Rachel Adair smiled over the brim of her coffee mug as she watched the last few cowboys filter out of the swinging doors. Even though the owner and his son were absent, the evening before she had managed to turn a profit by offering a round on her and some extra girls for the evening. Business had been booming well into the early morning hours until every room was booked for the evening, everyone but one.

She frowned when she thought of Sam McCall, upstairs curled up in her bed, day dreaming that Sonny Corinthos was going to rescue her from this life of drudgery. She had some fancy notions going on if she thought Sonny was settling down with anyone, let alone a whore. But still, the southern belle had somehow managed to get under the bosses skin and Rachel did not want to step on anyone's toes. After all, before the brown eyed she-devil swept her way into his bed, Rachel was the one comforting him at night. Now, she just had to bid her time until the busty twit moved on to greener pastures.

"I miss Michael."

Rachel moved away from the other side of the bar in disgust when Courtney Matthews plopped down in front of her on a bar stool, arms landing on the wooden surface. She had been hired around the same time as Courtney. Rachel had tried to teach her some lady like things that would attract the more prominent men in this city but Courtney told her she had her own way of getting men and the half-wit was right. She had been bedding Michael Corinthos for nearly a year now.

"I hope he's alright." Courtney muttered as she drew figure eights on the bar before wrinkling her nose and leaning over it, "Anything back there for me to drink?"

Rachel reached down and produced a bottle of bourbon, handing it to the woman, "You looked distracted enough last night. I'm sure Michael was the last person on your mind."

"He was," Courtney giggled as she took a sip of the bourbon straight from the bottle, "But he's still my favorite. He talks to me like I'm a real person instead of just patting me on the head and thanking me for a job well done. I know that," she took another sip; "I know that he's not my boyfriend but it's kinda nice to pretend you know?"

Rachel smirked as she took another sip of her coffee. If she were the mother hen of the whores that everyone made her out to be she would tell the young woman in front of her that it wasn't a very good idea to pretend, pretending got you nowhere but a broken heart and baby in your belly. Rachel, however, wasn't very nice and she thought that some things you had to learn the hard way. Besides, if Sonny got wind of Courtney's infatuation with his son, he would make sure the pair were split which would leave an opening for Rachel.

"Hey, where's Sam?" Courtney asked perking up again, "I haven't seen her since yesterday afternoon when she came knocking on my door looking for Michael. He told me that she was helping his dad with something but I didn't see with what."

"I think she's holed up in her room crying her little heart out," Rachel said with a wicked smile, "She has a crush on Mr. Corinthos and I'm afraid that he doesn't return the favor."

Courtney frowned, "No, she's not."

Rachel rolled her eyes, "No she's not what?"

"No she's not in her room," Courtney said, "One of them cowboys tried to use it last night and I kicked him in the backside, telling him to go away and find some woman. He laughed and stumbled back down the hall. There was no one in the room. I didn't check it this morning but…" Courtney frowned as she watched Rachel slam her mug down and moved around the bar, towards the stairs, "Where are you going?"

"I'm looking for Miss Georgia." Rachel said gathering her skirt and starting up the stairs.

"Who's Miss Georgia?" Courtney asked as she scurried off of the bar stool and followed her.

"Sam," Rachel called over her shoulder as she started down the hall towards the room that Sam occupied while residing at the saloon, "I'm going to make sure that she's where she's suppose to be."

Courtney stopped at the top of the stairs and crossed her arms across her chest, "I don't think she is there."

Rachel knocked once on Sam's door before she opened it and found that the room was indeed empty. The bed had been made from the previous morning and the normal things were in their place. A suitcase was still in the back of Sam's closet and anything that she would need to travel was still spread throughout their room. Turning on her heel, Rachel started back down the hall.

"Now where are you going?" Courtney rolled her eyes as Rachel nearly whizzed past her.

"I think I know where she is," Rachel said through gritted teeth as she came upon Sonny Corinthos room. She tried the door handle and found it open. Turning it she poked her head inside and saw that Sam was spread out in Sonny's bed, her naked body in the middle of his black silk sheets.

Feeling a blind rage come over her, Rachel threw Sonny's door open letting it slam against the wall before she stormed into the room and started to pick up Sam's clothes that were strewn about the floor. The startled black haired mistress shot up in bed, grasping the sheet to her body.

"I don't know what the hell you are doing in here," Rachel seethed, "But when Sonny finds out, and he will find out, you are going to find your way back to Atlanta, spreading your thighs for those Reconstruction men and getting nothing but a bowl of gruel in return. This is Sonny's private room and you have no…"

"He asked me to stay," Sam said quietly as Rachel dumped her belongings on the bed, "So I did as he asked."

