ex to distract her."

"Brilliant isn't it?"

"I was thinking incredibly stupid. She won't fall for it."

"Let's see. Go on, to the living room." He leads me into the adjoining room where Sam sits in the chair tied to the bone with gaudy amounts of rope. Her face streams down with blood from her head and lip. She tries to cough, but the gag makes it tiresome I can imagine. Her arms show some sign of bruises starting to emerge from the torn up skin.

"You're kidding me?" Wait, I didn't reload my gun from when I used it last. Thank goodness for my terrible memory. With this thought in my mind, I turn and give him a right upper cut to the chin and a fierce knee kick to the place where the sun don't shine. His eyes tear up as he falls to the floor and squirms around in pain.

I rush back over to Sam, who seems to be trying to tell me something. She appears to be gesturing behind me and I realize it too late when a chair comes down over my back. I crash onto the floor and am picked up again by Ben as Peter had said. Ben being a body builder, lets him maneuver me around like Jell-O. He picks me up and throws me into the china cabinet at the end of the room. I'm only able to wipe the blood from my mouth when another toss of my frail form lands on the coffee table at the center of the room. The legs break from the pressure and I endure the extra pain of falling on the wood. I soon see Ben back on top of me with another chair in his grasp above his head. I kick his shins with the heel of my thin, and rather sharp, heel of my boot, which causes him to drop the chair on himself.

I get up and sling my fists, one by one, into his square jaw and finish with a high chest kick that sends him twirling into the nearby mirror. I shift my weight from side to side to keep my body moving and my target confused. His body starts wavering and I know it's working, so I give another high twirl kick to the face when I can use the thin heel to cut his bloody lip even more. He stumbles back and crashes against the wall. Believing that I've truly won, I turn around to untie Sam. When I'm right back where'd I'd started from, I feel someone yank me off my feet and slam me, head first, into the floor. I groan in defeat when I can't move my muscles for some time after the collision.

"Ben. Calm yourself and tie her up." The brute of a man throws me into the chair and binds the ropes so tight around my rib cage that I can barely breathe. "See what you put me through."

"You were the job."

"We were married."

"You sold out your country. I should've killed you then. I told you to leave, you gave me your word."

"Yeah, well I lied."

"What does Ben have to do with this?"

"Bait for Sam like I said. They were together for four years and she dumped him. He was more than happy to help me." He brings up another chair, still left in one peace, and sits in it to face me eye to eye. "Now what to do now that I have you in my clutches."

"Let me go."

He brings down another punch to my head. "Wrong answer. Let's pick up where we..."

"Will you just shut up and listen! Gotta say, your compulsiveness isn't a great way to woo a girl."

"Then what about this." Peter ferociously smacks his lips onto mine and I'm greeted by the putrid smell of beer and smoke. It almost makes me want to gag and I almost do, but I make way with muffled screams.

A shot whizzes by our heads and I'm graced with Peter leaving his post. "You move unexpectedly at all friend and I'm going to blow a hole in your head. Follow my voice, both of you, and leave the ladies alone."

All I see is darkness when my vision adjusts. The shot had hit the lamp, which killed the only source of light in the room worth relying on. My bindings start to etch themselves into my skin, which alerts me to start escaping while I have the time. The rope proves too great to break out of and my only choice is to wiggle free. While wriggling in my chair, I listen for Heyes. Curry must've shot the gun and lured the guys away while Heyes could slip through and untie us. Smart boys. Then another hand assists me in freeing myself. Quietly I whisper, "Heyes?"

"Yep." He snaps the last tie and cringes from my additional wounds. "Stay down. We'll take it from here."

"Be careful Heyes."

"Always." He crouches down and crawls over to the kitchen where Kid had obviously lead them. I limp over to Sam where she still sits in her chair, but she's untied thank goodness.

"Got your handcuffs?"

"Under the table." I rummage through the wood and start to search at a faster rate when I hear an awful ruckus going on in the kitchen. I find the metal bindings and pick up one of the table's legs while I walk up to the doorway. I peer in when another shot sounds off in my direction, with the other three towards the kitchen door. I pickup a broken piece of glass and chuck it into the air where I see Peter reveal himself in the far right corner. Ben also reveals himself at the corner by the back door, so I figured that Heyes and Curry must be at the diagonal opposite angles.

Peter calls out after the projectile, "Ben what the hell are you doing?"

"I thought it was you." Their voices confirm my dimensions and it being dark gives me the advantage. I clutch another piece of glass and toss it into the air. After Ben shoots the target again, I hear him trying to reload. Using the time, I creep along the wall and bash him over the head with the table leg. I wrap his arms behind his back and secure them together with the manacles. Peter must've sensed that I'd done that because he stands straight up and starts shooting over in my direction. One of the bullets catches my shoulder at the rebound before Curry nicks him in the shoulder. Peter falls back on the wall and falls down onto the floor. I lean against the wall and pant from all the abuse in one night. Sam appears by my side with a damp towel and more gauze.

