Julia

by Rackuhn

When Heyes falls in love with a very mysterious woman that he just met, Kid will do anything to keep the two of them apart. This was posted last year on another site so it might be familiar to some of you, however, I did tweak it a bit.

Julia

By: Rackuhn

Summery: When Heyes falls in love with a very mysterious woman that he just met, Kid will do anything to keep the two of them apart.

Disclaimer: Don't own them, making no money.

Arcadia, a town small enough that it still gave you that friendly, welcome feeling, but big enough so that you could lose yourself in a crowd and not be found for days. The kind of town that Hannibal Heyes and his cousin Jedediah "Kid" Curry usually liked the most. This time though, the town had a certain feel about it, nothing that you could actually place your finger on, but a feeling just the same. It was this feeling that Kid sensed as he looked around the town trying to pinpoint what it was that actually bothered him. Kid glanced over at Heyes to find out his thoughts about the town but his expression remained as it had for the entire trip, determined.

To Kid, it seemed that Heyes had some kind of plan in mind when they started out this morning. Heyes was unwavering in his quest to get to Arcadia that same evening but wouldn't give Kid a reason why. Kid tried to talk to his partner about it several times that day, but Heyes would only offer up one-word answers, which totally frustrated Kid. It was as they entered the town that Heyes suddenly turned his horse and stopped at one of the hitching posts. Getting down, he tied the reigns, then started heading directly toward the saloon. Kid just sat on his horse and watched as his cousin walked away without even saying a word. Finally, he did the same and followed Heyes to the same destination. He caught up with Heyes just before he entered the saloon and stopped his partner by placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Heyes, what is with you?" Kid questioned as he turned the man around to face him. Kid noticed that his eyes didn't have that usual sparkle of mischievousness in them. It was almost like Heyes was half asleep and had no clue as to what was going on around him.

"Wha'?" Heyes shrugged off Kid's hand. "I'm just thirsty, that's all."

Kid stared back at his cousin as if he lost his mind. "Thirsty? Heyes, we haven't even checked out the town yet. We have know idea who the sheriff is or if there's anyone else in town that could identify us, and you just want to go into a crowded saloon just because you're thirsty?"

"Don't worry Kid, everything is okay," Heyes answered back. Before Kid could say anything else, Heyes had already entered the saloon. Shaking his head in frustration, Kid followed cautiously making sure that there was no one that would recognize them. Finally, he returned his attention back to Heyes and found him sitting at the corner table drinking a beer that he just ordered. Kid sighed as he sat down next to him.

"What is with you today?" Kid asked as he continued to scan the place. That feeling he was sensing earlier suddenly seemed to increase when they entered the saloon.

"What do you mean?"

"Heyes, you have been acting strange all day," Kid explained. "You've barely said two words to me, you were determined to get here to Arcadia but you won't say why, and now you come into a crowded saloon before even checking the town out. That's not like you Heyes!"

"Kid would you relax," Heyes returned. "I told you that everything is just fine." Heyes' attention was then drawn away from Kid when one of the saloon girls entered through the door. She was a tall, blonde beauty with crystal blue eyes that just seem to draw you to her. She was dressed not like your typical saloon girl, but seductively in a green, full-length satin dress that conformed to and emphasized her hourglass figure. A look that was far more sophisticated than what the town was use to seeing. All eyes were on her as she walked through the room, stopping only long enough to pat the face of a longing and lustful patron. Suddenly she turned and her eyes met Heyes' causing him to swallow hard.

Kid saw the immediate attraction between his partner and the blonde seductress and watched as she sashayed over to their table. The hairs on the back of his neck rose as she came closer to the table, causing him to realize that the feeling he sensed earlier seemed to emanate from her. "Gentlemen, buy a lady a drink?" she asked as she sat down in the chair closest to Heyes, her arm immediately wrapping around his.

"Sure," Heyes smiled back as he waved to get the bartender's attention. The bartender nodded and a few moments later her drink had arrived.

"My name is Julia," she stated in an alluring voice, "and who would you two gentlemen be?"

"I'm Joshua Smith and this is my partner Thaddeus Jones," Heyes replied as he placed his free hand on hers. When she turned to look at Kid, Julia's smile faded slightly, enough though that Kid did notice. Kid watched in surprise as to how quickly Heyes was taken in by this woman's charm. Normally one to be very cautious, Heyes was already in full flirtation mode and snuggling with their new hostess.

"Uh Heyes," Kid tried to interrupt, "shouldn't we get the horses to the livery and get a room at the hotel before it gets too late?" Kid could see that Heyes' attention was definitely on the charming young lady and that his own senses were screaming to get Heyes away from her as quickly as possible.

"Huh? Oh, why don't you take care of that, Thaddeus," Heyes said as he continued to stare at Julia. "And I'll meet up with you a little later."