"Oh no sweetie," Rachel said as she leaned down and patted Sam's leg, "You did what you thought you heard in that little brain of yours. Sonny doesn't want you here. He wants to bury his dick inside of you, he wants to fuck you and he's nice enough to make sure you receive pleasure as well but he definitely does not want you in his room. I think it would be best if you leave before he returns home."

Sam bit her lip and grabbed her clothes, "I know that you think Mr. Corinthos doesn't…"

"Honey, listen," Rachel cooed as she pressed her palm against Sam's cheek, "I know what you want to think and I'm sure that Sonny said some sweet things while he was pounding inside of you but the fact of the matter is he's money, he's the owner and he is not going to settle down with someone like you."

"I know what Sonny has said before," Sam said quietly, "But he asked me to…"

Rachel laughed, "Rich men do not settle down with whores, Samantha."

Sam's eyes darkened at the woman who seemed content on not letting her finish a sentence, "And they don't fuck bitches either."

Rachel saw red as she reached out and slapped Sam hard across the check, her pinky gaudy ring causing a small cut to appear above her eye. Sam pressed her hand across her face; saw the small drop of blood and then the smirk that was twisted on Rachel's lips.

"Rachel!" Courtney gasped, "You know what Mr. Corinthos…"

"You keep your mouth shut!" Rachel shouted at Courtney as she made her way towards the door, "And you, I want your ass out of Mr. Corinthos room before I move you permanently. The man may think that you're a beautiful southern belle with all the charm and finesse needed to get them through a lonely night but us girls around here, we know that you're just the same as us, a whore that likes getting poked for money. Get dressed and get moving."

Courtney moved aside as Rachel stormed past her and down towards her own room, slamming the door shut behind her. The blond turned and made her way into Sonny's room, picking up Sam's clothes that were on the bed and held them out to her.

"Rachel, sometimes she just lets things get to her," Courtney said, "She's usually alright."

"She's right," Sam said as she looked down at Sonny's bed, "I shouldn't be here. I am just a whore," she smiled sadly at Courtney, "And we both know that the Corinthos' men deserve better than that."

Lesley Lu Spencer could hear the soft voices filtering through the kitchen window as her mother sat on the front porch with Emily Alcazar. The young woman had stayed over last night, offering her mother comfort and a shoulder to cry on if she needed it. Lu was grateful to the young girl that was at one time being courted by her brother. Even though Laura was her mother, Lu was beginning to feel as if there was a drift between them, something that was formed when she was sent back east and Laura decided to stay in the west.

Turning back to the dishes, she continued to scrub at last night's attempt at biscuits. Her mother had told her that it would be wonderful to marry a man that could provide you with the maids and butler's needed for at true lady's life but she shouldn't rely on that. Therefore Lu was trying to learn how to cook and things weren't turning out so well, namely the biscuits.

Neither was her reunion with her family. Lu had intended to come back east for a month or two to enjoy some time with her mother's relatives. Now that they had perished in what was presumed to be an Indian raid she wasn't sure where she stood. She wanted to be by her mother's side but her heart desperately long for the eastern America that she had grown to love. She also knew that if she left she might never again repair the damage that had been caused between herself and her brother Lucky. It was a rift she wanted to lay blame solely on her father but she knew that everyone had pushed him just a little too far.

Lucky Spencer was born to be a cowboy, a gambler for fun, a man who roamed the west and rustled up cattle, someone who would eventually settle down with a good woman and raise a passel of kids. His baby sister had no idea why everyone was fighting him on it.

Thinking of Lucky made her think of the mission to recover the bodies of her relatives, which ultimately led her to Michael Corinthos, the young boy she adored who seemingly grew into a man overnight. He was proof that some things did change in Charlesville.

She remembered when Michael had first arrived in town. He had shown her a picture of his mother, one of the first ever developed at the time, and Lu could tell where he received his dirty blond hair and boyish good looks. As they became better friends she became more aware of the Corinthos' charm. That, however, was spent on the random females visiting the west and the cheap women at his father's saloon. He never even noticed her back then and quite frankly, unless he had four legs, she didn't really notice him either.

Kristina Lansing was the first one to tell Lu that Michael was going to be handsome. She said that she knew men and she knew he was going to be a great one. Lu had laughed at the time, Kristina had a crush on every man in this town, and Lu's own brother was at the top of the list. Another thought made her frown.

What if, while she was away, Michael and Kristina had grown close? Lu had seen them talking together while she was busy making her rounds with her parents when she first returned home. She had yet to question her best friend about it. What if the man that Kristina was searching for was Michael Corinthos, the son of wealthy saloon owner, Sonny Corinthos?

