The Price of Amnesty

by Rackuhn

The amnesty finally comes through...almost. This story was previously posted on another sight, I just finally remembered to post it here.

The Price of Amnesty

By Rackuhn

NOTE:Totally ignoring the third season episodes with this story (as you read along, you'll understand what I mean if you have watched any of them). Hope you enjoy!

Hannibal Heyes and Kid Curry had ridden for what seemed like days to reach their destination. They were tired, hungry, and very dusty from their long trip but their objective was in sight and nothing was going to stop them from reaching it. Once they arrived, both men practically jumped off of his horse and did something that they would not normally do, headed directly to the Sheriff's office without a second thought.

The Sheriff looked up to see the two men enter his office and immediately recognized them both for who they were. Standing up, he went around the desk, his hand on his gun. "Heyes, Kid it's good to see you both," Lom Trevors smiled as he finally held out his hand in greeting. The smile that was on Lom's face told the two men how glad he was to see them but something about the way he looked at them both told Heyes that there was more to the meeting than what they were expecting.

"Lom, good to see you too," Heyes smiled back as he shook the man's hand.

"You're looking good, Lom," Kid said in greeting.

"Come on and sit down," Lom said as he pointed to the chairs in front of his desk. "Can I get you anything? Coffee?"

"Sounds good," Heyes answered as he and Kid took the proffered chairs.

"Did you two have a good trip?" Lom questioned as he poured three cups of coffee and handed two of them to his guests, taking the third and sitting down in his own chair.

"Long and dusty, but good," Heyes answered enjoying the first sip of the hot beverage, feeling it energizing him again.

"Good, good," Lom smiled back.

The three sat there for a few moments before the silence was broken. "Okay Lom," Kid smiled. "We know you wanted us here for a reason, so out with it."

The look on Lom's face suddenly changed from the glad expression to one of anger and then disappointment. The two men sitting in front of him couldn't help but see it. "Lom? What's up?" Heyes asked, shifting nervously in his chair.

Lom sighed knowing that the news he was going to tell them wasn't what they wanted to hear. Clearing his throat he answered. "Rode up to see the Governor the other day."

The pause caught both men's attention immediately. "Come on Lom. Did we get it? Did we get the amnesty?" Kid asked, feeling suddenly nervous about the whole situation.

Lom closed his eyes and sighed again. "Not exactly."

"What do you mean 'not exactly'?" Heyes asked.

The look on Lom's face was pained, as if he really didn't want to tell them the news. "The Governor signed the amnesty papers for you Heyes but not for you Kid. I'm sorry."

"What?" Heyes yelled, leaning forward in his chair. "Why didn't he give Kid the amnesty? He deserves it just as much as I do, more in fact!"

"I know that Heyes, and that's exactly what I told the Governor when I met with him," Lom yelled back. He stopped and took a deep breath and turned to Kid only to see the stunned and dejected look on the younger man's face. "I explained to him that you deserved to receive that amnesty just as much as Heyes did but he wouldn't budge. Kept telling me that because of your reputation as a gunslinger that he didn't think it would be wise to give it to you. He was afraid of what it would do to him politically."

"That's bull and you know it!" Heyes shouted out in anger. He knew that Kid was not the man that everyone claimed he was, that the reputation of "gunslinger" was not totally accurate. Sure he could draw faster than any man that had ever challenged him, but he only drew in self-defense and he never killed unless he absolutely had to, especially if it was to protect those he cared about. He turned to look at Kid only to see the look of defeat on his face. "Come on Kid. Don't give up on me now."

"What's the use Heyes?" he answered in a quiet voice, almost too quiet for Heyes to hear. "If the Governor doesn't feel that I'm capable of being anything but a gunslinger, why should I even bother?"

"Because he's wrong and you know it! We just have to prove it to him somehow."

Kid turned to face Heyes. "How? How do we change his mind about me when everyone else is telling him something different?"

Heyes sat back in his chair, mind racing for an answer that would work. "We could always ride up to the Governor's mansion and explain it to him personally."

"Somehow I don't see that working out too well," Kid answered as he slumped down into his chair.

"Don't give up so easily, Kid. We'll think of something to convince the Governor that you should have that amnesty."

"That may not be possible, Heyes," Lom broke in.

"What do you mean?"

"There are conditions to your amnesty that you must follow or you forfeit it."

Heyes cocked his head to the side. "What kind of conditions?" Lom squirmed in his chair and looked away. "Lom, what kind of conditions?"