"You can't keep them off you can't you?"

"I'm like a magnet."

"You're in luck, the bullet just grazed your shoulder. It didn't go straight down like a regular wound."

"Get them out of our house Sam. Tell Johnson I quit. I'm sick of these night raids. I might not survive the next one."

"I'll handle everything."

"Thank you." I keep patting the sweat away from the blood so they wouldn't mix while Sam calls in a pick up from our boss. Soon Peter and Ben are removed from the property and I can finally relax. I slump down in one of the left together chairs and cover my face with my hands. The wounds along my arms weren't serious, just a couple bruises and scratches. The bullet wound wasn't even that bad. Sam, Heyes and Curry join me in the living room once everything's settled.

"Do you just attract danger?"

"It comes with the job."

"Which we just quit. We figure we'll come back with you two."

"You definitely think there's a way back?"

"Heyes and I think if we find that gypsy.."

"We'll find our ticket home. It's morning and they probably haven't cleaned up the fair yet." I stand from my seat and sit right back down when I feel dizzy. "Let's go." I rise from my chair again and resist the temptation to fall back down again from the lightheadedness. My condition must've shown that much because Heyes gets right up with me and blocks my path. "Heyes."

"I'm not letting you get up while you're this weak."

"But."

"Nope, off to bed with you. We'll get to that gypsy soon enough." Heyes catches me in mid-fall when my knees buckle from under my own weight. I give in as my own consciousness becomes too heavy a burden and snaps as well.

My eyes slowly open to a bright sunlit room, which is unsuitable to my senses being so adapted to the darkness as I was. "Anyone get the license plate number of that truck?"

I stretch my aching muscles to the sky and yawn from weariness clinging to me. I jump from the sudden voice behind me, "Afternoon sleepy head."

"Don't do that. You almost gave me a heart attack Heyes."

"Heart attack?"

"Never mind." I turn around and my jaw drops. His outlaw type clothes no longer clothe him, but more modern ones preside. Nice, and I mean nice, fitting dark denim jeans accompany a white collared shirt and a spiffy brown leather jacket. I'm pleased to see Heyes wearing his roughed up black hat that he normally wears.

"Don't you look nice?"

"I don't know. These feel weird," he says signifying the classy jeans.

"Dark denim jeans aren't meant for comfort."

"Now you tell me. Kid isn't too enthusiastic either."

"We'll all be gone soon and we can be together." I wrap my arms around Heyes in a last hug before I get up to start getting things ready. After all, we could be leaving today.

Sam and Kid walk in soon after, Sam first in her comment. "Awwww, how cute." Sam wears her fluttery white spring dress that swirls around her calves like loose fabric. She also wears her apron, which reads, "Kiss the cook". I'll bet Kid's followed that sign quite a bit.

I almost start to laugh when I see what Sam had put Kid into. Salmon type pants accompany another white collared shirt. He was able to keep his sheepskin jacket and his tanned cowboy hat. "Awwww to you too. How's your head?"

"Better. You took more damage than me, how are you feeling?"

"Hungry, that's what I'm feeling."

"Kid's living proof that we can fix hungry."

Pleasant smells drift into the room and I now pick them up. "Good, you made pancakes."

"Blueberry."

"Ooh, my fave. I'll meet you guys downstairs in about five minutes." Sam, Curry and Heyes leave the room and I join them in under my promised five minutes. I quickly slapped my favorite faded blue jeans with a custom t-shirt that I'd bought in Las Vegas. It read, "If I can't win, then I don't wanna play."

"Pancakes for lunch? You might as well whip up a pie too."

"Already done. Just needs eating."

A smile cracks from my sister's dry joke as I enter the room. The moment I see Heyes, I run over to him and finish the hug I'd started earlier. "Afternoon Heyes."

"Good to see your well Alex. Death isn't knocking at your door?"

"Certainly hope not." I look up to see the kitchen and living room in shambles, a testimony to last night's events no doubt. "How's Johnson?"

"The agency isn't too thrilled about our quitting. Johnson suggested we disappear."

"That's what I thought."

"What do you mean Alex?"

"You see Heyes. When agents quit, they're watched. Our government thinks we may be giving information to enemies and they don't like that. They say when an agent does quit, they better disappear or the government will make them disappear."

"That's what we're hoping to do today, disappear."

"Once we find that gypsy, we'll disappear with you."

"So it's official?"

"What?"

"You two are coming back with us?"

