Without You Chapter 5: The Past And The Present And The Future, a magnificent seven fanfic

Chapter 5 - The Past And The Present And The Future…

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Sunlight poured through Ezra's bedroom window the next morning making him blink from the brightness. Normally the former con-man would have let out a beleaguered groan before rolling over, pulling the pillow over his head. That way he would insure to block any of the sun's rays, but not this morning. Instead he sat up realizing he would soon be having another rendezvous with Rebecca.

For the first time in several weeks he had slept soundly and had to admit – it felt wonderful. He rose from bed and began his daily ablutions. Whistling as he moved about the room, yesterday's events came rushing back causing him to smile.

When he had finished cleansing himself, he undertook removing his nightly growth. He wanted to look his best when he saw her. After finishing his morning shaving ritual, he looked through his clothes. His attire had to be perfect.

After several changes, he finally decided on a dark blue jacket, white shirt, dark red vest, black cloth tie and dark trousers. Looking in the mirror at the end result, he nodded to his reflection, pleased with his choices.

Ezra stepped into the hall, locked the door dropping the key into his vest pocket. Turning, he walked a few feet down the hallway to Rebecca and Sarah's room. Knocking softly he waited for her to answer.

Instead of Rebecca answering, Sarah opened door, "Good morning, Ezra. If you're looking for Rebecca she's already out and about."

"Indeed? Might I inquire as to her whereabouts?"

"Well I think she told me she had a date with a young man she knew. Try looking down at the Clarion."

Puzzled, he thanked Sarah hurrying down the hallway. He wasn't sure he liked the sound of that.

Upon exiting the hotel, the faint sounds of a guitar caught his attention. Walking toward the newspaper, he saw Rebecca sitting in front the Clarion, her guitar perched on one knee. Several local children, including Billy Travis stood completely mesmerized watching her play. Mary also watched as she entertained the children.

Finishing the last song for them, the children applauded jumping up and down.

"Do another one, Miss Rebecca!" Billy said excitedly, as he bounced in front of her.

"Well let me see…oh I know… how about a song called 'Three Is A Magic Number'. Everyone can sing along with me and can learn to multiple by threes at the same time. How does that sound?"

The children nodded.

"Okay…I'll start the song and then when I tell everybody just repeat after me…

Three is a magic number
Yes it is, it's a magic number
Somewhere in the ancient, mystic trinity
You get three as a magic number
The past and the present and the future
Faith and hope and charity
The heart and the brain and the body
Give you three as a magic number

It takes three legs to make a tripod or to make a table stand
It takes three wheels to make a vehicle called a tricycle
Every triangle has three corners
Every triangle has three sides
No more, no less
You don't have to guess
When it's three, you can see it's a magic number

Ezra sat down on a hitching crossing his arms. So like himself, Rebecca has an affinity for children. He smiled watching as she sung for the group in front of her.

A man and a woman had a little baby
Yes they did
They had three in the family
And it's a magic number

Three, six, nine
Twelve, fifteen, eighteen
Twenty-one, twenty-four, twenty-seven
Thirty
(Three, six, nine
Twelve, fifteen, eighteen
Twenty-one, twenty-four, twenty-seven
Thirty)

The children began to jump in as she counted. She smiled as they struggled to keep up with her.

"Multiple backwards from 3 by 10…"

Three times ten is (thirty)
Three times nine is (twenty-seven)
Three times eight is (twenty-four)
Three times seven is (twenty-one)
Three times six is eighteen
Three times five is fifteen
Three times four is twelve
And three times three is nine
And three times two is six
And three times one is three, of course

"Now dig the pattern once more!"

Three, six, nine
Twelve, fifteen, eighteen
Twenty-one, twenty-four, twenty-seven
Thirty

"Okay multiple backwards by 10 again."

A man and a woman had a little baby
Yes, they did
There had three in the family
That's a magic number

Ezra was fascinated as he watched the performance. She held the children's attention totally. He stood up from the hitching post leaning a shoulder against a nearby post, his green eyes never straying far from her face.