Sighing again, he continued. "The first is that if you are in any way connected to or responsible for any theft from any bank, train, or other business, your amnesty will be revoked and the original charges will once again stand, along with any new charges that may be placed against you." Heyes nodded in understanding. "Second, you will be under a probationary period of one year where you will have to check in with an officer of the court every month as to where you are living and as to what kind of employment you have undertaken."

Heyes shifted in his chair once again. "I assume that officer will be you?"

Lom shrugged his shoulders. "That all depends on where you are living at the time. If you stay in Porterville, I will be your probationary officer, if you move somewhere else, arrangements will be made with the local sheriff." Heyes nodded again. "And the last condition is," Lom paused and took a deep breath, "you will not be able to have any contact with any known outlaw that you have been associated with in your past for at least two years…including Kid."

"What?" Heyes yelled as he stood up knocking his chair over.

"He can't do that!" Kid shouted as well.

"He can and he did," Lom answered, clearly not happy about the situation himself. "I'm sorry fellas. The Governor feels that would be best for everyone involved."

"Best for everyone involved? How can he even say that? He doesn't even really know us. If he did he would know that Kid and I are family, the only family that each of us has."

"I've explained that to him Heyes but he refuses to budge on that issue. He feels if you have any chance of making good on that amnesty, you two need to split up."

"And just where does that leave Kid? Does he still have a chance for amnesty or is the Governor leaving him completely out in the cold?"

"That's the one thing I was able to change his mind on," Lom admitted. "He'll keep Kid on the list for possible amnesty if he continues to stay out of trouble."

"And how long will that be for?" Heyes asked sarcastically. "A year or another two maybe? Or what happens to him when another Governor is put into office? Does he have to start all over again?" Heyes suddenly turned and kicked the chair that he had been sitting in, sending it crashing against the wall.

"Heyes calm down!" Lom ordered. "You destroying my furniture won't help the situation any."

Heyes turned to face Lom but stopped when he saw Kid still sitting in his chair staring at nothing. "Come on Kid, I know this is bothering you just as much as it's bothering me but you can't give up. Not now, not after you've work so hard."

"Like you said Heyes, how much longer?" Kid sighed.

"Don't you worry, Kid. I…I'll think of something to help you get it. If I can't, I'll give up the amnesty."

"NO!" Kid yelled, standing up to face his partner.

"What?"

"I said no! Don't give it up and don't try and help me, Heyes. It's not worth you losing your freedom." Heyes stood there stunned. "Look, I am not gonna to let you lose this chance by getting caught trying to help me out and I'm not gonna let you give it up either. If anyone deserves the amnesty, it's you."

"How can you say that Kid? You deserve it just as much as I do, even more." Heyes responded, grabbing onto Kid's shoulders. "It's not fair of the Governor to ask us to split up like that."

"And just how were you expecting us to stay together with you free and me still wanted? Even if we could stay together, it's not like I can exactly go anywhere I want without looking over my shoulder, and I don't want to take the chance of someone hurting you just to get to me."

"But Kid, we're a team…partners."

"And we always will be but I am not gonna to let you give up on a chance to live a normal life just for me."

"Kid please, you can't break us up like this," Heyes said in a pleading voice as he squeezed Kid's shoulders.

Kid swallowed hard as he tried to keep his emotions in check. "I'm not the one breaking us up, Heyes," he whispered back, "the Governor has already taken care of that. Besides, maybe I'll get lucky and the Governor will change his mind and before you know it, we'll be back together." The smile that was on Kid's face was a mere ghost compared to his usual sunny one. Heyes could see the hurt and anger flitting across his face and he could also see how scared the younger man was becoming.

"Where will you go?"

"I…I'm not sure. Maybe Mac could use some help at his ranch. I'm sure he'll be glad to have another hand to help out, especially since he is my "Uncle"," Kid said, laughing lightly at the small joke.

Heyes smiled at the comment but his heart was breaking. "God I hate this," he yelled as he let Kid go and turned away. "I never imagined that only one of us would get the amnesty. I always just assumed that we would both get it or neither of us would. Either way, we would still be together."

"I know. I didn't see that one coming either." Both men turned to look when Lom cleared his throat.

"There's something else you need to know," Lom explained. "The Governor is on his way here and will be making the announcement late tomorrow morning, making your amnesty official. I'm sorry to have to say this Kid, but if you are still here by then, I will have to place both of you under arrest, you Kid for being wanted and Heyes for associating with a known outlaw."

Heyes cringed at what Lom said but he knew that it was also for their protection. He also knew Lom didn't want to arrest either one of them nor did Lom want to give them the news that he just presented to them.

