-1The sun shone brightly the next day as Allison finished putting her things away. She had decided that much of her belongings could stay in her trunks, out in the barn, until Kid and Louise found a place of their own. She busied herself with helping Louise get ready for the wedding. She found that she admired this woman that had gone through hell to get where she was today. Jesse came to the door and watched her look. He blushed when she saw him.
"Hi Jesse. Can I help you with something?" She asked.
"I was just wonderin if you would like to go for a ride?" He asked shyly. He hoped she said yes. He had asked Kid earlier if he could, and he actually said yes.
"Sure, that sounds nice. I'll go change." and Allison headed upstairs. A few minuets later, she came down the stairs in a split riding skirt, and a simple blouse.
"Ready?" She asked him, laughing.
"Uh, Yeah. Let's go." and he led her to the barn. He didn't need to help her up on her horse, she was an accomplished rider, but she let him anyway. Allison knew that Jesse was planning on showing off to her, most boys did, and she just thought it might be fun to let him, this once. They had ridden for the better part of an hour when the wind picked up and the sky grew rapidly darker and Jesse urged her to head towards an old barn they had passed about a mile back. They barely made it into the barn when lightning lit the sky and thunder cracked, opening the heavens to release a deluge of rain on the earth. Jesse found an old lantern that looked like it still had some oil in it and tried to light it. When he got it lit, he suggested that they go into the tack room to try and stay warm.

"I sure hope this lets up pretty soon, Kid is going to worry himself sick over me. Lou told me how bad he can get over her, I hate to think what he would do in my case." Allison told Jesse, who handed her a saddle blanket he had located. It was musty, but warm.
"I don't know. We haven't had a good rain around here in a while. We may end up being out here for a while." Jesse told her. That did nothing to reassure her.
"So, Jesse, tell me about yourself. Why aren't you with your brother Frank?" She asked.
"Not much really to tell. Frank and I left home after abolitionist's burned the farm. Ma went to stay with relatives, and we just struck out on our own. Frank is riding with Quantrill. He told me that I was too young to be with him. That's okay, though, I like it here in Rock Creek. But, soon enough, Frank will need my help. I'll go with them in a heart beat." Jesse told the girl.
"Quantrill, as in Quantrill's raiders? Jesse, they are no good outlaws. They are no better than the men that burned out your farm. Why would you want to ride with men like that?" Allison asked with surprise.
"Why? I guess it's because the government is trying to tell us what we can or can't do. I learned about the constitution in school. I know that we have rights. If the south wants to split from the north, they have the right to do so if that is what the majority wants. The north doesn't like that. They think that we are just too dumb to decide what is right and wrong. Well, now they are gonna have to fight us. And in order to fight, you have to have weapons, and in order to have weapons, you have to have the money to buy them. That's where Quantrill's raiders come in. They are getting the money that the south needs." He explained to her.

Allison didn't think he sounded like he was all that convinced himself.
"I don't know, Jesse. Stealing and burning out people's homes is wrong, no matter what the cause. Good people, innocent people are dying because other people think they are furthering "the cause"." She debated with him. Allison looked out the door and noticed the rain was beginning to let up.

"It looks like we might be able to leave soon. Are you up to riding fast?" Jesse asked her.
"I think that I can manage." Allison smiled at him as they began to lead the horses out of the barn. Jesse took off, leading the way, and before he knew it, Allison had passed him.
"Hey, wait up, you might get lost." Jesse yelled ahead of him. Allison looked back at him with a mad grin.
"Think you can keep up with me?" Allison shouted. Suddenly, the horse came to a stop, and Allison went tumbling over its head. She knew enough to protect her head and she rolled to a stop. Jesse reigned to a stop and ran to see if she was all right.
"Are you okay, Allison?" Jesse asked, checking to see if she had broken anything. Allison dusted herself off and offered her hand to Jesse so he could help her up.
"Shoot, Jesse, I've been thrown worse than that. I'm no city girl. I've gotten dirty before. Is that horse okay?" Allison asked with concern, wondering why it had stopped so soon. She ran a hand over its forelegs and raised it to check the shoe. Sure enough, the horse had picked up a nasty looking jagged stone.
"Find me a stick, will ya Jesse?' She asked. He located one and she dislodged the offending stone. She mounted the horse again. " Looks like I'll have to take it slower getting home now."
"We are almost back, anyway." Jesse consoled her

