Please read chapter 1 for warnings and disclaimers. HUGE Thankyou to Wolfpyre…seriously this chapter would not have come to be without your help!

Chapter 22

Naomi stifled a yawn as she sat in the saddle in front of Josiah, relaxing back into his comforting bulk. They had left the mission at first light, headed toward Purgatory despite the chilling cold front. Chris, Vin, Buck, Ezra, and JD would undoubtedly be headed that way, having no idea that the children were safe. The previous afternoon, a stable boy was sent out to find Josiah and Nathan, who Mr. Tucker and Mr. McGowan had assured them were close by. Brushing dark mahogany locks from her face Naomi smiled softly. When the two peacekeepers had arrived, she'd expected something similar to when the boy's fathers had, but she couldn't have been more wrong.

Flashback

The heavy wooden door to the mission's humble library opened, revealing a travel worn Josiah and Nathan. True immediately ran to hug both men, and each of them lifted her into his arms in turn, holding the adorable trouble maker close and assuring themselves that she was alright. Though more decorous, Rhianna was not far behind her cousin and embraced each man as well, brushing off Nathan's fussing and assuring the healer she was just fine. Naomi, however, was utterly shocked when Josiah stepped forward to lift her from her seat and into his arms.

"You caused more than a bit of worry, little girl," he scolded. "Buck was beside himself."

Nathan stepped forward offering a brief hug of his own to the astounded Naomi before he asked in a soft voice, "Are you all right, child? Did those men hurt you at all?" He had noted the bruising on the girl's face that she had refused to allow Rhianna to heal since the telepath had expended so much energy healing True.

"Just some bumps and bruises. I'm okay, Nathan."

"Well, I'm gonna be checking you over later, to be sure. All three of you," he insisted gently before his look changed to a scowl and his tone became scolding, "You should be ashamed of yourselves. Running off with a theater troupe and getting yourself kidnapped," he looked sternly at Naomi before his eyes turned to Rhianna and True. "And you two, taking off to rescue her all on your own."

"Indeed," Josiah nodded his agreement, "And I think we should all sit down so that you can give us the details of your escapades."

Reluctantly, the girls recounted their respective stories, offering an abridged version and leaving out the prodigious use of Rhianna's new abilities as well as True's getting shot. Unfortunately, the two peacekeepers had quite a history with True and enough of one with Rhianna to know when the girls were trying to pull the wool over their eyes.

"And why is the two of you aren't in your own clothes?" Nathan asked. Both Rhianna and True had been given a change of clothes. The mission provided aid to more than one orphanage and often collected old clothing to that end. Both girls wore boy's shirts and trousers, nothing unusual for True, but unique for her cousin.

"Dang, Nate! Thought you'd be happy 'bout us wearin' clean clothes for Chri-uh" True looked up quickly at Josiah whose eyes had narrowed dangerously. "Criminy sakes."

"What happened to your old ones?"

"Mine are being laundered, but True's were damaged," Rhianna explained truthfully.

"Father Joseph mentioned you were covered in blood when you arrived. You've got exactly five seconds to tell me the truth, or all three of you are going to be sporting a sore backside," Josiah growled.

True sighed heavily. "There mighta been a little accident when we was gettin' Naomi out, but Rhianna healed me up good as new."

"An accident?" Nathan demanded.

"True was shot."

"WHAT?!" Both mend exclaimed in tandem before Nathan kicked into healer mode.

"Where? Let me see."

Knowing an argument would not bode well, True unbuttoned her shirt to reveal her new scar just below her right shoulder. Nathan carefully examined the girl but had to admit that she had healed completely.

"Think I'd like to hear the REST of the story now," he said, settling back into his chair.

"And there had better not be ANYTHING left out this time," Josiah warned the girls sternly.

This time the three told the complete tale start to finish, including all of the aspects of Rhianna's new found abilities and the strain that it placed on her as well as exactly what happened during the rescue. When they finished it was nearly time for the evening meal so Rhianna and True were sent to go wash up with Nathan following behind as if they could not be trusted with the simple task. Josiah, gently reached for Naomi before she could go, however. Startled by the large peacekeeper, she stepped back, her eyes wary.

"It's okay, sweetheart. I just wanted to check and see how you were faring through all of this."