"I guess I better get some supplies and get out of here then," Kid softly said as his eyes suddenly became bright with moisture.

"Damn it, this isn't fair!" Heyes cried out as he pushed his hat back, angry at the situation, angry with the Governor, angry at everything that had ever happened to them throughout their whole lives.

"You and I both know that life isn't fair, Heyes," replied Kid as he placed his hand on his friend's shoulder. "Don't worry, I'll be fine. I'll let you know where I end up through Lom here, that is if Lom doesn't mind?"

"No, I don't mind, Kid," Lom sadly smiled. "In fact Heyes, you can stay at my place until you get settled somewhere."

"Thanks Lom."

The three of them just stood there, none of them knowing what to say as the realization of the situation hit them. "Well, I better get going," said Kid as he cleared his throat of the lump that had suddenly formed.

"Yeah…yeah you better," said Heyes as he felt his eyes filling with wetness. "You take care of yourself out there, Cousin."

"You take care too, Heyes." The two stood there for a few moments, suddenly embracing each other in a large hug. Kid leaned back and broke it and before anyone could say anything, he walked out the door, leaving Heyes standing there as he watched his friend leave.

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Kid hurriedly ran over to the general store and purchased the supplies that he would need for the trail. He stood there as the storeowner packed the supplies and noticed the man looking at him with a questioning look on his face as he paid his bill. "You okay Mister? You look like you lost your best friend."

Kid gave a small smile in return. "You could say that," he mysteriously replied as he grabbed his stuff and headed out the door. Kid quickly looked around in hopes of seeing Heyes one last time but at the same time not wanting to, knowing the heartache it would only cause. He headed over to his horse, noticing Heyes' wasn't there anymore, and started packing his saddlebags. As he reached in to load up the one side, his hand came across something inside. Pulling it out, he found the folded bills of money and the note that was wrapped around them. Unfolding it, he quickly read it:

Kid,

I wish that this had turned out differently. If I could trade places with you I would, you deserve the amnesty more than I do. This is so unfair for both of us but especially you. If it weren't for you, we would have never even tried for it in the first place.

Keep this money and use it to get you where you need to go, it's not much, but it should help. Take care and please let me know where you end up. I want, no, I need to know that you are safe wherever you are. I plan on staying here with Lom for a while, at least until I can figure out what I can do. Not too many jobs out there for an ex-bank and train robber. Maybe I'll see if the Porter's need any help at the bank…protecting it not robbing it.

Stay safe and keep in touch. If I can think of a way to get you that amnesty I will. You have my word on that. I love you Jed.

Heyes

Kid finished reading the note, refolded it, and stuffed it into his coat pocket. He quickly finished packing his saddlebag, and mounted his horse. Looking around one more time for his cousin and not finding him, he spurred his horse on and rode quickly out of town, fighting the tears that were threatening but quickly losing the battle.

Inside the Sheriff's office, Heyes watched as his cousin found the note, read it, and finished packing. He saw Kid look for him one more time, wanting desperately to go out there and forget the whole amnesty deal, but knowing that Kid wouldn't let him. Without realizing it, he placed his hand on the window as if he could touch his friend one more time and sadly watched the man's form grow smaller as he rode away. For the first time that he could remember since his family had been killed, Hannibal Heyes found himself crying.

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After a long sleepless night, Heyes found the following morning to be a whirlwind of activity that was focused mainly on Lom's house. Hearing about the Governor's arrival, every town official had come to meet the great Hannibal Heyes, who had the honor of receiving his amnesty in their small town. He had tried several times to get away from everyone, wanting only to be left alone, but it seemed everywhere he turned he was running into someone else who wanted the chance to shake his hand. One of the town's officials did find out the hard way that Heyes was not totally happy about the amnesty arrangements when he made the comment about Kid Curry not being worthy enough to receive the amnesty himself. The man suddenly found himself on the floor with a black eye and a broken nose and Heyes found himself left alone for the rest of the morning.

It was around eleven o'clock in the morning when the Governor's stage finally arrived. Heyes watched through his bedroom window with contempt at how the man was using this meeting with him as a publicity event in the hopes of gaining himself more public interest. Heyes was sick to his stomach at the pompous attitude the man was displaying in front of the town and the many reporters that had ridden in along with him. He jumped only slightly when he felt a hand on his shoulder. "Come on Heyes, it's time," he heard Lom say. Sighing, he turned and followed the man out the door, knowing that once he received that piece of paper, he wouldn't be allowed to see his cousin for the next two years.

