AN: So, I decided to have a little mercy and post a second time this week giving the cliff hangar. Though, I am not sure the end of this chapter is much better and there will be more cliff hangar's while this particular scenario plays out. That being said, here is the next chapter.

Walter felt the constable's struggles grow weaker as the chloroform slowly took affect. So far, the whole ordeal was going smoother then the last time. The last time the Mountie they had been trying to detain had broken free of his hold and had been able to put up more of a fight. At least until Randy had hit the guy over the head with a shovel he had found. Walter had been worried Randy had killed the constable right there and then but the Mountie had still been breathing. Walter had been finally able to take a breath himself only after he had seen the rise and fall of the Mountie's chest. There had been no need for the chloroform after that, but at least the Mountie had regained consciousness before he had left the man alone, after the other three had robbed the hotel in Crescent Lake.

"Okay, that seems like it is enough," Charlie, Walter's brother, instructed.

Randy removed the mask, the Mountie's head falling forward, his chin resting on his chest. The Mountie was limp in Walter's grasp.

"You two can let him go now," Charlie said, putting the Mountie's gun down on the table. "He isn't going anywhere any time soon," he added with a laugh.

Edgar simply let go of the Mountie's arm. Anticipating the other man's actions, Walter had already put one hand against the Mountie's abdomen. Awkwardly, but with control, Walter lowered the Mountie face down to the floor.

"Edgar, Randy, go get the horses," Charlie instructed. "Walter and I will get our guest ready for transfer."

"You got it," both men replied, heading for the door that exited behind the jail. The exit allowed for some coverage from the street.

"Walter, bind his wrists and ankles," Charlie instructed as the other two left. "I'll find something to hide him from view in case someone sees us leaving," he added, heading toward the other room of the living quarters.

Pulling two lengths of rope from the pack they had brought inside, Walter began to do his brother's bidding. With the Mountie unconscious, Walter met no resistance as he crossed the Mounties wrists behind his back and began to wind the rope around them. After making several loops around the wrists, he knotted the rope before changing direction. Making several loops between the hands and arms, Walter then knotted the rope off again. Moving to the ankles, he crossed the Mountie's ankles and repeated the process. Walter made sure the bindings were secured. He did not want to be responsible for the man getting hurt by one of the others because he had failed at his task again.

Walter was just finishing with the last knot when Charlie came back into the room carrying a blanket.

"We'll wrap him in this. If someone sees us, hopefully they won't realize it's a person rolled up in this."

Walter nodded. He didn't exactly like the idea but he had to follow his older brother. His brother had looked out for him since their parents had been killed. Walter knew he owed him his loyalty even though he didn't always approve of his brother's actions.

The two brothers managed to wrap Gabriel in the blanket, covering even his head. They used several lengths of rope, one around the arms, around the thighs, and near the ankles.

"We'll have to make sure his face stays covered when we carry him," Charlie commented.

Walter simply nodded. He hoped the chloroform kept the Mountie unconscious for the duration of the trip out to the cabin they had scouted out. He didn't want to see him suffer any more than necessary.

When Randy and Edgar returned with the horses, the men carried Gabriel out to the horses. Edgar kept a look out, while the other three managed to drape Gabriel over the back Charlie's horse, behind the saddle. Using more rope, they secured him in place.

The four men mounted their horses, quietly making their way away from the buildings of town. Eventually, they reached the relative cover of the trees. Walter rode directly behind his brother, his eyes on the bundle on the back of Charlie's horse. Abducting the lawmen in the area before a heist didn't sit well with him. It never had. However, as far as he knew none of them had died yet, though his ability to look into it was limited. After all, they had to get out of the area after a heist.

However, Walter had a bad feeling about the Mountie back in Crescent Lake. He had avoided the newspapers since they had pulled off that heist. He simply didn't want to know the outcome.

Charlie said they would be heading back East after this. He hoped to get enough money from the hotel and its guests here in Brookfield that they could at least make it back into Manitoba before they had to think about another target.

Not for the first time since he had learned the truth about how his brother made a living, Walter couldn't help but wonder if there was a better way then the life they lived. They were constantly on the move and forever looking over their shoulder.

Walter thought he saw movement from the bundle up ahead. He debated on whether to mention it to Charlie or not. On the one hand, he didn't think drugging the Mountie again was a good idea. On the other hand, he wasn't sure what Charlie might do if their prisoner came to and started causing a fuss.

Walter glanced over at Edgar, who rode to the right but in between Walter and Charlie. The other man didn't seem to have noticed anything, his attention on the woods around them. Randy rode behind Walter, watching their backs.

Looking back at the bundle on his brother's horse, Walter didn't notice any more movement. For now, he chose to remain quiet. He just wanted all of this to be over with. At least after the job tomorrow there would be a period of time where Walter could try to pretend he didn't know where the money they were living on came from.

The first thing Gabriel became aware of was the pain in his head. It was the same type of headache he had felt the one time he had let himself be talked into drinking way too much alcohol. It was a mistake that he had never repeated again. He even felt groggy like he had that time, but he didn't remember having anything to drink.

The second thing Gabriel became aware of was the movement. It felt as though he was draped over the back of a horse. Trying to move, even with the groggy feeling, Gabriel became aware that he was bound tightly. Both his wrists and ankles were bound, and other ropes kept his arms pinned at his side.

Realizing that struggling to free himself in his current position would be dangerous, Gabriel went still. For now, trying to recall what had happened to him was more important than trying to free himself.