Naomi's dark eyes stared into Joisiah's light blue ones and it felt to her as if the preacher could see into her very soul. A small sob escaped her lips before she gave in and threw her arms around the man's neck. He lifted her into his lap and allowed her to cry out all of her pent-up fear and emotion. Then they talked for a very long time. When someone came to fetch them for supper Josiah asked to have plates set aside for them. Naomi shared everything. Her feelings for Buck as well as her fears, the terrible nightmares, her ill-conceived plan to escape with the theater troupe, and then the horror of the kidnapping. Josiah was nothing if not a good listener and his quiet, understanding comments provided just what the troubled little girl needed.

End Flashbback

Josiah had made it exceedingly clear to the girl that Buck wasn't the only one in Four Corners that cared about her well-being. Naomi couldn't deny the warm feeling that the knowledge gave her. Of course, that wasn't the ONLY thing Josiah had made clear, she remembered, shifting in the saddle, though the pain from the spanking had faded completely. She had no intention of crossing Josiah in the near future. The man's hands were humongous!

She turned her head to catch Rhianna giving her a knowing grin and rolled her eyes. Naomi's complaints had fallen on deaf ears the night before, since both True and her cousin found Josiah's actions only fair after their own experiences in the mission garden. Despite her protestations, Naomi did find it nice to be included as part of the "family," so to speak, even if that meant a bit of teasing from her clan members. True had even shared a couple of her own run ins with Josiah and assured Naomi that she had gotten off lightly. Despite feeling better about her place in this rather convoluted family, Naomi found that with every mile, she grew more and more nervous about facing Buck. Not only had she run off and got herself kidnapped, but she'd duped him in order to do so. Would he ever forgive her?

Naomi wasn't the only one whose thoughts were drifting to the reaction of those peacekeepers not present. Rhianna was not sure what to expect. Oh, she knew exactly what consequences they would face, she grimaced at the thought, shifting in her saddle. Mr. McGowan had made that infinitely clear if there had been any doubt in her mind, which there had not. What she wondered was if the men would send the children back to town once they all met up. She had no doubt the men would go to rescue the other girls and of course their odds of success would be better with more men. She didn't know about Mr. McGowan and Mr. Tucker, however. There was no chance, she supposed, the kids would be allowed to help in the rescue, but the girls did have information that would be useful. Somehow, she needed to make that fact abundantly clear to the men.

True was also contemplating the reunion and the ten-year-old nervously worried her lip as she thought about it. There was no way now that Vin and Chris weren't going to find out that she had been shot. Her ass was grass! Oh, she'd known when they left to rescue Naomi that they would be in deep shit but this had escalated to a whole world of shit! The little girl sighed heavily, wondering if she'd ever be able to sit again. Her mind wandered to Creed, who was shifting uncomfortably in his saddle. That spanking in the garden had not been the extent of it for her best friend and she felt sorry for him having to ride today, though she envied the fact that he'd already faced his punishment and it was done and over. True thought about the conversation she and Creed had shared yesterday and wondered if he would have a problem with what she had planned for those no good flesh-traders when they finally caught up to them. Nah! She wasn't going to get shot again, so she was sure her friend would understand. She had a score to settle after all. Of course, getting around Vin and Chris was going to be a challenge. Her brow furrowed at that thought but she pushed it all out of her mind. She'd worry about all that when the time came.

***M7M7M7M7M7***

Purgatory lay just seven miles before them, but Josiah chose to stop and water the horses where two small streams came together to form a pond surrounded by a small meadow and copse of trees. Given their early start, everyone was ready for a bit of a rest, even though they'd only been riding for a couple of hours or so. They were not the only ones with that same idea, apparently, as another group of riders already occupied the coveted space. Rhianna groaned, acknowledging that her impending doom was now at hand but Josiah smiled broadly spurring his horse to a trot, as he recognized the men, knowing that the other peacekeepers would be relieved to see the children safe.

The preacher was by no means wrong, though he worried briefly if Buck might not faint from the unexpected if thoroughly joyous realization that his ward was safe. The otherwise general confusion of the group was a surprise, though there was not much time to consider that as Buck rushed forward to lift Naomi from Josiah's horse into a powerful embrace while at the same time that True jumped from Eavan's saddle and into Vin's arms. Though she might have been fretting over her brother's reaction about her recent shenanigans, True was still a little girl who had been shot not two full days ago! Despite everything, she'd been in the old west and away from the clan, the war, and that entire world for some time now. Really, she just wanted to feel safe. Knowing instinctively what the little girl needed, Vin caught her and hugged her close, not even demanding an explanation. Just offering the comfort True obviously needed.