"We've quit our jobs. Alex and I have talked it over. There's too much violence and injustice in society that we'll never be able to fix. We might as well go back to a much simpler time where we can live our lives in happiness. We leave soon. You two ready?" Ready they were. Except Sam and I still needed to prepare, so we went up to our Western Era collection room to gather necessary items. By the time we were done, we'd collected rope, tools, two cowboy hats, a set of boots each, our own suede jackets, saddlebags, two changes of clothes for each of us, one fancy dress each for those special occasions, two rifles, two .45 caliber sharp shooters, a good deal of ammunition, a couple of our own classic books to read and of course, money, about two thousand dollars worth of their "old time" money.

While we prepared, we had the boys saddle up four horses in the stables. The walkout balcony from this room we were in was right next to one of the trees, so we made our entrance sliding down the branches. An hour later we found ourselves staring down the remains of the fair we had been seeking. Tumbleweeds are the only residents in this town and all they do is roll down the street and between the buildings. We reach the sheriff's office in good time to dismount and tie our horses securely to the wooden railing. I cautiously approach the building with Heyes close behind me, followed by Sam and Curry. The door is locked, but I can't imagine why. I stand aside for Heyes and Curry to handle this and, like any other guy, they bust the door in.

It takes a moment for the dust to settle in the room, which still seems odd to me. When the dust clears, that pestering gypsy is there to greet us with a petty wave. "Hello Lulson twins. Hello Heyes and Curry. What can I do for you dearies?"

"We're not in the mood for games. Just tell us how to get back."

"Gaze into my crystal ball and watch." We all lean in and watch the smoke filled sphere clear into an image of this town at about this time. "I cant send you back now, you see? I can see a storm of most excellent opportunities. Here in this town of minutes five to none." The gypsy cackles a hideous laugh as she disappears with a short whirlwind of gust.

"That has got to be the worst rhyming attempt I've ever seen."

"But you still got the message didn't you? She can't send us back by herself."

"So she's sending a storm to do it for her. Yeah I got that. In the next five minutes we've got to be ready."

"Well I am," Curry says while offering his arm to Sam. "Are you?"

"You can bet your bottom dollar."

They both exit, leaving Heyes and me to ourselves. "What about you Heyes? You ready to go back?"

"This time makes riding drag look like fun."

"Try growing up in it."

"Now you can forget all about it because you won't have to worry about it anymore. I'll make sure of that."

"I'd never worry about getting hurt with you by my side Heyes."

"Alex!"

"Heyes!"

We burst through the doorway to see the sky darkened with gloomy clouds, but thundering with clashes of the heavens. Sam and I stare open mouthed at the spectacle while subconsciously holding onto the guys' arms a little more. A rapid wind starts to pick up and the horses don't even seem fazed. It's like we're the only ones who can see this going on. "It's now or never!" Another lightning bolt crashes down on one of the buildings following my statement, sending it into a raging ball of purple fire? Yes and in the middle of the inferno, the portal appears. Heyes and Curry first approach the horses and wrap their bandannas around their eyes so they wouldn't buck while trying to get them through. Sam and I follow suit and soon we're really ready. This is it, now or never. We slowly mount the horses, not wanting anything to go horribly wrong.

The gusts start to pick up a little more and still the horses don't act nervous. With easy steering, we maneuver the horses towards the portal. As we inch nearer, the cold feeling rises through me again. However one look at Heyes gives me the strength to push me all the way through the portal. The instant I hit the fog, my horse begins to buck and I struggle to hold on. The area of smoke encloses my vision with darkness and the iciness soon melts away with the scenery of the Old West flaring into view.

My vision comes back to me to the bright and pestering heat of the sun? Yes, as I sit up and examine the scenery, we made it through. The rest of my party lie next to me and admire the bustling town in the distance. "Sam, can you believe it?"

"Beautiful isn't it?"

"If this is to be our permanent home, then I can think of no better first order of business than to get a room." I'm suddenly helped to my feet by Heyes, who also agrees with the town, but.

"In case you ladies haven't noticed, we're broke."

"I wouldn't say that. Now come on. I hear that town has a lot of dumb players with big wallets."

"You can say that again." I mount my horse and look down at the unsuspecting town. Now who says happily ever-afters are stories that aren't finished. Well, whoever they are, they mustn't have met Heyes and Curry as Sam and I have.

"Now I can see what a good poker player you really are." Heyes comment brings my head down from the clouds and I think I even hear a bit of challenge in his voice.

"You can bet your bottom dollar. I'll won if you'll race me to town."

"You're on." Heyes and I spur past Sam and Curry so fast that dust swirls around them and I could still hear their screams of protest as we sped past them. Looks like I finally got my ride into the sunset.