Kid sat there in wonderment as he watched the other two continue to flirt like love struck teenagers on their first date. Kid normally didn't care when Heyes was attracted to a woman, in fact he was usually happy to see his partner having a good time, but something about Julia scared Kid to death. Plus there was also the fact that Heyes had just summarily dismissed him like the two had never known each other. This whole situation was moving way too fast for Kid's taste. Kid reluctantly got up and headed for the door, throwing one more glance over his shoulder before he left. Shaking his head, he headed outside to take care of the horses, check out the sheriff, and get a room.

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"So tell me Mr. Smith," Julia said as she continued to hold on to her new friend. "Just what exactly do you and your partner do?"

"Call me Joshua, please," Heyes smiled back.

"Oh, so polite," she teased.

"Right now Thaddeus and I are in between jobs at the moment," he explained. "We just finished up helping a friend out in Texas and we were hoping to relax for a little while."

"Well you definitely came to the right place," Julia purred. "Arcadia is such a pleasant, little town, but big enough to hold your interest for a long time."

"I can see how that can be," Heyes smiled, his brown eyes twinkling as he stared at the blonde beauty.

"So does that mean you and Thaddeus are going to stay for awhile?"

"Right now, that sounds like a wonderful plan. Maybe we could find some work around here which will keep us busy for a few weeks."

"Only a few weeks?" she said disappointed. "I was hoping that you could stay much longer than that."

"I guess that all depends on what kind of work we can find." Heyes suddenly found himself kissing her passionately, reluctantly breaking apart when the need for air hit. "Perhaps there's some place more private we can go to?"

"Follow me," she ordered as she grabbed him by the arm and pulled him along. The other men in the saloon all stared with broken hearts at the man who was lucky enough to be with Julia tonight as they passed by.

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Because he did not fall asleep until almost three thirty in the morning waiting and worrying about Heyes, Kid awoke very late the next morning only to find that Heyes' bed still had not been slept in. Washing and dressing, angrily he headed down the stairs and out the door in search of his partner. His worry began to build when he could not find any sign of him anywhere. Checking with the bartender who was still cleaning up last night's remnants, Kid did learn that Julia and Heyes had left the saloon shortly after he did and never returned. The wink and the inflected tone used by the bartender told Kid what he had feared.

Cursing himself for worrying about Heyes based on some kind of feelings that little old ladies think that they sometimes get, he headed over to Arcadia's only restaurant for lunch. As he crossed the street he suddenly spotted a familiar face heading to the same destination. "Mitch?"

A smile of recognition spread over Doctor Samuel Mitchell's face as he turned to see who had called out his name. He stood there and waited for Kid to reach him before making his own, quiet declaration. "Kid, it's good to see you," Mitch whispered as he shook his friend's hand.

"It's good to see you too, Mitch," Kid returned. "Although it's Thaddeus Jones." Mitch nodded in understanding, knowing that his friend usually tried to avoid being recognized by the local law enforcement. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm the town's doctor," Mitch replied as he and Kid entered the restaurant. Mitch had ridden with Heyes and Kid when they were still a part of the Devil's Hole Gang under Big Jim. He soon became the gang's unofficial doctor when they found out that he had grown up assisting his father, who was his hometown's poorly paid doctor and surgeon. It was out of desperation that he joined the Devil's Hole Gang, mostly trying to support himself since his father had recently died, leaving him with very little money. The gang quickly found out that he was very good at removing bullets and mending broken bones, but the young boy was scared stiff every time they went on a job. Heyes and Kid had befriended him since they were not much older then he was, and convinced him that his talents were being wasted. The whole gang, though some reluctantly, chipped in to help him to go to medical school where he graduated at the top of his class.

"Doctor? That's great!" Kid congratulated the younger man as they sat down. "I'm glad that we were able to help you."

Mitch smiled back at his friend. "So am I. I just wish that my Dad could see me. I know that he would be proud."

"I'm sure he would be," Kid consoled.

"Where's your partner," Mitch discreetly asked, knowing that there were always prying ears around, "what's his name?"

"Oh you mean Joshua Smith," Kid smiled back at the way Mitch handled the question. Mitch watched as the smile faded from Kid's face. "Uh, I'm not quite sure at the moment. He is in town, but he met up with a pretty blonde lady last night." Mitch's face went suddenly white. "What's wrong?"

"Not Julia?" Mitch asked very concerned.

"Uh yeah, that was her name." Suddenly the feeling that Kid sensed all night long grew even stronger.

"We have to find Hey…uh Joshua, and fast," Mitch said as he stood up. Kid followed the younger man out the door and then grabbed his arm.

"What's going on, Mitch?"

"Not here," Mitch said as he looked around. "Come with me to my office and I'll explain everything." Kid stood there confused for a moment, and then quickly caught up to his friend. As soon as they reached Mitch's office, they both went in and Mitch locked the door behind them. "Have a seat."

Kid sat down and impatiently waited for Mitch to sit down and start explaining. "Arcadia has been having a problem lately," he sighed. "A big one."

"What kind of problem?" Kid asked shifting in his chair.