When she finished the song the children clapped and bounced around again.

"Do another one Miss Rebecca! Do another one!" Billy squealed.

"Now Billy, Miss Rebecca's has already performed five songs. She probably has other things to do," Mary chided.

"But she doesn't have a job like you momma, so what's she gotta do?" Billy argued.

Rebecca frowned slightly as Mary scolded her son, "That's not a very nice thing to say young man. Apologize to Miss Rebecca right now."

"That's alright Mary. He didn't mean anything by it. He's right. I don't exactly have job right now. Sarah and I need to find some form of employment. We can't keep borrowing money from you to pay our bills."

Ezra took in this information. It had never occurred to him to inquire as to how Rebecca and her sister were meeting their financial obligations in town. He decided to speak to Inez across the street in the saloon. Perhaps she could hire the sisters once she heard them perform. It seemed a natural setting for the two songbirds and he felt sure the two could definitely bring in more business.

But before he did so, he returned to the hotel. He wanted to pay the sister's hotel bill. Afterwards he would head to the saloon to have a discussion with Miss Rocillos.

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Later in the day, Rebecca walked out of the hotel letting her eyes adjust to the bright afternoon sun. Smoothing her hair and dress, she took a deep breath. Needing to find work, she decided to begin her search at the Potter's General store then maybe at a couple other places. In her head, she began to put together a speech hoping it wouldn't take long to find something.

Walking toward their store, she thought she heard someone call out to her. Turning, she caught sight of Ezra running in her direction. Smiling as he skidded to a halt in front of her, she tilted her head. "Howdy Ezra."

"Good afternoon Rebecca."

"Sorry I didn't hear you sooner, but I have a lot on my mind. I was on my way to inquire about a job at the General Store." Pausing she added, "Weren't we gonna meet for an early dinner in a while?"

"Yes we are, but I've actually come to speak to you on a different matter. I may have an opportunity for Sarah and yourself at the saloon if you're interested," he replied with some enthusiasm .

"Doing what?"

"Well, Miss Rocillos wanted to interview the two of you about performing in the saloon."

A large smile lit up her face, "Really! That's funny! Don't know why I've never considered inquiring for a job there. Does Inez want us to perform a song or two for her?"

"I believe Miss Rocillos would like to hear some of your song renderings, but I don't believe it's necessary for your employment,"

"Well then…I'll get my sister and we'll come right over."

"Alright darlin, I'll inform her to expect you."

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A short time later, Rebecca and Sarah pulled two chairs to the center of the small stage in the saloon. Settling themselves, the sister's looked out at the impromptu gathering of people. Ezra, Vin, Inez, JD, Nathan, Buck and Josiah all sat around a table waiting for them to begin.

Making sure their guitars were in tune, Rebecca cleared her throat.

"This song is called 'Norwegian Wood'. It isn't a long piece, but I do hope ya'll like it."

They began to play their guitars as Rebecca started singing before Sarah joined in.

I once had a boy, or should I say he once had me.
He showed me his room, isn't it good Norwegian Wood.
He asked to me stay and told me to sit anywhere
So I looked around and noticed there wasn't a chair.
I sat on the rug biding my time, drinking his wine,
We talked until two and then he said it's time for bed.

The sisters gave a slight music break with their guitars before continuing.

He told me he worked in the morning and started to laugh,
I told him I didn't and crawled off to sleep in the bath.

And when I awoke I was alone, this bird had flown,
So I lit a fire isn't it good Norwegian Wood…

The small group applauded after the song ended. Sarah asked, "Would you like another?"

Heads nodded.

Rebecca said to Sarah. "Let's do 'High Enough' for them."

Sarah nodded, "Good choice."

Ezra commented to the people at the table; "I've heard this song. I believe everyone will enjoy it immensely."

When the duo had finished, Inez stood and walked over to the stage, "I loved your singing…I think the current owners will be most impressed. I will tell them that you would bring new people in. Senor Ezra was right about you."