Rhianna looked over at Chris, whose green eyes had already assumed a hard glint. It wasn't that she was any less anxious to feel his strong arms around her, ensuring that she and the others were truly safe. This had been no cake walk at a Sunday social after all. However, her reserve was as deeply ingrained as True's exuberance and she bit her lip, reading the question he silently posed with his raised eyebrow as she slowly dismounted and gave Tempest a fond pat. She realized immediately that Chris had no idea why the children were here. They had caught up with the theater troupe earlier than expected due to a busted wagon wheel and in short order had gotten the answers they required. Rather than backtrack to Four Corners, the five peacekeepers had headed straight for Purgatory, which explained why they were here already. Rhianna swallowed hard her eyes on her boots.

Moving forward with a sigh, Chris closed the distance between them and reached for the young blond, wondering if she would ever cease to need the reassurance that no matter how angry he was and no matter how outrageous her actions, he would always love her. Not that seeing her there didn't raise his ire, and he did have to suppress the urge to lay down a flurry of smacks to her backside before pulling her into his arms. Resist he did, however, and he was glad that he had when she threw her arms around him, only just stifling a sob. True had been shot, and almost died and it was her fault. Cuddling into Chris's protective arms and just letting go was too much of a temptation.

Meanwhile, Buck was quietly demanding to know if Naomi was okay and if the men had hurt her. He was terrified that his charge might have been not only physically injured but unthinkably violated. Nathan was at the large mustached man's side immediately, assuring him that he'd examined Naomi and that she was completely fine, pleased that he had allowed Rhianna to heal the bruise on the girl's cheek early this morning. Seeing it might have thrown Buck into an inconsolable rage and they didn't need that right now. Once the fact that Naomi was not only safe but unharmed sunk in, Buck's relief was replaced with fury.

"WHAT IN THE HELL DID YA THINK YA WAS DOING?" he demanded, giving the dark-haired girl in his arms a little shake.

"Buck," Josiah softly admonished. "The girl's been through quite an ordeal. Maybe it's best we all sit down and discuss it before you light into her."

Taking a deep breath, Buck pulled Naomi back into his arms, pleased when she didn't resist but snuggled into his shoulder. "Okay," he conceded. "But little girl, best ya know you've got the tannin' of yer life ahead of you. Be lucky if yer sittin' down 'fore Christmas."

***M7M7M7M7M7***

In short order the horses were set to graze and the group was settled down around an open flame to hear what the children had to say. Though the daytime temperatures near the border were usually fairly comfortable, the cold front had brought unseasonably frigid weather and despite it being well above freezing the heat from the fire was more than welcome. Mr. Tucker and Mr. McGowan volunteered to do a bit of hunting so that the assembled group would have more than hardtack and jerky for a midday meal which, much to the girls' chagrin, conveniently allowed for a thorough recounting of the events leading up to the present.

"So let's start this at the very beginning," Chris suggested grimly eyes on Naomi.

"Actually," Rhianna interrupted, ignoring the man's fierce look, "We need to tell you the end first. We rescued Naomi, but there are nearly twenty girls at a homestead about half a day ride from Purgatory that are looking to be sold into prostitution in roughly two day's time. Planning their rescue is more important than telling our tale."

True's blue eyes grew wide at her cousin's audacity at interrupting Chris, but she had to stifle a grin because Rhianna's calm declaration made sense. Just maybe they would be able to put off the inevitable a bit longer.

"In order to figure out how to help them, we are going to need information," Chris pointed out his eyes narrowing. "Which means we need to hear what all's happened, without anything being left out. Understood?"

"Yes sir."

"Naomi, start with Sunday morning. You told Buck you were going to the Lake."

The dark-haired girl swallowed as Chris's glare fell on her and her eyes darted to Buck who was looking none too happy at the reminder. "Well, I ah, had talked to the troupe about joining up the day before and so I went to meet up with them when they headed out."

"Why?" Buck demanded his voice full of both hurt and anger. Though Rhianna had told him back in town, he still wanted the answer from Naomi herself. "I mean we'd had a good time Saturday and was gettin' on good I thought."

Naomi hated seeing the hurt in his eyes. "We had a great time, Buck - really! I, I don't know."

True snorted. "The hell ya say! Yer fuckin' scared and don't wanna admit to it. Scared of gettin' close and losin' folks as if that ain't sumthin we've all had to deal with!"