"People are being murdered."

"Murdered?" Kid questioned. "But what has this to do with Heyes?"

"He might be next." Kid's own face went white at Mitch's comment.

"Next? I think you better explain."

"About four months ago, a drifter known as Sean O'Brien was found dead in an alley behind the general store."

"What's so strange about that?" Kid asked.

"The body was totally drained of all its blood," Mitch declared. "Now mind you, he wasn't shot, stabbed, or anything like that. The only wounds that I could find were two puncture marks on the side of his neck. A week later, another drifter was found dead in the livery with the same puncture marks and totally drained of all his blood. The sheriff and I can't figure out how this is done, but there have been a total of eight men killed this way."

Kid sat heavily back into his seat. "And you think that this Julia is responsible for all the killings?"

"They all started shortly after she arrived here in Arcadia," Mitch explained.

"I knew there was something about her," Kid said to himself. He then turned back to Mitch. "You think Heyes might be next?"

"If it was Julia that he was with, then yes, I do," Mitch sighed. "Sometimes the drifters are here only one night when they are found dead the next day, and sometimes they are here for days or weeks before they are killed."

"Let's hope that last part is the case," Kid replied as he stood up. "We've got to find and warn Heyes." Both men headed out the door and towards the saloon in hopes that Heyes was still alive and with Julia. They had just crossed the street when Heyes exited the saloon, with a large smile on his face.

"Joshua!" Kid yelled, relieved to see his friend alive. Heyes' smile grew even more when he saw Kid.

"Thaddeus, beautiful morning isn't it?"

"It's afternoon. Where have you been, Joshua?" Kid ground out as he reached his partner. "You never came to the hotel last night."

"I was with Julia all night," Heyes smiled again, but this time his smile faded when he saw the look on Kid's face.

"What is wrong with you Heyes?" Kid asked. "You never stay someplace else unless you send me word."

"Thaddeus, were you worried about me?" Heyes joked but saw that it fell flat. "Listen Kid," he said quietly, "as I said before, everything is alright, nothing to worry about."

"Heyes, you don't even know this woman, and by looking at her you can tell she isn't your normal saloon girl either," Kid said through clenched teeth. "She could be using you just to get the reward money on you."

Mitch saw that the argument was only going to escalate and being out in the open was not a good idea. "Gentlemen, why don't we go over to my office and you can discuss this in private?"

Heyes turned and saw Mitch standing there for the first time. "Mitch, is that you?"

"Yeah Heyes, it's me. Come on, follow me." Mitch led the two back to his office and once again locked the door.

"Doctor?" Heyes asked as he looked around the room. "You're the doctor?"

"That's right Heyes," Mitch smiled. "Top of my class, course I had a lot of practice with the old gang getting shot up and hurt like they did."

"That's great, Mitch! Congratulations!"

"Heyes, can we get back to what we were talking about?" Kid demanded, annoyed at being ignored by his partner.

"What's there to discuss?" Heyes answered. "I met a woman, I stayed at her place, I left after I woke up."

"And what did Julia have to say to you this morning?" Kid asked.

"Nothing, if you must know," Heyes replied. "In fact she was already gone by the time I got up. Wrote a note that told me she had some errands to run, but had a wonderful time last night and that she'll see me again tonight." Kid growled in anger at the sarcastic tone Heyes was using on him. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say that you are jealous."

"Jealous?" Kid screamed back. "I am not jealous!"

"You sure sound like it to me."

Heyes suddenly found himself face to face with a furious Kid. "Heyes if you weren't so doggone stubborn…"

"Gentlemen please!" Mitch yelled trying to stop the showdown. Both men turned to face the younger man. "Thank you. Now Heyes, Kid has a point. With both of you being wanted, you are acting way out of the norm even for you. I mean, even when we were in the gang, you thought everything out methodically 'til you would drive Kid and me crazy working out the bugs. But yesterday, you ride into town, go off with a woman you don't even know, and then you never go to the hotel or leave a message. I can understand why Kid is so upset with you."

"Alright, I see your point there," Heyes admitted.

"But there's something else you should know too," Mitch continued. "There's no definite proof yet, but the Sheriff and I believe that Julia is responsible for killing eight men."

Heyes stared at Mitch as if he suddenly had two heads. "What is with you two?" Heyes angrily asked. "I finally get a little happiness in my life and you two want to take it away!"

Kid stared at Heyes in disbelief. "Heyes, did you hear what Mitch just said? She's suspected of killing eight men!"

"Suspected, not convicted!" Heyes returned. "And nothing she has said or done has proven to me that she is even capable of killing."

"Heyes, would you just listen for a minute?" Kid yelled, frustrated that his partner was not acting like himself.

"It really bothers you that I've found someone, doesn't it? That you're not the center of attention anymore."

"Heyes…"

"Well I'm sorry that you can't be happy for me, Kid," Heyes said running his hand through his hair. "Maybe it's time that we think of splitting up."

"What are you talking about?" Kid demanded.