Rebecca leaned around Inez, gazing in the gambler's direction, "So did Ezra tell you about us?"

"Si! He was the one that suggested I should listen to you and your sister perform."

Putting down her instrument, she excused herself. "I'll be back in a moment."

Walking over to Ezra, she stopped in front of his chair. "Inez said you were the one who told her about us…is that true?"

He looked into her face. Unsure if she was happy or upset.

"Umm, yes I did indeed speak to her about hiring you ladies. I felt you would be happiest performing and not doing menial labor in a store."

Rebecca threw her arms around him, "Thank you so much! This means the world to me!" She kissed him hard on the mouth.

Ezra drew her closer to him as their kiss deepened. Finally he pulled away from her gazing into his eyes. "You are indeed welcome, darlin. I hope this works out to be a very lucrative endeavor for both of you."

Rebecca whispered, "I'm sure it will be for both Sarah and I."

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Stepping from the darkness of the hotel the next day, bright sunshine caused Rebecca to shield her face against the morning glare. As her eyes began to adjust she could see the citizens of Four Corners going about their morning business. A light breeze stirred the dirt street creating small dust devils.

Sighing deeply, she couldn't help smiling. She had a job! She had a job doing what she loved …singing. All thanks to Ezra. Turning, she walked slowly down the plank wooden walkway in the direction of the only bank Four Corners possessed.

Inez had been kind enough to pay the sisters in advance, which enabled Rebecca to repay Mary the money she had borrowed. When she tried to pay the hotel bill, she had been told it was already taken care of. Altho' the man at the desk refused to tell her who had paid it…she had a sneaking suspicion who had. She would have to speak to this person responsible later… and thank him.

As she continued to go over everything that she and Sarah had discussed last night about puttin together some music, the sound of gunfire startled her out of her thoughts. Pausing in her tracks, she saw four men rush out of the bank, guns blazing.

Flattening herself against the building beside her, she became aware of answering gunshots erupting from across the street.

She realized Vin, Josiah, and Buck appear as if by magic, firing at the robbers. They answered the bandit's gunfire shot for shot. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Ezra exit the saloon hunkering down behind a horse trough. Like his friends, his gun answered in the same direction of the robbers.

Rebecca's heart pounded in her chest as she tried to slide down the wall in the opposite direction. Trying to move away from the gunfight, one or two stray bullets zinged past her making her hug the wall tighter. Her eyes remained glued on Ezra. The fear she felt for his safety was almost a living thing.

Another bullet struck the building next to her causing Rebecca to duck. Gathering her skirt around her she scrambled back toward the hotel. One of the gunmen broke cover away from the others racing in her direction.

Ezra observed one of the robbers fleeing so he rushed after him. That's when he spotted Rebecca. She had flattened her torso against the building still moving away back toward the hotel.. His heart leapt into his throat as he rushed toward his love.

Unfortunately Rebecca realized she had been spotted by one of robbers, run robber lunged at her.

He tried to grab at Rebecca, but Ezra took aim and winged the man in the arm. Spinning to return fire, he never got the chance as the gambler's gun barked again, killing him instantly.

Horrified, the robber fell at her feet, a snarl frozen on his lips. Blood splattered the lower part of her dress making her gag. Closing her eyes, she fell back against the building wall, fighting the bile that rose in her throat. The sight of all the blood was almost too much to handle.

She suddenly became aware of strong arms gently cradled her body and someone speaking to her, "Lord Rebecca, you scared the hell out of me, darlin. How did you become involved in this affair?"

It took her a moment to raise her eyes up to his face. Whispering she said, "I…I was on my way to the bank…to open an account for us." She began to shake violently against him before burying her face against his chest. He held her tightly as he tried to calm her.

"It's all right now darlin." he helped her to a bench outside the hotel, "I'll return in a moment as I need to see if my compatriots require assistance. Wait here."