As wonderful as it would be for her best friend it would be horrible for Lu. How often does one run into a charming young man who knows how to kiss a lady's hand and had the ability to make her feel as if she were the only woman on this earth? She had a horrible habit of meeting men off the street who couldn't keep their hands or comments to themselves.

Like that vicious Johnny O'Brien.

He had a mouth that was worse than a pack of bandits and she hated the fact that he smoked. In the occasions that she had ran into him, he always smelled like he had just got finished a fresh beer and his hands always managed to find a way to touch her. It didn't matter that they were large, gentle hands and she didn't take into account that he was always freshly shaven and didn't smell nearly as bad as her brother did when he was due for a bath. All that mattered was that he was a cowpoke; someone beneath her, and those skin tight denims that gripped his backside would not have her thinking otherwise.

Lu gasped as she dropped a plate on the floor, causing it to shatter into pieces. Her eyes grew wide as she wondered where that thought came from. Hearing her mother call from outside Lu shook her head and pressed her face near the window.

"I'm fine Mama. I dropped an old plate," she called, "I'm going to clean it up and I'll be right out with some more lemonade and treats."

Lu bent down and started to pick up the larger pieces of the broken plate. She was not going to spend anymore time thinking about that cowpoke, that very handsome cowpoke.

"It's very sweet of you to stay with me," Laura smiled softly as she patted Emily's knee, "But I know that you have your own home to take care of and I wouldn't mind if you feel the need to go."

Emily smiled as she reached out and took hold of Laura's hand, "Lorenzo and I were staying in town anyway. This isn't out of the way and you should know me by now Laura. I'm not going home without my husband."

Laura's smile disappeared as she leaned closer to Emily, "I know that you were waiting for their arrival. I know that Jeffrey moving out west meant as much to you as it did me. I know you were hoping he had the answers to all your questions."

"It was a hope, a dream," Emily said quietly, "And he is your family, Laura. There are hundreds of doctors scattered across this country. You only have one brother."

Laura felt the tears fill her eyes again, "I wish there was some way that I could help you. I wish I knew some of Jeffrey's colleagues that I…"

"Let's not focus on me," Emily said quietly as she gave Laura a smile, "Why don't we talk about Elizabeth? What is she like? I've never met any of your family."

"Elizabeth," Laura laughed softly, "Oh the letters that Jeffrey wrote me about Elizabeth. She was always a lot to handle. She was always getting into things and she was never one to listen. Jeffrey wanted her to marry before they moved out west. He was sure that Sarah would settle down once they got here but he knew that Elizabeth would be difficult. Mary, my brother's wife, wanted her to marry an attorney, no one in particular; she just wanted a lawyer in the family. I think Elizabeth was grateful for moving out here. It would be less people for her parents to try and marry her off to."

"Is she older?" Emily asked curiously, "You are making it sound like she's a spinster."

"No," Laura laughed softly, "No, she's a little younger than you," she smiled sadly as her eyes watered again, "That's why…" she pressed her hand over her mouth, "It's horrible of me to say this but it would be so much easier on Elizabeth if she is no longer with us. If for some reason they kept her alive…it's just…you have no idea, Emily."

Emily felt Laura's hands started to shake. She watched as the older woman grew pale and her eyes started to widen. It was as if she was reliving what Elizabeth would have grown through. It was as if Laura had grown through it herself.

Emily clasped Laura's hand tightly, "Laura, whatever has happened, you can…"

"Freshly squeezed," Lu smiled as she carried a tray out to the front porch, "I cleaned everything up Mama. I apologize that I dropped a plate but I'm glad to say that it wasn't one of your better ones."

Laura's eyes focused once again and she smiled down at her daughter who made herself as comfortable as she could on the wooden porch. Laura reached out and patted Lesley Lu's dark tresses, smiling at the beautiful young woman.

"It will be alright," Laura turned back to Emily and in a voice that seemed disconnected she repeated, "It will be alright."

"I'm slightly intimidated by you."

Jason turned his head as he kept as firm grip on his horse's reins. They had been riding for a little over an hour after camping the night before. Once the desert plunged into darkness they could barely make out the rider in front or beside them so they felt it was best to build a campfire and settle down for the night.

Not a lot of words were said, which didn't surprise Jason. The men that he was traveling with weren't known as open and friendly people. What did surprise him was that Emily's husband was the first one to bridge the communication gap between them. Jason had wanted to introduce himself to the man he just wasn't sure during a body search was the right time to do it.

And he definitely liked that Emily's husband was intimidated. It would give him time to ponder if he ever chose to hurt Jason Morgan's baby sister.