"I'm in love Kid," Heyes replied. "For the first time in my miserable life I'm in love, with Julia!"

"You don't even know her!"

"I know enough! I know that she's one very special lady who deserves to be cherished every day!"

"Heyes, she's a whore for God's sake!" Kid suddenly found himself on the floor with an aching jaw and a bloody lip. He looked up to see Heyes standing over him rubbing his abused knuckles.

"Don't…" Heyes breathed heavily with anger, "don't you ever call her that again or next time it won't be just a punch in the jaw. This partnership is over!" He then turned and stormed out the door.

Mitch went over and pulled Kid to his feet, surreptitiously examining the man's bruising jaw. "What now?"

Kid stood there wiping the blood from his lip and staring at the door that his partner just exited. "I'm going to save him whether he likes it or not."

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Even though he had just fought with his cousin, he still felt the euphoric high that still consumed him from his night with Julia. She had this commanding presence about her that just swept him off his feet. She had poise and grace and a love for life that even surpassed his own. He knew that he was falling hard and fast but couldn't stop himself. Heyes just couldn't understand why Kid was having such a difficult time with him being happy and why Kid seemed to hate her so vehemently. All right, he admitted to himself, that yes he did spend the night with her and didn't let Kid know where he was at, but they had started talking and before he knew it, it was already four in the morning. They had talked about everything, well almost everything that had happened in his life, even the loss of his and Kid's families, and she had told him her story of how she ended up in Arcadia. Although he knew he would have enjoyed it, the two of them eventually just laid down in bed and fell asleep, having gone no further than that passionate kiss in the saloon.

But now the anger was starting to build as he thought about what Kid said about her and then Mitch saying that she was a murderer? There was no way that was possible he thought to himself. The one man who had always been there for him or so he at least thought suddenly turned against him. He felt betrayed by his cousin's accusations that Julia was more than who she claimed to be. If anyone could see something like that, it should him, especially after spending a large part of his life hiding from the law. "All these years of watching each other's backs and this is the thanks I get," Heyes mumbled to himself as he kept walking. "Well if that's the way he wants it, then fine. He's on his own from now on." Heyes stopped for a moment as he rehashed that last thought through his head. He felt his heart beating faster and his breath suddenly shallowed as he realized that with Kid gone, he would be alone too. Then his mind suddenly flashed on to Julia and the smile returned to his face. "No, I won't be alone after all," he whispered to himself as he continued his walk down the street, heading towards the livery. Once his horse was saddled he rode out of town at a full gallop as if he was a man possessed.

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"How do we do that?" Mitch asked Kid as he watched the man pace. Kid stopped and looked at his friend.

"We?" Kid questioned.

"I'm not letting you do this alone," Mitch said forcefully. "He maybe your cousin, but he is also my friend too." Mitch suddenly looked down at his feet. "You and Heyes are probably the closest thing I have to family now and I'm not going to let anything happen to either one of you if I can help it."

Kid smiled back at the man with more respect and honor than he ever held before. "Alright, the first thing we need to do is find Julia and keep Heyes away from her."

"But where? Heyes said that Julia went to run some errands."

"She's got to be here somewhere, and if we can't find her then we need to keep an eye on Heyes," Kid said as he continued to think. "He won't be happy with me, but I've got to keep her away from him, even if I have to shoot him."

Mitch saw the determination in Kid's eyes and swallowed hard knowing that Kid would do what he just said. "Let's split up. We'll each take half of the town and look for both of them. In fact, Heyes shouldn't have gotten too far away."

Kid nodded in agreement. "Okay, but be careful. I don't want to have to worry about you too."

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Three hours later, Mitch's search led him to the other end of town where he stood there lost for a few moments in thought. In his head he knew that he should go tell the sheriff what was going on, but because of who his two friends were, that was not a possibility. He came out of his stupor when he heard someone talking to him.

"Hey Doc, what's got you so riled up?" ask Tom Daily, the owner of the general store.

"Oh hey Tom," Mitch answered. "I'm looking for a friend of mine who's in town but I can't seem to locate him."

"What's he look like? Maybe he came in here."

"My height, brown hair, brown eyes, tanned complexion."

"Well, I think I may have seen him," Tom said scratching his chin. "Didn't recognize him, so he must be who you're talking about."

"Which way did he go?"

"He headed out towards the livery then rode out of here towards the Miller place awhile ago. I remember him now, 'cause I was sweeping the boardwalk here when he walked by, mumbling to himself as he went."

"Thanks Tom," Mitch said turning towards the livery. "I appreciate this." Mitch had his horse saddle and was already seated when he stopped to look for Kid. Not seeing him anywhere, he decided to just head out and search for his friend himself. "Better find him before we really lose him," he said to himself, and was quickly on his way.