Nodding, she collapsed onto the bench waiting for him to return.

She was vaguely aware of Ezra grabbing the collar of the dead robber dragging his limp body down the street. Buck and the others had killed two more of the gunmen. The fourth man was wounded and Nathan was attending to him.

Rebecca couldn't stop shaking. It felt like icy hands gripping onto every part of her. Up till now, living in this time had seemed like a dream...one from which she might someday awake. But the gunfight she had just witnessed brought it all home. Life here was a harsh reality and it could in fact be deadly.

She was thankful that Ezra was such an excellent gunman. His speed with his weapon was apparent. She also knew that this was an aspect of his life she would need to accept if she became involve with him. He was a member of the seven and they protected the town.

Folding her arms across her middle, she leaned forward, putting her head between her knees. It was all she could do to fight off the nausea threatening to overcome her.

Ezra had returned and began stroking her hair. Speaking in a low even tone he said, "Darlin, are you alright?"

Lifting her face, she gazed into Ezra's concerned, green eyes. Kneeling down in front of her, he caressed her face. Brushing a lock of her auburn hair away, he murmured, "Your face is dreadfully pale darlin…should I have Mr. Jackson come see to your well-being?"

"No…that's okay. It's just…I…I've never seen someone killed before." Her eyes were large and full of fear.

Standing up, he pulled her into his arms rocking her. "It'll be alright, darlin."

"I was so frightened for you. I don't know what I would have done if you ever got hurt."

"Worry not, darlin. I will always endeavor to make my safety a priority."

She hugged him tightly, not wanting to release him from her embrace. She knew it would be sometime before she stopped shaking.

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For two days, Rebecca and Sarah contemplated the music they should perform in the saloon. The sisters decided to spend one afternoon putting some ideas on paper.

Staring at the note pad between them Sarah scribbled absentmindedly on it. "So," she said as she doodled, "what kind of songs should we do? Any ideas?"

"Well, whatever material we decide on, we need to be careful of cultural references," Rebecca replied keeping her voice low.

Her sister nodded, "And we need to be able to play songs that fit the instruments that are available us."

"That's true." Rebecca nodded as she strummed absentmindedly on her guitar. "Hey how about this song?" She began the opening cords to George Michael's 'Faith'".

Sarah stopped her, "That'll never work, Becky…you can't sing about touching a body?"

"You may be right. Don't wanna get thrown in the hoosegow."

Both girls giggled loudly.

"Still," Rebecca commented as she walked over to the piano, "I think we might be able to get by with some things. This is after all a saloon, not a church. How about this?" she played the first part of "Freedom 90" by George Michael.

Sarah started laughing, "That song has two very obvious cultural references, TV and MTV."

Rebecca sighed softly, "You're right. I guess I'm kinda missing home a bit. Aren't you missing anything?"

"Sure lots of things."

"Like what?" Rebecca asked

Sarah tilted her head, "Well different types of food…Pepsi, Coke, Bo Jangles chicken, hot showers, air conditioning, blow dryers…oh and Krispy Krème Donuts!"

"Mmmm, donuts!" Rebecca intoned. Both sisters erupt into another fit of laughter.

Across the room, Buck, JD, Ezra and Vin watched as the young women began laughing again.

"Whatca think is so funny?" Buck asked as he dealt cards around the table.

Ezra glanced at Buck as more laughter floated in their direction, "Unknown Mr. Wilmington, but it would seem something has tickled their fancy."

"Think it would be worth it to ask 'em?" JD questioned as he looked over his cards.

"I suspect if we were to go over there right now the laughter would cease," Ezra answered as he threw a dollar into the pot.

Vin matched the gambler's dollar with one of his own, "Sarah told me they was plannin on discussin what kinda songs to play in the saloon. Maybe that's what it's about."

More laughter reached the men and they stopped to glance at the two women. Rebecca was standing with her hands on her hips and rotating in a circle as she bobbed slightly back and forth. Both women laughed even harder. The men shook their heads, trying to concentrate on the game before them.