Gabriel found himself trying to concentrate on the rhythmic movement of the horse, trying to center himself. Little by little, the fog began to clear even if the headache seemed to get worse rather than better. Gabriel had a feeling that being draped over the back of the horse, his head pointing toward the ground, was not helping the headache any. However, as the fog cleared, his memory came back.

Gabriel remembered the men ambushing him in his home. He remembered them holding him and drugging him with chloroform. The chloroform explained a lot of how he was feeling. He also recalled the one man telling him that they didn't necessarily want him dead, just out of the way. Apparently, they were taking him somewhere that he would be out of the way. However that also meant that they were plotting something in Brookfield and that did not sit well with him. It was his responsibility to protect the town and its people. He could not do that in his current predicament. If anyone got hurt through whatever these guys plans were, then that would be on him.

For now though, he couldn't even help himself, let alone anyone else. Though the headache had not gone anywhere, the fog had cleared. Things were dark. There had been a moon out earlier and he could not even see that. His fingers could feel the fabric of a blanket. He had a feeling his captors had rolled him up in it to conceal him some while leaving town. Slowly, he started testing his bonds. One thing became clear quickly, whoever had tied him up was an expert. There was no give in the bindings and he was extremely limited in his movements.

"I think the Mountie is waking up, Boss."

Apparently his movements were not so limited that they would go unnoticed.

"Should I drug him again?"

Gabriel felt a shiver that had nothing to do with the cold go down his spine. He had no desire to be subjected to the chloroform again. Not that he was exactly in any position to put a stop to it. Instead of struggling more, Gabriel forced himself to go still. If he did not cause trouble for these men, perhaps they would go easier on him.

"No," another voice entered. It was the voice of the man who had held his own gun on him. From the proximity of the voice, Gabriel had a feeling it was his horse that he was tied to. "I am going to gag him, just to be sure though," the man said as the horse came to a stop.

Moments later, the blanket was moved away from his face. The next breath Gabriel drew in was colder and the sudden change in the temperature of the air stung his lungs. The cold air also pushed the remainder of the fog away, though his head still pounded.

Despite being upside down, Gabriel could see trees in the moonlight. Wherever they were, they were out in the forest.

His attempt to get his bearings was interrupted as the man stuffed a cloth in his mouth and quickly used another to create a cleave gag. The protests came instinctively, though they were muffled by the cloth stuck in his mouth.

"I think we're alone out here, Constable, but I don't want to take any chances. I do not want you attracting attention just yet."

Gabriel let his muffled protests fade away, knowing the only good they would do, was give his captor amusement.

"I am sure that is not a comfortable way to ride there, Constable, but we are almost at our destination. Though you will still be trussed up, I will be nice enough to give you the cabin's one bed. You will be there the longest and it will keep us from arguing over it," the man joked, smiling as he moved out of Gabriel's limited sight.

Soon after, the horse began moving again. As the man had not put the blanket back, Gabriel could now see his surroundings. As they moved along, Gabriel couldn't decide whether the passing scenery was more disorientating than being in the dark while moving or not.

Lillian stood at her bedroom window, looking at the moonlight reflecting off of the snow-covered landscape. Though mother nature seemed content not to add to the snowfall, the temperatures had not risen enough to help with the melting. Given the length of time the deep snow had covered the area, dark pot marks went in a myriad of directions, evidence of the coming and going of the residents of Brookfield.

Grace was downstairs with the children, roasting marshmallows using the stove. Afterwards, the two boys had convinced Grace to tell them ghost stories by the candlelight. Mary Louise had been eager about the idea as well, though Lillian worried if she might be too young. Still, Mary Louise often seemed much older than her years so perhaps she would be fine.

Lilian had retreated to her room with the intention of writing some letters to Ellie and her family in Halifax and to Sophia and Helen in England. Not much writing had gotten done as Lillian could not focus on the task. She had an unsettled feeling that she could not quite define.

Things seemed quiet enough outside. If she was needed downstairs, Lillian knew Grace or Eleanor or even one of the children would come find her. As things seemed quiet in the house, Lillian had a feeling they were enjoying things while Eleanor was making sure everything in the kitchen was in order or had already retired to her room to read.

Looking across the landscape though, Lillian's eyes found the distant pinpoints of light of the town buildings. Though it would not be visible, Lillian knew that light would be coming from either the Mounted Police Office or the living quarters behind it. She could not help but wonder if Billy had followed through with staying with Henry Mendelson or if he had retreated to the comfort that Gabriel brought him. Lillian knew that the fact that Billy had even considered sleeping over was a huge step in the lad's healing process.

Lillian thought of how quiet the house had seemed with only three children this week. Was Gabriel feeling that quiet now with the absence of Billy? She had invited Gabriel out to the orphanage but he had declined, wanting to be in town in case the sleep over did not go well. Lillian had understood but she felt sympathy for Gabriel having to be alone this evening in those couple of rooms behind the jail. He had admitted last fall that he often found them lonely. Would he be finding them less lonely tonight?

Turning from the window, Lillian looked back at the paper on her desk. Dark marks near the top against the paper's whiteness indicated the small progress she had made - the salutation of the letter. She had no desire to sit down and try working on it again. Part of her even wondered if she should make the cold walk into town and check in on Gabriel. Why hadn't she offered to spend the evening with him when he had turned down her invitation?

Knowing that Gabriel would both scold her for making the walk at this time of day as well as insist on walking her back despite wanting to stay close if Billy needed him, Lillian pushed the idea of going into town aside. She also did not sit back down at the desk. Instead she headed downstairs. If Eleanor was still in the kitchen, perhaps a talk with the matronly woman would calm her nerves. If not, the ghost stories might not be so bad. She was sure Grace wouldn't tell the children anything too scary.