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Not having the tracking abilities that his two friends had, it was about an hour later when Mitch's searching brought him to the Miller's old barn where a horse was tied to the nearby well. The place was left vacant when old man Miller died last winter and was beginning to show the effects of neglect. Mitch got down from his horse and walk around the old property looking into the windows of the house. Not seeing anyone inside, he finally decided to head towards the barn. Walking through the open man door, Mitch allowed his eyes to adjust to the dim light. Inside he could see the old stalls to the left, the tack room to the right, and the hayloft above, but no signs of Heyes. Carefully walking around he saw the old wood pile in the back of the barn and saw that someone had been here recently. Turning around he suddenly ran into Heyes.

"Geez Heyes, you scared me," Mitch said with his hand on his chest, trying to calm his breathing.

"Sorry Mitch," Heyes smiled. "Just was wondering what you're doing here?"

"I could ask you the same question," Mitch replied. "What's the big idea running off like that? You know you have the Kid and me worried about you?"

Heyes' smile faded at the mention of Kid's name. "Why should he be worried about me?" he asked as he went and sat down on the woodpile. "Obviously he doesn't care what happens to me anymore."

"Heyes, he does too care," Mitch reasoned. "In fact, he's tearing up half the town looking for you."

"Why?"

"Why?" Mitch repeated. "Heyes, you are the only family he's got, of course he's going to worry about you."

"But there's nothing to worry about," Heyes replied simply.

"Yes there is. You have not been acting like yourself lately, even I can see that."

"Acting like what? Just because I'm happy?"

"That's not it at all and you know it. He's just worried that you're moving too quickly with Julia. He's afraid, and so am I for that matter, that she is going to hurt you!"

"How, by killing me?" Heyes asked sarcastically.

"That is a possibility. You are wanted dead or alive remember?"

"No, that's not Julia!"

"How do you know that, Heyes? You don't even know the girl? Nobody in this town knows anything about her."

"I know enough! I know that she is caring, and loving. She's someone that I can talk to and share things with. I trust her."

Mitch turned his head to look directly at Heyes. "What kind of things did you tell her, Heyes?"

"About growing up, about how our families were killed, how we've been moving around from town to town for the last year."

"Anything about being wanted? Anything about being the leader of the Devil's Hole Gang?"

"No of course not," Heyes yelled back defensively.

"But you say you trust her," Mitch argued back. "Doesn't sound like you trust her completely to me."

Heyes sat there for a moment as a wave of uncertainty washed over his face. Shaking his head as if to clear it, he answered back. "No, that's not true. I do trust her."

"Do you trust Kid?"

Heyes looked up at Mitch as if he couldn't believe he asked that question. "You know I do!"

"But you would rather trust Julia over Kid. Which is it Heyes? Who do you trust more? The man who's been your friend and partner since you were little, or a woman that you just met yesterday?" Heyes leaned back on the woodpile as if he had just been struck. "Come on, Heyes, talk to me. Talk to Kid. You can't just break up the partnership like this."

"No!" Heyes screamed as he stood up. "It's over, he made that very clear!"

"No you made that clear, not Kid. He's not giving up on you!" Suddenly Heyes had his hands on Mitch's jacket lapels, pushing him up against the wall.

"You have no idea what you are talking about," Heyes ground out. "Julia loves me and I love her!"

"What are you going to do to me Heyes? You going to hit me to prove that you love her, just like you hit Kid?" Heyes suddenly let Mitch go and turned away from the younger man. "Are you going to drive away everyone that cares about you? For a woman that you just met yesterday?"

Heyes suddenly felt very tired and collapsed down in the middle of the barn. Wearily he rubbed his face as he sat there fighting the conflicting emotions that were going through him. "Oh God, what is wrong with me?" he asked in a tired voice? "Why am I doing this?"

Mitch moved and knelt down next to Heyes and placed a hand on the man's shoulder. "It's alright, Heyes. Kid hasn't given up on you. You just have to trust him." Heyes only nodded in agreement.

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Kid spent the entire day going through the town in search of Heyes and Julia and now he also realized that Mitch was nowhere to be found either. Frustration brewing, he once again headed over the saloon as the clouds covered the setting sun allowing the cooler autumn air to blow. When he entered he immediately saw her standing in the middle of the room laughing with a group of patrons. He quickly walked over and grabbed her by the elbow. "Julia, I need to talk to you, now!"

"Why Thaddeus, it's so nice to see you again," she said as she allowed him to pull her away from the men. "I can't thank you enough for saving me back there. Those men were truly boorish…"

"I ain't here to socialize with ya, Julia," Kid ground out as they sat down at an empty corner table. "I need to talk to you about Joshua."

"Is he here?" she asked innocently as she scanned the room. "He is such a doll."

"Julia, I want you to leave him alone," Kid warned her, his own blue eyes shining with hatred. Julia felt that hatred directed right at her.

"Well Thaddeus, if Joshua is willing to come and see me I am more than willing to accommodate him," she purred. "Besides, I have never met anyone like him before. Such a gentleman."

"I mean it, Julia, you leave him alone. I don't want him ending up like the others."