Rebecca collapsed breathlessly onto her chair putting her forehead on the table, unable to look at her sister. A few minutes passed before she could bring herself to glance up at Sarah.

Finally wiping the tears from her face, she said "I don't think we can do that song for two reasons. Reason number one, I'd never make it through the song with a straight face and number two, how would we explain it?"

Sarah dabbed at her own face before replying, "Okay, so maybe singing, "Let's Do The Time Warp Again' is a bad idea. I just thought it might be appropriate given our present situation."

The sisters gave knowing smiles at each other. The song did indeed fit their current situation.

Still fighting the urge to giggle, Rebecca said trying to get serious, "I guess we should concentrate on coming up with anything worth playing." Picking at her guitar she said, Maybe we could play some of John Denver's material. That would suit two guitars."

"Yeah, that would work. How about 'Annie's Song'?" Sarah suggested.

"Perfect," Rebecca nodding as she began to play…

You fill up my senses,
Like a night in a forest.
Like the mountains in springtime,
Like a walk in the rain.
Like a storm in the desert,
Like a sleepy blue ocean.
You fill up my senses
Come fill me again.

Come let me love you
Let me give my life to you
Let drown in your laughter,
Let me die in your arms.
Let me lay down beside you,
Let me always be with you.
Come let me love you,
Come love me again.

The men stopped their game turning to listen as Rebecca sang. Ezra rose from his seat moving closer as Buck, Vin and JD followed suit.

The four men leaned against the bar watching as Rebecca and Sarah both seemed to put their hearts into their singing. Rebecca's face glowed with the sheer joy she was feeling.

Buck leaned over to Ezra saying softly, "That little gal's got one heck of a voice."

The gambler nodded, "Yes indeed, Mr. Wilmington. She is quite gifted."

Watching the woman he was quickly falling in love with, Ezra couldn't help but smile.

Rebecca hummed a bit before singing again.

Let me give my life to you
Come let me love you,
Come love me again.

You fill up my senses,
Like a night in a forest,
Like the mountains in springtime.
Like a walk in the rain
Like a storm in the desert,
Like a sleepy blue ocean.
You fill up my senses,
Come fill me again.

As she finished, the four men applauded loudly. Rebecca gave a sheepish grin, "I didn't realize we had attracted an audience."

"Kinda hard not to Miss Rebecca with singing like that," JD replied enthusiastically.

"Thank you."

Approaching her, Ezra took her hands into his. "You were superb darlin. If you perform this well upon your debut, I suspect you will capture everyone's heart."

Lowering her eyes, she blushed slightly; "Thank you, but I only want to capture the heart of one man." She gazed into his green eyes smiling shyly.

Bringing his lips to hers in a gentle kiss, Ezra murmured, "You already have it, darlin…and so much more."

"I guess I should get back to what I was doing, but I would like to see you later."

"I would like that very much. Perhaps over dinner?" he suggested.

"I would love that. Afterwards we can go for a moonlight stroll."

Smiling in return, he leaned against her cheek whispering, "I think a moonlight stroll with my love sounds delightful."

Rebecca blushed again as she returned to Sarah and sat down. She watched as Ezra return to his card game.

"So how are things going with you and Ezra?" Sarah asked with raised eyebrows. "Looking pretty good from where I sit."

Rebecca turned back toward her sister, "Yeah, things are going great. I know we've only been going out for a little over a week, but he is the most wonderful man I've ever met. I've never met anyone I've become so close to in so short a time."

Becca leaned toward her sister and whispered, "And I know that when the time is right, Ezra will be an incredible lover."

Sarah looked at her sister, "So you've already thought about that?"

She nodded, "I know that when he kisses me, I can feel it right down to my toes. So I figure when we finally do make love, it'll be unbelievable."

Sarah said, "He's a sweet man and he seems to care a great deal for you. He certainly has those beautiful bedroom eyes I've heard other women talk about."