The lively occasion was truly bittersweet in Heyes' mind as he continuously thought about how his partner should be standing there right beside him receiving his freedom also. He numbly went through the motions of shaking the Governor's hand and accepting the official paperwork, stamped with the Governor's seal, declaring him a free man. He even stood and smiled for the camera that had been set up for this prestigious event but his heart wasn't in it. The small reception afterwards only seemed to drag on forever in his mind as he continued to shake the hands of the well-wishers and admirers. It wasn't until close to the end of the reception, as he was talking with the Mayor and his wife, that he was summoned by one of the Governor's aides. Excusing himself, he quietly followed the man to the room that the Governor had commandeered, with Lom's permission of course.

"Mr. Heyes, come in, come in," the Governor smiled as he stood up to shake Heyes' hand.

"Governor," Heyes responded. After the aide left and the door shut, the Governor got straight down to business.

"Mr. Heyes, I know that this must be a very special day for you…"

"It would have been if my cousin was here to share it with me," Heyes replied, sarcasm dripping in his tone.

The Governor's smile fell from his face. "Ah yes, Mr. Curry," he mumbled. "That's what I wanted to talk to you about."

"Don't worry, Governor. Kid is nowhere around here since you made that mandatory and he won't be showing up anytime soon. He's willing to stay away so that I can keep my amnesty." The glare that Heyes was giving the Governor was making the man extremely nervous.

The Governor quickly cleared his throat. "Mr. Heyes, I can see where you get your reputation as a ruthless outlaw, but threatening me will not change my mind."

"I'm not threatening you, Governor, I'm just merely stating a fact," Heyes growled out. "I had to give up my only family because of this amnesty, because Kid wanted me to have a chance at a normal life. He wouldn't let me back out of it, so in honor of his wishes, I will do everything that is required of me so that I can keep it and live that life that he wants me to have."

"I'm glad to hear that Mr. Heyes," the Governor replied, "but I hope you can understand my position as to why I only gave the amnesty to you and not to the both of you."

"I only understand that you are more interested in your political career than the life of a man who deserves a second chance. I only understand that you have no idea who Kid Curry truly is."

"The stories I have heard…."

"The stories you have heard are so far fetched and disjointed that there isn't a drop of truth in any of them, in fact the dime novels are more accurate," Heyes yelled. "Kid Curry will do anything he can to avoid shooting someone else, and when he does have to shoot, it's never to kill."

"But what about the killings I have heard about?"

"Governor, Kid has only ever killed three people in his whole life and those shootings were either in self defense or he was trying to protect someone else and there are witnesses to back him up. Ask Lom Trevors, he'll tell you the same thing I am. Ask any of the people that he's helped over the past couple of years as we waited for you and your predecessors to make up your minds. Kid is not a killer, Governor, he never was. Every time he killed someone, he was violently ill for days afterwards. We both found out early in our lives what killing is all about and we both hate it, hate it with a passion. That's why we always prided ourselves when we robbed banks and trains that we never shot anyone. Not one person, Governor. We made a promise to ourselves when we took over the Devil's Hole Gang that we, or the gang, would never intentionally harm anyone else while we robbed them. Now if you will excuse me Governor, I have to put up with the charade of being happy about receiving this amnesty even though my family is not around to celebrate it with me." Heyes quickly turned and walked out the door, leaving a very stunned and a very confused Governor sitting there.

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Kid had ridden hard the last three days, desperately trying to forget that he was riding alone and having no chance to meet up with his cousin again. He stayed on the trail the entire time, avoiding any towns he came to in case someone recognized him. Without his partner backing him up, he felt very vulnerable and highly exposed and as a result, he hardly slept. He knew that Heyes' amnesty would make headlines and people knowing that he was still wanted and now by himself, would make them hunt harder for him. Together, the two of them were known for protecting each other fiercely, but separate, well Kid wasn't taking any chances.

It wasn't until he reached Red Rock that he finally slowed down. He rode quickly through town as realization hit him that maybe this wasn't the best place to come to since he and Heyes were both known by the Sheriff there. If the Sheriff ever put two and two together, Kid knew that he would be placed under arrest in a minute and that Mac wouldn't be able to help him this time. A few minutes later, he arrived at Mac's house only to be met by the man himself.

"Wondered how long it would take you to get here," Mac gruffly said as he watched Kid tiredly dismount.

"Expectin' me were you?" Kid smiled back.

"Kind of figured you'd be here eventually. Heard about Heyes getting that amnesty."