When they arrived back at the station, Kid was preparing to head out to look for the two. He breathed a sigh of relief and wrapped his arms around his cousin.
"I was getting worried. You managed to get out of the storm, I see." Kid said, noticing that their clothing was still dry.
"Yeah, we made it to that old barn about two miles away before the storm hit." Jesse told the Kid. Kid looked over Allison and noted that she was quite dirty. Allison cut in to tell Kid what happened with the horse before he could ask.
"My horse picked up a stone and decided to let me off at the same time. I am okay, though, Kid. Don't get yourself worked up." She told him.

Kid looked her over again, and nodded his head for her to get inside.
"Jesse, will you help me get these horses back in the barn?" Kid asked the younger man.
"Sure, Kid." And he followed him into the barn. Allison stood on the porch for a moment looking back at the proud young man. She hoped that they would be able to spend more time together.

"Allison, what ever did you do?" Rachel asked the girl after seeing her dirty clothes. Allison ducked her head and grinned.
"I fell off of my horse. I'm all right. 'sides, a little dirt never hurt anyone." She told her. She bounded up the stairs to change. Rachel shook her head. Louise walked in.
"What are you laughing at?" She asked.
"Allison just came back from her ride with Jesse, all grinnin' away, and covered with dirt. She said she fell off of her horse. Does that sound familiar, Lou?" Rachel told her. Lou blushed; remembering that same explanation given after she and Kid had gone off alone one afternoon and they came back covered in prairie grass.
"You don't think that she and Jesse, you know, did anything do you?' Lou asked.
"I don't think so. I just can't see them doing that. But she was grinning pretty big, so I do believe that Jesse's not the only one with a crush." Rachel added.

Upstairs, Allison finished changing her clothes and looked out the window towards the barn. Jesse was helping her cousin with some chores and glancing up at her window. Their eyes met and Allison waved. She bounced down the stairs and headed back outside. Allison walked over to him and shyly said
"Hi."
"Hi. You changed quick, for a girl and all." Jesse tried to start a conversation.
"Well, It's not like I'm some city girl that needs a maid, or that." She told him.
"I was only kidding." Jesse tried to smooth over. "Besides, you look prettier than any city girl I have ever seen." Allison looked at him, trying to decide if she would accept his compliment or not.
"And have you seen many city girls in your life, Jesse James?" Allison pouted prettily.
"If I had, I don't remember them any longer." He told her truthfully.
Allison leaned against a stall in the barn. She had her back to the door, and the sunlight lit her hair like a halo. Jesse knew that he had to kiss her, or he would not be able to breathe. He took two steps towards her and touched her face. When she did not shy away from him, he leaned in and tentatively kissed her mouth softly.
"You can do better than that, Jesse." Allison told him softly. Jesse cupped her face and really kissed her this time. Allison felt as if her heart stopped beating. The kiss slowly deepened as the two grew more confident. Jesse slid his tongue over her lips, and Allison opened her mouth for him. Jesse tasted her tongue, and the two stood like that for what seemed forever.
Allison broke the kiss off gently.
"Well, I guess you can do better." Allison tried to joke. Jesse looked down at the floor.
"Jesse, is something wrong?" She asked when he wouldn't look at her.
"No, well, I don't know. I just, it's just that, Aww shoot, Allison, I guess I just like you so much." Jesse tried to explain.
"I like you too, Jess." Allison told him, sitting down on a pile of hay. Jesse looked at her.
"Kid would kill me if he knew I was having these feelings about you." He told her.
"What feelings, Jess?" Allison asked, wanting to hear the words from his lips.
"I think that I love you, Alli." He told her, blushing a bright red. Allison looked at him with a hesitant smile.
"You do?" She asked.
"Yeah, I do." Jesse sat down next to her on the hay. He touched her hair and treaded through his fingers. He pulled her closer to him and kissed her again. This time their kiss was interrupted by a cough. Lou stood in the doorway to the barn.