Rebecca nodded, "Yeah he does." She glanced toward the guys, as their poker game continued, "So tell me how things are going between you and Vin. You've been with him long than I have with Ezra?"

"Wonderful," she sighed.

"Oh yeah? So give already!" Rebecca inquired.

Sarah grinned, "He's…he's so…earthy. Yet he has a wisdom that seems far greater than his years. He and I have had so many conversations. We have talked about tons of things. Did you know he's lived with Native Americans, been a Buffalo Hunter and even a bounty hunter for a time?"

"Really!" Rebecca replied impressed.

Sarah nodded. "Yep it's true!" Turning her head in his direction, she lowered her voice before looking at her sister, "There is one thing you should know…Vin is learning to read. Mary has been teaching him. He's gotten better, but he was so embarrassed to tell me. He thought because I could, that I read music it would make me change my mind about being around him. Isn't that the silliest thing ever."

"You certainly didn't laugh about it to him"

Sarah shook her head. "Absolutely not. I gave him a kiss on the cheek and told him I was proud of him. I've been helping him too. When we've gone out for our rides, we'll stop sometimes and he practices his reading skills. I will help him new words, sentences. He's doing well."

Rebecca smiled.

"I love being with him. I've never felt so safe then when I'm in his arms."

"I know how you feel. I feel that way when I'm with Ezra."

A sad smile unexpectedly appeared on Sarah's face and she turned in Vin's direction.

"What's wrong?" asked Rebecca.

"Oh…I was just thinking how ironic life can be sometimes," Sarah sighed. "In our former lives, we seemed to have it all…fame, money, an adoring following of fans, all the little extras that made life comfortable. Yet neither of us felt truly happy or had any kind of satisfying relationship with a guy."

Rebecca sighed, "I know what you're going to say. Why did it take us being flung 145 years into the past for us to find two men who seem to embody everything we've ever wanted?"

"Exactly!" Sarah agreed.

"If I knew the answer to that question then I'd know how we ended up here in the first place. Frankly, I've quit pondering it – as Buck likes to say - because it was making my head hurt."

Rebecca looked over her shoulder at the men playing cards, but her eyes sought out the face of only one of them.

"I'll tell you the truth though, I'm not sure I would want to go home now, even if we found a way. That would mean leaving Ezra behind…frankly I couldn't do it. I'm falling in love with him Sarah and the idea of leaving him…I just..." She shook her head.

Sarah smiled softly, "I don't think I could leave Vin either. I've fallen hard for him Becky. I know this place isn't home and it's certainly nothing like we are used to, but leaving now would kill me."

The two sisters hugged each other fighting back their tears.

Rebecca sniffled, brushing at the few stray tears that had escaped. "Let's get back to putting together some music that will rock this town back on its heels."

Sarah grinned, "Let's do it"

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Finally after a four week absence, Chris rode back into town, a little worse for wear. He had spent most of his time in the Mexican city of Purgatorio.

What had happened between he and Rebecca had upset him immensely. So Chris had retreated to the bottle and the working girls of the Mexican bandit town.

He had succeeded in putting everything out of his mind for a time, but eventually he knew he needed to set things right with her. So he had returned to Four Corners in the hopes of making her understand how sorry he was for hurting her.

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Rebecca paused to briefly fan herself. The day had been a scorcher so far, with little or no wind for relief. She had spent most of it working on a playlist for their first performance. However the interior of the saloon had become uncomfortable, so she had taken a seat outside hoping to catch one or two of the infrequent breezes.

The afternoon had been fairly quiet around the dusty little town and most of the residents had remained inside trying to avoid the scorching heat. A sudden movement at the far end of the street caught her attention. Shading her eyes against the glare of the afternoon sun, she saw a horse and rider moving slowly in her direction.

It wasn't long before she realizes it was Chris.

Knowing the two of them needed to talk about that night four weeks ago, she watched him approach. She had thought long and hard about what she would say. First and foremost, she wanted him to know that she was no longer upset.