"Yeah, he deserves it too," Kid said as he walked up to the large man. "Good to see you Mac," Kid said as he shook the man's hand. Kid was glad to see a friendly face even though he didn't trust Mac any farther than he could throw him.

"I suppose you're here looking for a job now aren't you?" Mac asked as he looked over the younger man's appearance. Mac would never admit it out loud but he like Kid and Heyes and was glad to see at least one of them again. Concern flickered over his face though as he saw the condition that Kid was in. He could tell that Kid hadn't slept well the last few days and that the man was probably hungrier than a bear coming out of hibernation. He gently pushed Kid towards the door and into the house.

"As good as that sounds, Mac, it would probably be best if I kept this visit as short as possible."

"What for? I know I could find some good, solid work for you," Mac said in a blustery voice, disappointed that Kid wouldn't be staying longer.

"It would be best for everyone since your Sheriff is already suspicious of me anyway, even though you told him I am your nephew." Mac couldn't help but smile at that comment, knowing that he had gotten one over the Sheriff. "With all the news focusing on Heyes, he might figure out who I really am and then we'll both be in trouble."

"I suppose you're right," Mac conceded as he maneuvered Kid into his study and had him sit down. Gruffly he ordered one of his servants to fix something up for Kid to eat and then went and poured the man a drink. "Here, looks like you could use this."

"Thanks," Kid said gratefully as he downed the amber liquid.

"So how come Heyes got the amnesty and you didn't?" Mac asked, knowing that there was some kind of story behind the event.

A dark shadow passed over Kid's face as he tightly gripped the glass. "The Governor didn't think that giving me the amnesty would be the best move for his political career."

"Pompous idiot," Mac yelled out causing Kid to grin at the older man but the smile soon faded.

"It wouldn't be so bad really except for the fact that Heyes and I aren't allowed to see each other," Kid said angrily as he got up and poured himself another drink. Mac saw the expression on Kid's face and let the little indiscretion pass. "One of the conditions of Heyes' amnesty is that he is not allowed to have any contact with any outlaw that he's had dealings with in the past, including me."

"What?" Mac blustered. The outburst surprised Kid more than he let on. He had never seen Mac this animate before. Mac quickly covered for his rashness. "He can't break up one of the best teams I ever employed," Mac yelled out as he started pacing. "I have big plans for you boys, big plans."

"I'm so glad you're concerned, Mac," Kid sarcastically said as he tried to hide the smile that was forcing its way onto his face.

"You should be boy," Mac bellowed out. "Why you two were the only ones that could hold your own against Armendariz and be able to pull one over on me too. That's something I don't take lightly." Kid nodded and sat back down with a defeated expression on his face. Mac turned and grabbed something off of his desk. "Here," he said as he handed a newspaper to Kid. "Thought maybe you would want to see this."

Kid looked down and saw the front page of the paper contained the story of Hannibal Heyes receiving his amnesty. He noticed the picture of the Governor standing next to a smiling Heyes but quickly realized it was forced smile. "He looks good as a free man," Kid said quietly.

"Would have looked better if his partner was there with him," Mac replied then quickly cleared his throat. "Come on, Thaddeus, let's get you something to eat, clean you up a bit, and I'll have one of my servants get you a room fixed up upstairs."

"You don't have to do that, Mac," Kid protested.

"Nonsense. It's the least I can do for my Nephew," Mac said with a sly smile on his face. "And don't you worry about that Sheriff none. I can handle him."

"Thanks Mac," Kid smiled back in gratitude.

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The news about his amnesty had traveled through the town like wildfire and as soon as Heyes entered the saloon, people were offering to buy him drinks in celebration, wanting to make sure that they could tell everyone else that they had a drink with Hannibal Heyes, the ex-outlaw. But unfortunately for the others, Heyes turned down their offers, buying his own bottle of whiskey instead.

Sitting in the corner, facing the door just as he did when he was still wanted, he sat there with a scowl on his face letting the rest of the saloon patrons know that he wanted to be left alone. Since no one quite understood why he wasn't celebrating and why he seemed in such a fowl mood, the surrounding tables were left empty as he sat there, no one willing to go near the man for fear of what he might do. He was still nursing that same bottle of whiskey that he had purchased over two hours ago, wanting desperately to get drunk, but not allowing himself to do so now that his partner wasn't there to watch his back. Both of them had learned a long time ago that it was best never to get so drunk that you would lose your ability to think through a situation or have your reflexes slowed to the point that you could not function and thus end up getting yourself hurt or worse.

