One Year Later

"I'm feeling the need to stretch my legs, Kid. You need anything from the store? Gonna go to the saloon and get us a bottle of cheap whiskey and also some of the good stuff to wet the baby's head with."

The Kid lying on the bed with his eyes half-closed thought about it for a few moments before shaking his head "Can't think of nothin' Heyes."

"You wanna come? We can have a drink at the saloon, pass the time till supper."

Although bad dreams were far less frequent lately as the Kid's memories of prison retreated, there were occasionally some nights that they still bit and last night had been one of them. Morning had banished most of the shadows the dreams had brought, but he was tired and quite content to nap. "Nah, Heyes, think I'm gonna stay right here."

Heyes threw him a look of concern. "You all right, Kid? Something I oughta know?"

The Kid smiled and gave his friend a reassuring glance as he said honestly. "Nothin' to worry about, Heyes. Just too comfortable and lazy to move."

Heyes gave him a quick intent once over, frowning before his face cleared as he was obviously happy with what he saw. "Shouldn't be too long. Not more than an hour."

XXX

The clock in the main square struck two and the Kid who'd been feeling increasingly anxious for the last twenty minutes looked out onto the street for the third time and sighed when there was still no sign of his partner.

Since his time in prison, even all these months later, especially after a disturbed night, the Kid was never quite sure when he felt anxious, whether he had genuine cause, or if he was simply fretting. A lasting legacy of jail that he'd had to adjust to, was the fact he was far more prone to worrying over just about everything.

At this point, he'd learnt to control it mostly, but didn't always quite succeed, and as a result was sometimes left a little uncertain over how justified his worrying was. But two hours seemed a long time for Heyes to be gone, so giving in to his concern, the Kid headed out to go look for him. If he was worrying over nothing, the worst his partner would do was roll his eyes and insist that Kid buy them both a drink.

XXX

The Kid went to the General Store first. "I was just wondering if my partner had been here. About my height, dark hair, brown eyes. Talks a lot. Scruffy looking hat."

The woman behind the counter gave him an assessing look, before smiling, "All you needed to ask was if I'd seen Mr Heyes! Isn't often our little town gets two celebrities like you two staying. He was in here about twenty minutes ago. Said he was going to buy some whiskey at the saloon before heading back. He mentioned you're leaving us tomorrow that right?" Her voice held some disappointment at the thought, which amused the Kid despite his distraction.

"Yes, Ma'am, we're on the morning stage to Porterville." The Kid managed a small smile, tipped his hat and exited quickly as his anxiety increased, but he was still hopeful Heyes might just have got caught up talking, it wouldn't be the first time, nor likely the last.

"Sure he was in here. Had a shot of rye, chatted to one of the girls for a few minutes, then he bought a couple of bottles of whiskey. One of them was even the good stuff. He left about ten minutes ago, fifteen at most and started back towards the hotel. That's right isn't it Joe?"

The barman turned to speak to the lone drinker at the bar who looked up from his beer and waved the glass towards the street. "Sure is. I did see a stranger, watching him with some interest. Dusty looking, needed a shave. Think he might of followed him."

The Kid sighed, well wasn't that just what he needed to hear? "Probably just got talkin'." He nodded to the men and walked out quickly. Behind the livery stables he spotted signs of a scuffle but no blood. He saw fresh horse tracks leading out of town and realised what must have happened. He really wished that bounty hunters would bother to read newspapers sometimes.

He walked into the livery stable and waved at the boy, handing him a dime. "Any stranger stable his horse, then retrieve it real quick?"

The boy smiled at him, taking the coin "Yeah, he was mean looking too. You gonna challenge him to a gunfight, Mr Curry? Can I watch?"

The Kid bit down on a sigh and shook his head, resisting the urge to ruffle the boys hair. "Hopin' it won't come to that. And I don't think your Ma would want you watching any gunfight."

The boy scuffed his feet with a put upon sigh. "Yeah. She's always telling me to stay outta trouble and complains every time I tear my pants. She don't understand."

The Kid nearly laughed at his expression, despite his worry about his partner, but instead just said seriously. "Well, you gotta give her a break. It's a Ma's job to worry."

XXXX

It was an easy job to follow the tracks and he soon spied what he was looking for in a grassy glade surrounded by rocks, about two miles out of town.

A tied, gagged and disgruntled looking Heyes shooting daggers at a heavy set man, who was turned away studying his mount's back left hoof. The horse had obviously thrown a shoe and was refusing to go any further.

He slipped round the back of them and put his finger to his lips as Heyes spied him. His partner rolled his eyes at him in disgust as if to say, you think I'm stupid?

Kid with a small grin waved at his bonds, earning him an even more disgusted look, which he ignored, instead dipping down behind a rock.

Hidden from view, the Kid took a couple of steadying breaths, nowhere near as calm as he was letting Heyes think he was. He looked round him, reluctant to risk a shot as he wasn't sure if the ricochet would hit Heyes or not. So he searched round instead and found a small stone that he threw at the man's back as he raised his voice. "Look, I don't know who you are, but I'm Kid Curry and I'm telling you, there ain't no reward out on us no more. So you're wasting your time... and ours."