Larabee rode up to the front of the saloon as Rebecca stood. As he dismounted, the two of them stared at each other for a moment before Chris broke the silence.

"Rebecca, I think we need to talk."

She nodded, "I agree. Let's go into the saloon…get a table."

They stepped inside finding a spot away from everyone else. Chris held the chair for her as she sat down. Sitting down he pushed his hat off his head.

Across the room, Ezra, Buck and JD noticed the duo enter.

Buck took a sip of his beer; "Guess Chris finally decided to come back." He watched as Ezra shifted uneasily in his seat.

Patting him on the shoulder, Buck said, "Don't look so worried, Ez. They just gotta clear the air between them. Rebecca's your gal now."

Ezra threw back the whiskey he was drinking, but nervously continued to watch the twosome.

Clearing his throat Chris looked at her before beginning; "First off, Rebecca, I'm sorry for what happened that night. "There are some things I think you should know about and…"

Rebecca held up a hand, "Chris there's no need to continue. I know about your wife and son… how you lost them. I also know how hard it is for you to talk about them, so I wanted to spare you from re-telling your story."

Rebecca licked her lips to continue, "You're a wonderful man, but you're still grieving for them. Even though you found out who was responsible for their deaths, you can't get past it. You haven't purged your pain and I think our involvement was wrong...especially with someone who you feel looks like Sarah."

Startled by Rebecca's admission, his voice became heated, "Who told you?"

"Doesn't matter! I don't want you getting angry with any of your friends. Besides, it was only a matter of time before I would have discovered the truth myself. Once that came out, I would have always thought you were comparing me to her. And frankly, that's not fair to either of us."

Rebecca placed her hand over Chris's, "I don't regret a single thing about our short time together, but I'm also not the one that can help you get over your family. I hope however, we can still remain friends?"

Chris grew quiet for a moment. "You're absolutely right! It wasn't fair to even get involved with you feeling as I still do."

"There is one thing I think you should know."

"What's that?" he asked.

"I've been seeing someone over the last two weeks and he's come to mean a lot to me. I just didn't want you to be surprised if you saw us together."

"Who?"

She turned to her right at the men playing poker, "Ezra."

His eyebrows rose slightly, but he remained silent. Finally he said, "I have only one question for you…is he treating you right? Because if I find out he has hurt you in anyway, I'll kick his ass!"

Rebecca put her hand up covering the smile on her face, but a giggle escaped anyway. "He's been very good to me. As it turns out, we have tons in common. So don't worry."

"Actually," she added, "he talked Inez into hiring Sarah and I, so we'll be performing here soon. That is if I can work out this playlist I'm putting together."

"Playlist?"

"It's a list of the songs we are planning on playing. I'm trying to put them in some kind of order. We always do a list, grouping the songs together…a couple to get everyone into the show, some to mellow things out, then wham songs to close-out the set."

"Well," he responded, "I'll let you get back to that, as you would know more about it then I would."

The two of them stood. "I'm glad we talked this out and that we'll remain friends."

"Good friends." he smiled.

Chris hugged him before whispering into her hair, "Just remember, I'm here if you ever need me."

"Thanks you, Chris. That means a lot to me."

The black clad gunslinger pushed through the batwing doors of the saloon disappearing into the late afternoon sun.

Rebecca returned to her seat brushing away the tears that threatened to spill down her cheeks.

Realizing Mr. Larabee had left her sitting alone, Ezra approached the table. Pulling his chair next her, he sat down reaching for her hand. "Is everything all right, darlin?"

Turning, she stared through her tears glittering in her blue eyes, "Yeah everything's fine…just peachy."

Unable to hold back any longer, she cried quietly. Ezra stood up gathering her into his arms. He knew that if she felt like talking she would.

So for the time being, he just held her tightly against his chest.

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Lyrics to - Three Is A Magic Number by Bob Dorough

Lyrics to - Norwegian Wood by The Beatles

Lyrics to - Annie's Song by John Denver