Heyes wasn't surprised when an already drunken cowboy came into the saloon and spotted him sitting there by himself. The man, ignoring what the rest of the saloon observed in Heyes, walked on over and stood in front of former gang leader. "Where's Curry?" the man slurred as he swayed slightly on his feet. The rest of the saloon went quiet as Heyes ignored the man. "Why didn't he get an amnesty too?" Heyes continued to ignore the man. "Was it because he didn't bribe the Governor like I heard you did," the man laughed at his own joke, "or was it because he killed so many people that the Governor was too scared to give it to him?"

The man, suddenly sober, backed away in surprise at how fast Heyes stood up to face him. Heyes knew in the back of his mind that he shouldn't let this guy get under his skin like this and found that he himself was acting more like the Kid, allowing his temper to flare than his normal self, but at that moment, nothing was normal anymore. Kid wasn't here and this man was insulting him. Honor must be defended!

Heyes stood in front of the man, his dark eyes blazing, and gave him a dangerous smile. "Friend, I'm afraid you have no idea what you're talking about and the fact that you are drunk at the moment, leads me to believe that your limited brain has been hampered even more." Heyes took a step forward causing the man to back up. "So I'm gonna do you a favor and pretend that I did not hear what you just said, but if I ever hear you talking about my partner like that again, you will wish that you had dealt with him instead of me." Heyes had continued pushing the man backwards until he was against the bar. The man's nervous swallow proved to Heyes that he had gotten his message across to the man.

Heyes then took a few steps back to his table, never turning his back on the man, grabbed his bottle of whiskey in his left hand, and turned to leave. The drunken cowboy relaxed as he watched Heyes' movements only to have the outlaw's empty fist slam into his jaw, sending him to the ground in an unconscious heap. Heyes stood there a moment, breathing heavily as he looked at the man, this time nodding his head while he smiled. Walking away, he then headed out the door.

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"Heyes I can't believe you did that!" Lom yelled at his friend after both of them had returned home and were sitting at the kitchen table. "You haven't even had the amnesty for thirty-six hours and already you're trying to jeopardize it by starting a fight in the saloon. Do you realize that he was the second person you hit?" Heyes just sat there ignoring Lom, fingering the deck of cards that was in his hands. Lom became frustrated at his friend when he didn't get a response. "Are you even listening to me?"

"Yes, I'm listening to you!" Heyes spat back as he threw the cards down on the table. Getting up, he began pacing the small room. "I heard you and I know what I did wasn't exactly the best thing to do but I just couldn't help myself."

Lom sighed as he watched the man. "Heyes, you're gonna have to stop doing things like that. You're damn lucky that neither one of those guys is pressing charges. In fact, I think you got that cowhand so scared, he's packing and leaving town." Heyes stopped in his tracks and looked at Lom, seeing the small smile that was forming on his friend's face. His own smile soon followed and he sat back down at the table.

"I can't believe I did something like that myself," Heyes sighed, running his hands through his hair. "That's something Kid would have done, not me."

"Well, you two are more alike than you think," Lom chuckled.

"I'm scared Lom," Heyes said, suddenly becoming serious. "I'm scared that Kid is going to do something like that and get himself in trouble and I won't be there to help him."

"I know you are Heyes, but you can't take your frustrations out on every single cowhand that comes in and shoots his mouth off," Lom lectured. "I know that it's not going to be easy for you, but you need to let Kid go and get on with your own life. The Kid is smart. He'll be able to take care of himself."

"On the run, by himself?" Heyes asked. "Come on Lom, you know him just as well as I do. That Irish temper of his is gonna to get him into trouble."

"I do know it almost go you into trouble," Lom smiled. "Kid will do what he needs to do to survive, Heyes, just like you two have been doing for the past few years and just like you're gonna have to do now."

"Yeah, but now there's no one to watch his back."

"I didn't say it was going to be easy for him, but he'll adjust and he'll make it."

"I sure hope you're right, Lom," Heyes sighed once again as he continued to worry about his partner.

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Kid had done some heavy thinking the three days he spent staying at Mac's house, even listening to some the advice Mac had given him. Kid knew that his life had changed and changed drastically but he still needed to survive. He came to the conclusion that he would have to live like he and Heyes had been doing for the past few years, from town to town and job to job. He figured that in a few months, after the news about Heyes' amnesty had settled down and that the bounty hunters wouldn't be hunting so hard for him, that maybe he could find a place to live for awhile, at least until he had to move on by necessity.