Julia sat there for a moment as her smile slipped slightly. "Whatever do you mean, Thaddeus?"

"The eight men that you seduced and killed. I won't let you have Joshua."

"I don't know what you are talking about," she said as her voice dipped lower and in a menacing tone. "But what Joshua and I do is our own business not yours, do you understand?" Suddenly her blue eyes turned colder as the hatred in her voice grew. "Besides, if you ever threaten me again, it won't be Joshua you have to worry about." She then rose from her seat and walked back through the saloon heading out the door.

Kid sat there as a cold shiver ran down his back. That cold, dark feeling that he sensed before suddenly increased one hundred fold. He was out of his seat and through the door looking in every direction for Julia. He finally spotted her as her carriage pulled out of the livery and out of town. He quickly ran over and prepared his horse, following her into the cool night air. He didn't know how he knew, but he was certain that she was headed right to Heyes and that Heyes was indeed in trouble. The one thing he did know for certain was that he was going to make sure that he stopped her or die trying.

Riding through the dark night, Kid finally spotted her carriage going at a fast pace. Making sure that she did not spot him, he slowed his horse's speed enough to keep her in his line of sight. The two made their way along the road for a while until suddenly Kid's horse was spooked by something moving in the nearby trees. He managed to hold on as his horse reared in fear but was unable to calm her down. Rearing once again, Kid found himself thrown off and landed hard on the ground as his horse galloped away. He got up, making sure everything was still working when he heard the menacing growl from the shadows. Kid's gun was in his hand when the animal jumped and slammed into him, knocking him to the ground and his gun out of his hand.

He wrestled with the beast, holding the fangs at bay, until he managed to get his foot under the animal's belly. Pushing with all his might, the creature went flying and landed a few yards away. Stunned only for a moment, the creature was on its feet lunging at Kid again. Kid saw the attack coming and rolled out of the way and onto his gun. As the animal turned to attack a third time as Kid got on his knees, raised his weapon, and fired, hitting the creature directly in the chest as it attempted to jump on top of him. The dead weight of the beast's forward momentum caused Kid to land heavily onto the ground, knocking the wind out of him. He lay there for a few moments trying to catch his breath and then pushed the creature off. The moon then came out from the cloud cover as he slowly got to his knees and he was finally able to see the creature that attacked him.

"A wolf?" Kid questioned to himself. "In these parts?"

Kid re-holstered his gun and looked around for his horse. Not spotting her anywhere, he then started on foot in the direction that Julia's carriage had taken. "Hold on, Heyes, I'm coming."

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Julia arrived at the Miller's barn, knowing that was where Heyes had run off to. She didn't know what exactly had happed during the day, but she could tell that the connection between the two men had weakened. As soon as she saw Curry she knew that he would fight her and that his power was strong enough to destroy the link that she had created with Heyes. She knew that she had to destroy that connection between them and now that she had taken care of Curry by sending out one of her pets to destroy him, she could go forward with her plans.

When she arrived at the barn she noticed that there were two horses tied up. She heard voices talking inside when she quietly walked up to the door. Peering inside, she saw Heyes talking to the town doctor, the one who had been investigating the murders with the sheriff. She knew that man could mean trouble for her also. "What is with these people protecting this man?" she said to herself as she quietly slipped into the barn. The lone, lit lantern was enough to illuminate the two men, so she stayed within the shadows of the walls as she snuck past them. Picking up a piece of firewood, she stealthily made her way over to where the two men were standing. Quickly pouncing, she swung the small log down onto the back of Mitch's neck, dropping him to his knees.

"Julia, what are you doing?" Heyes yelled out as he grabbed the piece of wood from her hands.

"Protecting you," she declared as she turned to gaze into his eyes. Heyes felt himself going weak and staggered back from the intense look that she was giving him, dropping the piece of wood. He then found himself on his knees, unable to move as he watched Julia drag Mitch over to the horse stalls. Grabbing some leftover rope, she tightly tied up Mitch's arms and legs and placed a gag in his mouth.

"Now my dear Hannibal," she said menacingly as she turned to face him, "it is time to play." The seductive smile that she had worn before now turned into a sinister sneer as she walked up to him. He suddenly realized that she had just called him by his given name, something that he had never told her about. "Oh if you are looking for your cousin Jed, I'm afraid he won't be joining us. You see one of my pets decided that he wanted to play and he tends to get a little rough at times."

Heyes felt as if he was gut punched as he was held in place by some kind of invisible force. Try as he might he could not move. "It's a pity really," she continued on. "He had so much potential but I could tell right away that he would not be turned. You," she said as she ran her finger along his jaw line, "you, I have been waiting for. You will make the perfect companion."

Heyes knelt there trying to break free from the grip that held him in place. Suddenly he was seeing Julia for what she truly was, what Kid had seen from the beginning. He felt his heart breaking when he thought of Kid. He killed him, there's no other way of putting it. He let Julia get in between them and he allowed her to kill him and he was next.