The man looked wildly around him and moved away from his horse with his gun drawn, but the Kid had chosen his hiding place deliberately. He was out of sight and the echo made it hard to make out the direction.

"Well, how do I know you're really Kid Curry and not just someone wanting to steal 10,000 dollars from me? I heard a rumour Kid Curry was in jail."

Curry shook his head at the stupidity of some people. "You really think he'd be wandering round usin' his own name if he was still wanted? " He saw Heyes frantically nodding at him.

Some confusion crossed the man's face. "Well, maybe he's not as smart as folk say he is."

The Kid glanced across and down at his partner with a slight grin, causing Heyes to frown even more before shouting. "He ain't that dumb! Might help if you did some real research rather than listenin' to rumours. Read a newspaper or talk to a sheriff maybe."

Heyes was shaking his head telling him not to rile the man, but the Kid ignored him. Eager to get this over so they could go get a drink. Heyes had managed to shuffle and lie flat which gave the Kid a chance of a free shot. He fired carefully at the bounty hunter's feet. "Throw you gun and put your hands up. I'm coming down."

The Kid watched as the man did as he was told and ignoring the thudding in his ears from his pounding heart, slowly emerged from his hiding place with his gun drawn. "Untie him."

He watched in silence as the man untied Heyes who grimaced slightly after he'd spat out the bandana, thrusting the amnesty papers in the man's direction. "It woulda saved us all some trouble if you had let me speak before knocking me out." The bounty hunter quickly looked at the paper and took a deep breath as the size of his error hit home.

With how irritated Heyes sounded, the Kid figured he wasn't too hurt, but he said anyway with his gun and gaze still levelled on the bounty hunter. "You all right, Heyes?"

"Pretty much, Kid. Nothin' permanent or even that serious. Just annoyed mostly."

The bounty hunter after untying Heyes had stepped away and put his hands back up. He looked like he completely expected to be shot or otherwise damaged. " I'm sorry for causing you trouble. No harm done. Maybe you can see your way to letting me go." He didn't sound hopeful of his success and tensed. The expression on his face, a strange mix of resignation and desperation made the Kid's stomach twist. Glancing slightly over his shoulder to see Heyes' face while still keeping his weapon steady he saw Heyes nod and shrug to signal his agreement to whatever the Kid decided.

The Kid turned back to the man and said firmly. "Look, get out of here! Hurry before I change my mind."

The man looking stunned hurriedly obeyed, guiding his reluctant horse as quickly as he could and he was soon out of sight. When Kid turned he saw Heyes watching him with some surprise on his face, but he didn't appear concerned or upset at the decision and his voice was mild. "Thanks, Kid, weren't sure he was ever gonna let me talk."

"Well, Heyes, then maybe he weren't as dumb as he seemed." He hid his relief at his partner's lack of injury as he strode on ahead. But Heyes catching up to him rested his hand on his shoulder, forcing him to stop and look at him.

"You all right Kid?

The Kid thought about it for a few moments and realised that yes, he was fine and nodded firmly. Heyes looked at him for a few moments then nodded himself. They set off walking side by side.

XXX

In the saloon as they both nursed a drink, Heyes threw Curry a glance. "You let that idiot off easy, Kid."

Curry shrugged. "Well, he was having a bad enough day as it was, didn't seem fair to make it any worse."

Heyes smiled at him, patted his hand and took another drink out of his glass, waving to the barman for two more before turning back to look at him. "Well I guess it saved us having to waste our last afternoon here dealing with him and the Sheriff."

The Kid had wondered briefly why he'd felt it unnecessary to make things more difficult for the man. He had certainly likely deserved it, probably for his stupidity alone, and at one time he wouldn't even have thought twice about inflicting some kind of embarrassing, albeit probably not overly painful retribution. But it just hadn't seemed important with Heyes safe and suffering nothing more than a slight headache and some wounded pride. They weren't outlaws anymore and the look on the man's face had bothered him a lot. He had somehow felt that any response, other that just letting him go on his way, would have felt like bullying. Something the Kid had never done even as an outlaw and there was even less reason to start now.

The Kid content with his decision and realising that given Heyes' lack of concern, he had no problem with it either, dismissed it from his mind.

He took another drink as the barman set the second glass down and his eyes fell on a calendar hanging on the wall. He realised with a start that it'd been just over a year since he'd been released from prison.

He glanced over at Heyes who looked at him questioningly for a moment before his eyes too fell on the calendar and he clinked his glass to Kid's. "Been quite a year eh, Kid?"

The Kid had to agree, he and Heyes had found their way out of the mess that Kid's time in prison had made for them, pretty much intact. Something he knew neither of them would have laid bets on in those first few weeks. "I'd say the last five weren't exactly ones I'd want to repeat real quick, Heyes."

"Well, here's to the next five being a whole lot better, Kid."