But at the moment, he had more to worry about. The meager money that Heyes had given him was running out and because of his own pride, he refused to wire Heyes asking him to send him more. He knew that Heyes would do it in a heartbeat but he didn't want his cousin to worry about him either. Heyes had his own life now and he needed to live it without worrying about him. He needed to make it on his own and he needed to find a job, something that was quick, easy, and paid well. It was dark when he rode into Rio Rancho, New Mexico two days later with enough money for at least two nights at the hotel. With any luck, he would be able to find a job.

The town wasn't what you would call big, but it was large enough that you could hide if you had to. Searching the want ads in the local paper the next morning, he found several jobs that he would be willing to do if they weren't already filled. With a shrug he headed out to the first job on his list but after being turned down five times for either the job having been filled or the job didn't require someone of Kid's questionable "qualifications", he was ready to give up and leave. He finally headed to the last job that was on his list.

"So you're looking for work are ya?" asked Martin Basin, owner or the general store, as he looked over Kid with a wary eye, aware of the gun that was strapped to the young man's leg.

"Uh, yes sir," Kid answered politely, his hat in his hands.

"What's a fine young man like you looking for work at a general store like this?" Basin's wife Amanda asked as she finished loading a shelf full of canned goods. "Surely there's something out there better for you to do." They were an older couple that had placed the ad, needing someone to help them out at the store

"There probably is, Mrs. Basin," Kid smiled, "but right now I'm between jobs and I could use the money."

"What kind of work do ya do?" Basin asked as he eyed up Kid's appearance.

"Well my partner and I usually…" Kid paused, catching himself, realizing that his partner wasn't here with him. Both Basin and his wife saw the look that crossed over Kid's face. "Well, let's say that I'm willin' to do anything that you need me to do."

"Are you all right, Mr. Jones?" Mrs. Basin asked as she moved up to him, taking his hand in hers. He could see the concern in her eyes.

"I'm fine Ma'am," Kid smiled back.

Mrs. Basin pulled him over and had him sit down on one of the chairs that were there for the customers. "Can I ask you what happened to your partner?"

"Now Amanda, leave the boy alone," Mr. Basin scolded, seeing that his wife had taken an instant liking to the questionable man.

"Hush Martin. Can't you see he's upset? Now go on dear. It will help if you talk about it."

Kid sighed. "He's my cousin actually. We had to split up."

"Split up? You two aren't in any trouble are ya?" Basin asked, concerned about the man sitting in his store.

"No!" Kid said quickly. Catching himself again, he calmed himself down and continued. "Uh, no, nothing like that." He didn't like lying to these nice people but he knew that he couldn't tell them the truth either. "He was offered a chance of a better life that he couldn't pass up."

"And he just left you?" Mrs. Basin asked in shock.

"No, I made him take it," Kid smiled sadly. "It was a good offer and he'll have a better life because of it. I just miss him that's all."

Mrs. Basin patted his hands in sympathy. "Well, we can't offer you much, Mr. Jones, but you are more than welcome to take the job if you want it." Mr. Basin looked away with a grimace on his face knowing that he had absolutely no say in the matter now.

"Thank you. I really appreciate this," Kid said sincerely. "When do I start?"

"How about now?" Mrs. Basin suggested. "I'll start by showing you where everything goes and how we do things, and if you have any suggestions about how to do things around here, just speak up. Do we have a deal, Mr. Jones?"

"Almost."

"Almost?" Mrs. Basin asked confused.

"We have a deal only if you call me Thaddeus," he said with a grin.

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"Now why should I hire you, Mr. Heyes," Mr. Porter asked as he studied the man standing in front of him. "After all, you are a known bank robber. Why would I want to jeopardize my client's money by hiring you?"

"Ah, but you're missing the point of my wanting to help you," Heyes smiled back. "You must remember that I am no longer a wanted man, I no longer rob banks. Besides, who better to show you how to protect your client's money than a man who was the best in the business in stealing it?"

Mr. Porter thought this over for a few moments but then shook his head. "No, I can't take the risk of hiring you, Mr. Heyes. My clients put their trust in me and I can't risk losing that trust by hiring you."

Heyes was about to reply when Caroline Porter spoke up. "Father, you remember when the bank was blown up a few years ago?"

"How could I forget that?" Porter answered, irritated that his daughter had brought that memory up.

"Well Father, it was Mr. Heyes and Mr. Curry who stopped those other men from robbing the bank, even though the money did get blown up all over town."