Julia suddenly grabbed him by his shoulders and pulled him to his feet. "Now my dear Hannibal, shall we play?"

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Kid quietly walked through the open barn door trying to avoid being detected by any of the room's occupants. Even though it was dark outside, he still waited for his eyes to adjust to the dimness that was in the room. Finally able to see, he silently entered and hid behind one of the support pillars. Looking into the stalls where the horses were normally kept he saw a pair of legs sticking out, instantly realizing that it was Mitch who was tied up. He knew that the man was awake and trying to free himself when he saw the tied up legs twitching in a frenzied movement. Kid wanted to go over and help the man but he didn't want to give himself away just yet. His eyes continued searching the room for Heyes when he spotted Julia tightly holding onto his arms as if holding the man up. "I've got to get her away from Heyes," he thought to himself as he unknowingly did as Julia had done and stayed in the shadows while moving to get behind her.

Heyes felt as if his whole body had abandoned him. He felt weak, unable to move, and if Julia had let go of his arms he knew he would just collapse in a heap. He felt the unnatural strength that she possessed as his eyes were locked onto hers and he felt like he was being pulled into them. He realized that they were not the same crystal blue eyes that he had gazed into before, but a menacing darkness now filled them, a darkness that truly frightened him and he was unable to look away. In the background, he heard Mitch moving around trying to undo the bindings that she had placed him in and his concern for Kid and what she did to him, only caused him to give up knowing he was truly alone. "You are mine now, Hannibal Heyes," Julia seductively said as she kissed his lips. Heyes felt the desire that was flowing from her but tried hard to ignore it. He couldn't quite understand what was going on, but that desire changed from seductive to angry need. He now knew the woman that was in front of him was not who she claimed to be and that both Mitch and Kid had tried to warn him. His mind whirled trying to think of a way out of this but it was becoming harder to concentrate.

As Julia leaned in closer she smiled. Heyes was shocked to see the fangs that had suddenly appeared in her mouth and he desperately tried to move but to no avail. She leaned in ever closer to him and he could feel her cool, clammy breath upon his neck. He closed his eyes willing this to all be a frightening dream. Just as she was about to sink her teeth into the side of his neck he heard the familiar voice yell out. "Let him go, Julia!"

Julia turned around, still holding onto Heyes, glaring at the man who interrupted her. Heyes opened his eyes to see Kid standing there patiently waiting for his chance to save his cousin. His heart jumped in his chest seeing his partner, although bloody, standing there alive. "You? You're supposed to be dead," she sneered back at the man. "You are more powerful than I thought, a mistake that I won't make again."

"Just let him go and no one will get hurt," Kid threatened her.

"Be gone foolish man. Your weapon has no effect on me," she rebuked with a laugh.

"Not going anywhere lady," Kid returned, standing his ground. Kid glared at her, pulling his gun as she released one of Heyes' arms. He was quick, but she was unnaturally quicker. Swinging her arm around, a bright ball of light emitted from her hand and flew across the room hitting Kid squarely in the chest before he could fire a shot. Heyes watched in horror as the light hit Kid and sent him flying across the barn, crashing him into the wall behind him. Kid fell in a boneless heap upon the pile of firewood that Heyes himself had sat on earlier. Finally he rolled off the wood onto the barn floor where he remained motionless.

"Kid!" Heyes yelled finding his voice. He heard Mitch working furiously on the bindings that still held tight. Julia turned to face him once again.

"I'm afraid that the Kid will be of no use to you my dear Hannibal," she said with a wicked smile. "Now shall we get back to business?" Grabbing his arm once again, she moved closer to the trapped man with her teeth bared. Once again he could feel her breath on his neck as she inched closer to him. Tilting her head to the side, she slowly closed in on him. Suddenly, he felt Julia's body stiffen and pull back slightly as if an unseen force stopped her. Heyes felt the energy that was holding his limbs in place suddenly release and he was able to step back from her, removing his arms from her hands at the same time. He then saw her lunge forward as if she was being hit from behind. It was then he noticed that Julia had a pointed piece of firewood protruding from her chest and that Kid was standing behind her with his hand on the other end pushing it through her back.

Kid staggered back from her and watched in horrid fascination as she slowly dropped to ground. As she laid there, the smooth, milky white skin that bewitched them all began to dry out and turn brittle and then right before their eyes, her body suddenly crumbled to ash leaving only an outline of where she lay. The doors to the barn abruptly open as a strong wind blew through the old building scattering Julia's ashes everywhere and just as quickly as it started the wind stopped. Kid and Heyes both looked at each other in stunned silence. Heyes saw the blood that was running down Kid's face from a cut on his left temple and was quickly by his side holding him up when he saw his cousin totter precariously.

"It's okay, Kid, I got you," Heyes said as he held Kid tightly.

"Heyes?" Kid hoarsely asked as he leaned heavily into the other man. "What the Hell just happened here?"