From her position on his lap, Vin tipped True over and landed three painful slaps to her backside.

"OW! I get hit for lying, get hit for tellin' the truth. Talk 'bout a double standard! How's a kid supposed ta know what ta do. Don't think I should bother with it if I'm gonna get in trouble either way! Might's well lie."

"I swatted ya fer yer language, fer answerin' a question not directed ta ya, an' fer bein' ornery. Wanna keep up with the smart ass comments an' I kin keep swattin'."

Knowing what she could expect after the guys had heard the whole story, True decided she could do without any extra attention paid to her rear right now and clamped her lips together tightly.

"Anyways," Naomi continued trying to avoid True's comment altogether and not meeting Buck's eyes, hoping he wouldn't push the issue right now. "We were about an hour out when that asshole dosed me with somethin' - covered my mouth with a cloth and I was out cold."

"Chloroform," Nathan muttered.

"I woke up sooner than he expected, grabbed his belt knife, slashed his arm and made a run for it, but I was still woosey and he caught me, hit me a couple of times and then took me to the rest of them sons of bitches."

"Cut the language unless you want to be telling your story sitting on a sore backside," Chris warned.

Naomi rolled her eyes but had enough sense not to answer back. "Turns out I'd hurt him pretty good so he lit out to find a doc to sew him up. I tried to get away one more time but that didn't go so well either so I decided to bide my time."

"Sequentially, I suppose I am next," Rhianna stated, "Since the miscreant in Naomi's story came to town looking for medical aid. I was helping him and, as he seemed a bit suspicious, I decided to see for myself what his story was. When I realized he had kidnapped Naomi, I demanded to know where she was being taken. After he told me, I locked him up in a cell at the jailhouse and went to find True."

"Hold on," JD interrupted, "You sayin' he just went along just like that?"

Rhianna's green eyes darted to Chris's hardened countenance. "One," he said quietly, not feeling the need to elaborate on his ecpectation.

"No not exactly," she said softly looking down at her hands in her lap trying to figure the best spin to put on this next part. The pause might have been longer than she realized, however.

"Two," Chris said rising from his position.

With a heavy sigh, Rhianna continued, knowing good and well she did not want Chris to get to three. She explained her use of the pain infliction technique and then how she'd discovered a new ability, recounting the entire episode.

"And just in case she forgets to mention it, she already tol' me this leaves her all weak an' shaky, feelin' like she's been kicked in the head by a horse," Nathan interjected.

"Thank you, Nathan," she replied somewhat sourly.

"You and me'll be discussing this more privately a bit later, little girl," Chris said darkly. "So then you went to find True, and decided to take off, including these two knuckle heads in your escapade?"

"We heard her tell True and insisted on comin'," Conall corrected. "They told us we shouldn't come and I told them they didn't have the time to argue."

His temper hanging on by a thread, Chris turned his attention to the dark-haired boy. "And you being the oldest of this crew, and supposedly the most responsible, it didn't occur to you to talk some sense into the rest of them, maybe go get your Pa? Instead of taking has horse and sneaking out of town? I really, expected better from you, son."

"Like I would've listened ta some stupid boy," True scoffed. "I know how ta handle myself in a dangerous situation."

"Yeah, sure ya do," Creed said his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Maybe if ya would've listened ta this stupid boy ya wouldn't a got shot!"

At the same moment that True responded with, "Shut the fuck up, Creed," several male voices exclaimed, "SHOT?!" After which it was pretty much mayhem with everyone talking or shouting at once. Finally, a piercing whistle broke through the pandemonium and an uneasy stillness settled on the group.

"Perhaps," Ezra suggested calmly, "We had best hear the rest of the story. "I assume that Rhianna was able to adequately heal True's injury and restore her to good health as True stands here with no apparent deficit. Once you left town, you were able to follow and catch up to the reprehensible outlaws?"

"Yes," Conall replied continuing the story and telling about the scene that they had witnessed with Anna, Naomi, and the kidnappers. He then explained their plan. True chimed in to tell how she'd snuck in to get Naomi, and then Rhianna took over when True faltered, the younger girl not really wanting to recount the details of her getting shot. Naomi actually took up the tale when Rhianna admitted that she had fainted and Creed finished up telling about the mission and his dad as well as Conall's showing up, followed by Josiah and Nathan.

Everything was completely silent for several minutes. The burbling of the stream and the wind in the trees, along with the crackling of the open fire seemed to offer a fitting epilogue to the outrageous tale.