"I've heard a lot about you," Lorenzo said as he chose to use his horse's mane instead of the reins, "Em is always sharing a story about when you two were kids or how things were growing up. She looks up to you. She really missed you."

"Emily is a great sister," Jason said his eyes turning cold before he turned them away from Lorenzo, "I hate to see anything bad ever happen to her," he turned back to Lorenzo with a grim smile on his face, "I'd hate for someone to break her heart."

Lorenzo chuckled, "I shall heed your warning but I also want to let you know that I will never harm your sister. She has made such an impact on my life. I don't know how I would ever go on without her," Lorenzo smiled as he looked ahead, "I met your sister on a visit to town about four years ago. Your mother, Mrs. Quartermaine, was dragging her through the store insisting that she pick out the right things for her eighteenth birthday that was coming up later that week. I was…I'm not ashamed to admit that I feel in love with your sister the moment she turned her brown eyes on me," he laughed, "I had to convince her."

Jason cleared his throat and eyed Lorenzo before he looked straight ahead again, "Emily had a rough up bringing. Her parents wanted her to marry a certain type of man and you did not fit that description."

"I am well aware of that," Lorenzo said smiling, "Mrs. Quartermaine whisked her away and it wasn't until another two weeks later that I was able to finally talk to Em. She let me know that while she thought I was handsome, she had heard plenty things about me and the kind of man I was. She wanted nothing to do with someone that would run a decent family out of their home just to buy up some land next to their ranch. By the time I got back to my house I found myself opening up my safe and looking for the dead to the Miller's land, ready to hand it back to them. When she found out that I did that, I think she knew, like I knew, that…" he turned to Jason with a warm smile, "Emily is my life. There was one time where I thought that ranch was, that my heritage was, but it's not anymore. Your sister has changed all that. She's made me a better man. While she is with me no harm will come to her. You have my word."

Jason was never one for romantic words but he could tell in the rancher's voice the depth of his feelings towards Emily. He was sure that the Quartermaine's, his own family, had made sure her life was miserable while she was still living with them and being courted by Lorenzo Alcazar. He wasn't going to make the transition any worse by grilling the man who Emily was obviously in love with. It was clearly visible that Lorenzo felt the same. He gave him a tight smile and reached out his hand.

"Treat her right," Jason said quietly as Lorenzo shook his hand, "Or you'll answer to me."

Lorenzo nodded slowly, "When this is all over I'd like to invite you for dinner. You can see the home that Emily has made for me. I'm sure she'd like that as well."

Jason managed to gruff out, "I'd like that too."

Lucky looped his horse's reins around a nearby bush and started to walk towards the site where he and Kristina had found the remains of his family. He could hear the others dismounting behind him, he could even hear vaguely hear his father in the background calling his name but everything was blocked out but the image of Kristina's laughing face before her horse reared and she fell to the ground, the laughter changing to horror.

What the hell had he done?

The body of his Uncle Jeff still lay beside the wagon where he had a chance to get his weapon but not fire it. His Aunt Mary and cousin Sarah were pulled further away, their dresses torn, pushed up on their bodies, petticoats in shreds, undergarments no longer visible, all evidence of their bodies being violated. And Elizabeth, the quick tempered petite brunette was missing, and for her sake Lucky prayed that she was dead as well.

He was grateful he had found them. He couldn't imagine his mother seeing her family like this. The wagons were nearly burnt to a crisp and their belongings were scattered throughout the desert. He looked up and saw Jason picking his way through them, Lorenzo Alcazar and Johnny O'Brien, the cowboy he had just met, were a few feet from the bodies discussing the best way to move them, Sonny was talking quietly with Ric and from the look on Lansing's face, Lucky could tell that he was getting angrier for bringing his daughter into this hideous situation.

The worst thing was the vultures, still circling, still looking to pick apart the remnants.

"I wish that you had never found this," Luke said through clenched teeth as he came to stand behind his son, "I wish that you had not witnessed this tragedy and I wished that you didn't bring an innocent girl into this."

Lucky hung his head in shame. God must have thought his own guilt trip was not enough.

"You running away trying to prove yourself has gone on for too long," Luke said, "It's about damn time you moved back into the house. Your mother will not be able to go on living if this is how we find you one day."

"Stop it," Lucky said turning on his father, "Do we have to do this right now? We are here to gather their remains for Mom, so she has some type of closure, some place to go to mourn. You can bark orders at me later; however it doesn't mean that I'm going to listen to them then."

"I raised you to treat me right," Luke said as he watched his son head back to his horse, "And I also taught you not to turn your back on a man."