"Unless you want Kid to find you two this way, Allison, I suggest that you leave, and Jesse, I think that you need to finish these stalls." She said, trying to cover up a laugh.
"Lou, we were just?" Jesse started to say.
"Jesse, I'm about to get married. I know what you were doing. Just finish the stalls. Allison, why don't you come with me." Lou advised.

Allison left the barn as Lou followed. She turned to Lou we they reached the porch.
"Lou, I'm sixteen. I don't need you and Kid treating me like some sort of mother hen." She told her defensively.
"Would you rather I had let Kid be the one to find the two of you?" Louise asked the girl, pointing out Kid walking into the barn.
"You knew that he was headed to the barn?" Allison asked.
"Yes. Now, go on in the house. We still have some work to get done before my wedding, and you are going to help." Lou laughed as Allison blushed.

Allison and Jesse found moments here and there to be by themselves. They talked about their childhoods, and what they envisioned for their futures. The wedding was only a few short days away, and Jesse ran into the house where Allison was working on some finishing touches on her dress.
"Jesse, what did you need?" She asked as he looked over the parlor high and low. Jesse smiled.
"Lou's on her way into town from her last run, and we are giving her some presents. Do you know where some knitting needles are?" He asked. Allison looked at him strangely and handed him a set.
"Thanks." He kissed her and bounded out the door over to the barn, going inside with Buck, Noah, and Rachel. Allison watched from the window, as Lou looked for the other riders, then dismounted from Lightning and the four jumped out in front of her, shouting 'Surprise'. Allison smiled at the look on Lou's face when they handed her a bouquet of flowers, an apron, and Jesse presented her with the knitting needles. Lou playfully threatened to stab him with them, and he walked back to the house.
"That was sweet of you all to do that for Louise. I'm sure she likes being reminded what pigs men can be." Allison joked.
"Pigs?" Jesse tried to sound offended as he swung her around and Allison kissed him soundly.

Tensions in the town were heating up, with the army camped in Rock Creek, recruiting as many of the towns young men as they could. That night, Cody walked in and told them all that he joined up, and that the army was going to be using him as a scout. The wedding was the next day, and both Allison and Louise were concerned when Kid didn't get back to town when they had expected him to. He finally made it, looking a little worse than wear, and wedding went on as planned.

Louise looked like an angel in her wedding gown. She wore her hair up in curls on her head, and Kid looked so handsome in his suit. Nervous too. Jimmy had not shown up to walk Louise down the aisle, and She had asked Jesse to do the honors. The Music started and as Jesse and Louise started down the aisle, Jimmy and a woman burst through the doors and Jimmy joined Jesse in giving Louise away.

The ceremony was beautiful, and the reception was gay, in spite of a young army officer that Louise knew dying as a result of wounds gained in a skirmish with rebels at the border.

The next thing Allison knew was that Jesse's brother Frank came for him. Jesse, ignoring Rachel and Teaspoon, went to his brother.
"I have to Teaspoon. Family is family." Jesse told the older man.
"Jesse, you don't know what you're getting yourself into here. You won't be able to turn back." Teaspoon told him.
Jesse looked at Teaspoon, and Allison, who had tears in her eyes.
" I have to." And he turned to go gather his belongings in the barn. Allison ran after him. She reached him in the barn, and pleaded with him not to go.
"Please, Jesse, don't do this. I may never get to see you again. You said that you love me. I love you too; I don't want to lose you. What will I do if I lose you?" She implored. Jesse reached out to touch her face. The heartache was prevalent in his eyes.
"Alli, I will come back for you. I swear. I have to help my brother, whatever it is he is doing." Jesse told her. He kissed her one last time, lingering a moment, as if to freeze it in his memory. He turned and met his brother at the door to the barn. Frank nodded to her, and offered an arm to Jesse to hoist up behind him on the horse.

Allison watched the boy she loved ride off to become a man with no future. She dried her tears, and walked back to the reception. Louise looked at her with concern.
"Are you going to be okay?" Louise asked. Allison nodded a yes.
"I'll be fine. It's Jesse that I'm worried about. But, He made his decision, and there is nothing that I can do to stop him. I'm just going to go on with my life. That's all I can do." Allison told Louise. Allison knew that it would be harder than that, but she had dealt with loss and hardship before, and she knew that she would survive.

THE END