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Six-

Kevin Mitchell was stupid, but he wasn't that stupid. He knew- for damn sure- that Two-Bit Mathews was not the father of the tall, dark-haired girl who had come up the steps of Buck's right before six, and then abruptly turned around and went back to her car when he spoke to her. Kevin watched the girl until Tim Shepard came along- who knew he was out of the joint?- and picked her up. Then, Kevin went inside.

He found Two-Bit leaned over a pool table in the back.

"Where's my sister?" Kevin asked.

"Little girl's room."

"I met your cousin."

"Did ya? She's a pistol, ain't she?"

"You got yourself kind of a fucked-up family, Mathews."

Two-Bit who had been lining up his shot, stiffened in the shoulders just a little.

"Why do you say that?" He asked.

"Well, you said she was your cousin, but she said you're her dad. Trying to wrap my head around how that even works."

"Keep you entertained all night, that will," Two-Bit said.

"How about you just explain it to me?"

"Explain what?"

Now Kathy was back. She stood between Two-Bit at the pool table and her brother, hands on her hips. They couldn't stand one another- Two-Bit and Kevin- and the both of them together in a room and talking was most likely going to lead to them out in the parking lot throwing punches.

"Two-Bit's odd family."

Kathy shrugged.

"Yeah, his dad ain't worth shit."

Kevin said, "Must run in the family."

"Now that's a little much, Kevin," Two-Bit said. He straightened up to his full height and looked Kevin in the eye.

"So, explain it to me," Kevin said. "Better yet, explain it to my sister."

"How many times do I have to say? Explain what?"

Kathy was getting mad, but she wasn't sure yet who she was mad at.

"Kevin met my cousin outside," Two-Bit told her. "She dropped me off 'cause my car's acting up. My cousin's kind of a smart-ass, and she told him I was her dad."

Kathy pressed her lips together. She looked up at her brother.

"What'd this cousin look like? Taller than me? Dark hair? Lookin' like the cat that swallowed the canary for no damned reason at all?"

Kevin nodded.

"That's the one."

Two-Bit set the pool cue on table, preparing to fend off the blow that was no doubt coming. He'd broken enough of Buck's pool cues in previous fights; he figured maybe he'd spare this one.

Then an odd thing happened.

Kathy said, "Oh, that cousin," and shrugged at her brother.

Two-Bit must have looked as baffled as Kevin was because Kevin stood there looking at him for a second before he grumbled, "Whatever the fuck…" and wandered off. Two-Bit turned to Kathy, and considered picking up the cue again for protection.

"Well, that was kind of you," he said.

"Shut up. I only said it so that I could have a go at you myself. Hazel, I'm guessing?"

"She dropped me off. She let me borrow her car to go down to Mac this morning and get Shepard."

"Did she? And why did you have to go after Shepard?"

"Nobody else was gonna."

"And that doesn't tell you anything, Two-Bit? I don't know which one of them is more slippery- Tim or Hazel. God, they about belong together."

Two-Bit frowned. Funny that Tim was nowhere to be seen around the bar on his first night back from down south and that Hazel had blown Two-Bit off when he asked if he should call her.

He shrugged it off. Whatever was going on, it seemed like it had worked out in his favor.

"Well, I don't see either of them around here now, baby," he said to Kathy. "Just you and me tonight."

"Just you, you mean. I don't like that girl. Sounds like you need some time alone to think about how badly you need her in your life."

And she turned and walked away. Two-Bit watched her go to her brother and poke him- most likely asking for- more likely demanding- a ride home. His mind rattled around the possibilities of Christine or Lyla, but then he figured he'd had about enough of girls for one day. He turned back to his game of pool, only to be distracted again moments later.

There was a commotion up front. Two-Bit set the cue down again and wove his way through the crowd to see what he assumed was a fight. Instead, he found Buck out from behind the bar and yelling at Curly Shepard to get his ass out, and Curly sputtering and wheezing that he needed to find Tim.

Two-Bit stepped between them. He gave Buck a look that sent Buck scurrying, and then gave Curly a shove towards the door.

"What's up, little Shepard?" He asked. Curly hated it when the boys called him that. "I drove your brother up from Mac this morning. Dropped him at your ma's place."

"Yeah, I must've just missed him while I was being kidnapped."

"What are you babbling about?"

"Billy Simon," Curly said. "He picked me up at school. Well, I got in with him 'cause I was cuttin' out, and...Jesus, he took me out by the salvage yard and put a gun to my head. Said I was going to get a message to Tim for him."

"Shit," Two-Bit said. "I guess the first messengers didn't get the job done."

"What first messengers?"

"The ones who tried to pick him up from Mac."

Curly frowned, as though he was somewhat disappointed that he wasn't the first messenger.

Two-Bit asked, "So, how did you get here?"

"Ran like hell. He let me go, but he still had the gun, and he was laughing about it. I sorta expected he was going to shoot me in the back. So, do you know where Tim is or don't you?"

Two-Bit shook his head.

"Not since I dropped him off, but it turns out my plans for the evening just sort of went down the crapper. You want to drive around and look for him?"

Curly nodded, still out of breath.

Two-Bit picked an abandoned bottle of Grain Belt from off of the bar and went out the door. Curly was right behind him.

"Hey, Romeo, what's my name again?"

Hazel had Tim's chin gripped between her thumb and forefinger and was aiming his face down towards hers.

"Juliet," he answered.

She rolled her eyes.

"You keep looking over my shoulder like you expecting the Grim Reaper to come through that door. I'm starting to get a little offended that I can't seem to keep your attention."

"Well, the Grim Reaper would be a hell of a sight…" Although, at this point not really surprising, as far as Tim was concerned.

Hazel frowned. She let go of his chin and draped her arm across Tim's shoulder. They were dancing- barely- in the middle of the floor in a bar in Caney called The Line. For "state line", Tim figured. They'd each had a beer and were splitting a second. Hazel held the bottle in her other hand. Tim could feel it on the back of his neck.

He guessed he couldn't blame her for being irritated. They'd sat in a booth and drank their beers and got a little silly. When Tim came back from getting the second bottle, he slid in on her side of the booth and put his arm around her shoulders. Then he kissed her and she kissed him back. Then he put his hand on her knee and started to move it up her skirt and she put on the brakes.

She wasn't real serious about it. Or maybe she was very serious. She suggested they go somewhere else and not do this in a public bar. Maybe they should head back to Tulsa. That got Tim's mind stuck back on Tulsa.

He suggested they dance, but dancing wasn't keeping his thoughts contained quite as well as making out.

"Not that I'd know, maybe you're always like this, but I'd have to say you've been a little distracted since we stopped in Ramona."

Tim told her: "I can't find my brother. I called home, and he wasn't home yet. Something's just off."

"Did he know you were getting out?"

"I don't know. I talked to my step-dad this morning, but Curly was in school by then."

"Curly's your brother? How old is he?"

"Fifteen. Almost sixteen. I know- shit, when I was his age I used to run around on the street all night, but like I said…"

"Something's off. Yeah, all day's been off, if you ask me."

Tim nodded in agreement.

Hazel said, "We should go back."

"I'm sorry," Tim said. "I think I was getting to like you back there."

"You don't know a damned thing about me," Hazel replied. She took a last drink from the bottle of beer and handed it to Tim.

"I know you know Billy," Tim said. "What do you think he has to do with this shitty feeling I have?"

"I'd say if it's anything this side of nauseating, he's probably connected somehow."

Tim nodded. He polished off the beer and took Hazel's hand. He pulled her towards the door, leaving the empty bottle on the bar as he passed it.