Heyes thought for a moment, looking at where Julia had lain before answering. "Kid, I think you just answered your own question." Kid looked back at Heyes in confusion until his muddled brain finally managed to decipher what Heyes meant. Nodding his own head in agreement, Kid let himself succumb to the darkness that was clouding his vision.

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It was his own groan of pain that brought him back to consciousness. His head was pounding, he found it hard to breath, and his left shoulder felt like it was on fire. He kept begging himself to return to the darkness that had enveloped him so that the pain would go away. Unfortunately, someone else had other ideas.

"Hey Kid, you back with us?" Heyes asked as he hovered over his partner. Kid finally managed to open his eyes, quickly shutting them as the light from the wall lanterns burned into his retinas.

"Ohhhh," Kid groaned as the pain in his head flared up again. "What hit me?"

"You would be better off asking what hit me and then what did I hit?" Heyes joked back as he watched his cousin wake up. Carefully he lifted Kid's head enough to get some water into him. "Here, drink some of this." After settling back down on the pillow, it took a few more moments for the memories of the last few days to return to Kid. Instantly his eyes snapped open and focused on Heyes.

"Julia?"

"She, or should I say It, is dead," Heyes responded as he watched Kid relax. "You killed her, remember?"

Kid sighed at the memory and looked back at Heyes, concern in his blue eyes. "You okay? She didn't hurt you did she?"

"I should be the one asking if you're okay," Heyes smiled then sighed. "Yeah, I'm fine thanks to you." Heyes dropped his head in slight embarrassment of the moment. "I should have listen to you and to Mitch. I can't believe I wanted to break up our partnership over a woman."

"Somehow, I don't think that it was all your idea," Kid grinned back tiredly. "I think that Julia had something do with it. You're welcome though."

Heyes saw the look in his cousin's eyes and knew that all was forgiven. "Mitch's okay too, by the way. He'll be back in a while to take another look at you. You had him pretty worried for awhile there."

"Worried?"

"Yeah, me too. He wasn't sure if you were ever gonna wake up."

"Not wake up? How long have I been out?"

"Oh a little over three days."

"Three days?"

"Is there an echo in here?" Heyes quipped as he saw the shocked look on Kid's face. "After watching you get…zapped by Julia, thrown against that wall, then finding you in the condition you were in, neither one of us could believe that you were even able to get back up, let alone have the strength to kill her. You really scared us both when we saw that blood all over you. Whose was that anyway?"

"Wolf," Kid swallowed as a jolt of pain went through him. "When I was following Julia, my horse got spooked, I was thrown, and then attacked by a wolf. Had to shoot it when it tried to attack me for a third time. Horse ran away too." Heyes just stared back at Kid in amazement. "How bad off am I?"

"Let's see" Heyes said as he ticked each item off by using his fingers. "Large burn and bruise on your chest, bruised ribs, two broken, dislocated left shoulder which Mitch and I put back in, various scratches and cuts, oh and let's not forget the severe concussion."

"No wonder I feel like I got kicked by a pack of mules," Kid said grimacing in pain. "What was she anyway? I mean I didn't dream what happened to her after I killed her, did I?" Kid asked, not knowing if he really wanted to know the answer.

"No, you didn't dream that part. Mitch did some research and according to him, she was a vampire."

"Vampire?" Kid asked in astonishment.

"Yup. He says that she fit the description of one to a tee," Heyes explained. "He even found her coffin inside the house that was by the barn we were in."

"But that's impossible…isn't it?" Kid asked not sure if he believe what he just heard.

"I don't know for sure," Heyes answered with a far away look in his eyes. He suddenly shuddered at the memory from the last few days and returned his gaze back to Kid. "Kid I'm really sorry about what happened. I really don't know why I was so fascinated with her and why I was so angry with you. I mean, you're my family and she…well I don't know what she was, but I should have trusted you over her. What I'm trying to say…"

"Heyes, will you shut up," Kid ordered as he rubbed his aching head. "You're just making my head hurt worse. Besides, I knew something was wrong the moment we got into this town but I just didn't know what. And now that I look back, I can see that you really weren't yourself, that Julia must have had some kind of control over you, so you don't have to apologize."

"But I nearly got you killed," Heyes said trying to explain.

"No, not you, Julia. She's the one that did all of this. Now she's gone and she won't be able to bother either one of us again." Heyes sat there looking at his cousin, noticing the sincerity and trust in his eyes.

"All right, but next time something like this happens, just shoot me before it gets too far," Heyes smiled.

"I was planning on doing that but never got the chance," Kid grinned back.

Heyes saw that his partner's eyes were closing and patted him on his good shoulder. "Take it easy and get some more sleep," he said as he pulled the covers back up over his partner's shoulders. "I'll be here when you wake up."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

Kid's head lolled to one side and he was fast asleep. Heyes watched him for a few moments smiling at the sleeping man. "Definitely will be here watching your back, Partner." He sat back in the chair next to the bed as he placed a protective hand on Kid's shoulder. "Just like you've always watched mine."

The End.

October, 2005