"You want to shoot me?" Lucky asked whipping around, "I don't get you. I don't understand you. You can act like a drunk. You can be a gambler. You have no standards and no morals. Is that why this is thrown on me and Lu? We have to make up for the mistakes, for the things that you and Mom did."

"Your mother never did a damn thing wrong," Luke bit out, "Except for be too lenient with you."

"Go to hell dad."

Luke took a threatening step towards his son, "If you think that I won't…"

Sonny cleared his throat as he placed a strong hand on Luke's shoulder, "Why don't we step aside, look around for some things, evidence of where Elizabeth might have gone? Lucky and Michael can go through the wagon pieces, see if there's anything valuable that Laura might want. Johnny, Lorenzo and Ric are loading up the bodies."

Luke pushed Sonny's hand off of his shoulder and pointed at Lucky, "We're not done with this."

Lucky watched his father storm off ahead with Sonny Corinthos following in his wake, the dapper saloon owner usually dressed in business attire looking quite comfortable in his jeans and flannel shirt. He sighed and turned back, seeing Michael Corinthos approaching him with a hesitant smile.

"They can't wait until you grow up and get the hell out of the house," Michael shrugged, "Then when you do they pull you back with a bull rope."

"It's not him doing the pulling," Lucky said as he kicked at a rock, sending it scattering across the dusty ground, "They want something from me that I can't give them and he…" he said thumbing towards his father, "Doesn't let up."

"Father's," Michael said, "They can't seem to understand that you need to make your own mistakes, go your own way. I've been fighting with my dad to let me move into the saloon and he finally gave up because I reached legal age but I know that he'd rather have me at my Grandmother's boarding house," he shrugged, "Sometimes he feels like he's failing my mother because of what he does."

"Yeah," Lucky said turning away from Luke, "I think my Dad feels that way too, like he failed me somehow because I don't want to go back east and become some rich businessman or lawyer or doctor like…" he shook his head sadly before he laughed humorlessly, "Lu told you to check up on me didn't she?"

Michael shrugged, "She knows that they're giving you a hard time and she wants to make sure that you're okay. She misses you, you know. It'd be nice, if you got a chance this week, maybe you could see her. Do lunch or something," he smiled, "Doesn't have to be tea."

Lucky laughed and then grew solemn, "She knows that it has nothing to do with her, right? She knows that it just…it's not her."

Michael nodded, "She knows but it doesn't make it hurt any less."

Jason was growing frustrated. He was walking further and further away from the site and still he had found nothing which would lead them to Elizabeth Webber. The group had split up after the bodies were loaded onto the wagon. They checked the bushes, trees, behind rock crops, any place where an Indian might have dragged her to continue their vicious assault. There was nothing, no pieces of clothing attached to any branches, no traces of a body being dragged and no tracks left by horses.

Elizabeth had simply vanished.

Jason was used to encountering Indians. You could no longer avoid them while you were roaming the desert. It seemed the more land hungry that people were the more hostile the Indians became. There were certain groups like the Sioux and the Cherokee that were peaceful and wanted no war but others, like the Apache, raided upon homes, taking what they wanted and leaving a trail of horror in their wake.

He knew by the markings on the arrow found in Jeff Webber's chest that the Apaches had come upon the Webber family. He knew the torture that Elizabeth would be put through while she was their captive. He could only hope that she was killed before irreparable damage had been done.

Jason kicked his pointed boot at a bush and growled. He was a man that found people, that was his job, and it was causing him to seethe knowing that he was unable to rescue this woman. She was in the hands of the vilest Indians known to mankind and he wasn't sure if anyone could save her now.

Preparing to head back towards the others he stepped forward and slid slightly when his boot connected with something on the ground. Stepping back he looked down and found himself staring at a small square white piece of paper. He bent down curiously and picked it up, flipping it over and feeling the breath taken from his body.

It was a picture of a woman, someone who looked to be a couple years younger than Emily. He could tell through the black and white still that she had dark curly hair that easily went past her shoulders and down her back. She was smiling, smiling at him, but it seemed unreal, plastered on there for the person behind the large box. Her eyes were staring straight back at him pleading for help; his help.

Jason folded his hand around the picture and closed his eyes. He could easily picture the fright now, he could easily hear her pleas for help and he could see her eyes, envision them, as blue, sapphire, like those gorgeous gemstones he had seen when he was in California last year. She needed help, she needed him.

Opening his eyes again Jason took one last look around. There were still no tracks, still no clue as to what those heathens had done with her. There was nothing that would show him where Elizabeth had been taken. But none of that mattered anymore. The young woman needed help.

And Jason Morgan was going to save her.