"Well, I don't know…"

"And Father, the two of them were showing me some fascinating ways to protect the bank before it was blown up. Why Mr. Heyes himself tried to break into our safe just by listening to the tumblers and he couldn't open it. Now if Hannibal Heyes himself couldn't open the safe, just think how much harder it would be for someone of lesser standards to open it."

Heyes sat there not quite sure if he should take that comment as a compliment or and insult. "Mr. Porter, all I'm asking is for you to give me a chance. Let me look over your bank and I'll guarantee that I'll find ways to improve your security."

The smile that was on Heyes' face didn't quite convince Mr. Porter. "Father, I trust him," Caroline injected. "Let's give him a chance to look over the bank. After all, what do we have to lose?"

"Everything that is in the vault," Porter deadpanned. He then sighed. "Mr. Heyes, it is against my better judgment to do this, but since my daughter seems to think so highly of you, I will hire you on a temporary basis, to get your input about the bank's security systems, and if I like what you have to tell me, I will hire you on as my Chief of Security."

Heyes smiled at the older man. "A chance is all I'm asking for, Mr. Porter. Thank you."

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Heyes walked out of the bank feeling good about the possibility of working at a bank legitimately. It had been a long time since he actually had a job where he could work and not worry about being recognized for being an outlaw. Then the guilt hit him as he remembered that Kid didn't have that opportunity. His thoughts suddenly focused on his partner and how he still hadn't heard from him, letting him know where he was at and how he was doing. He wasn't sure if he should be angry or concerned about not hearing from Kid. Feeling the frustration building, he quickly headed back to Lom's house, throwing his hat down onto the table only to start pacing. Needing something to occupy his time, Heyes headed outside and found the woodpile and axe that Lom had been using earlier. Grabbing the axe, he went to work chopping the wood, putting everything he had into every swing of the axe.

Four hours later, Lom returned home to find a shirtless Heyes outside furiously chopping firewood, the stack much larger than the last time he saw it. "Have you been chopping wood all morning?"

Heyes stopped once he saw Lom standing there. "Hey Lom, any word from Kid yet?" he asked as he swiped his arm across his forehead.

"Sorry Heyes, nothing yet." Lom could see Heyes deflate at his answer.

"Why hasn't he let me know where he's at?" Heyes yelled as he threw the axe down onto the ground.

"Heyes, it's just been a little over a week since he left. He could still be traveling trying to figure out where it's safe to go."

"Or he could be in some serious trouble and I wouldn't even know it."

"Heyes, you're jumping to conclusions again. If he had been captured, I'm sure I would have been one of the first to know about it, especially since you're living with me at the moment."

"But what if he's hurt and can't get any help…or worse?"

"Heyes, if you don't calm down, I'm gonna flatten ya and ya know I can do it too," Lom warned. Heyes dropped himself on the log that he was using as the chopping block with his head in his hands. After taking a few moments to collect himself, he looked back up at Lom.

"I'm sorry, Lom. Didn't mean to take it out on you. I'm just worried about him, that's all."

"I know you are Heyes, but you've got to remember that he's a grown man and that he can take care of himself." Lom held up his hands in surrender before Heyes could say anything. "I know, I know that you you're both use to having the other one around, but that wasn't always the case. There were times that you had to split up for awhile and you both managed to take care of yourselves pretty well."

"Yeah, I suppose your right. I…I just wish he would let me know where he's at and that he's all right."

"You gotta remember Heyes, that you getting your amnesty was big news around this part of the country. He's gotta stay low key for a little while until all the hype dies down. Now that those bounty hunters know that you two aren't together to watch out for each other, he's going to have to be extra careful. It might be hard for him to just waltz into a town and send a telegram."

"I suppose so," Heyes said not truly convinced.

Lom saw that Heyes was starting to go back into the depression that was stalking him all week since Kid was forced to leave and decided to change the subject. "By the way, did you talk to the Porters yet?"

"Yeah," Heyes said as he got up to picked up his shirt and put it on but didn't button it. "Today as a matter of fact. Miss Porter said she would be happy to have me working in her bank. Her father wasn't too receptive until she showed him that I could point out the flaws in the bank's security system. I'll be starting tomorrow but I have a feeling that I will be under some tight scrutiny for awhile."

"Well that's good news," Lom smiled back as the two headed into the house. "At least I'll be able to tell the Governor that you are working on your part of being employed and you are more than welcome to stay here with me for as long as you want."

"Thanks Lom."

"No problem, now let's get something to eat. I'm starving."

"Now you're starting to sound like Kid," Heyes smiled softly.

"Heaven help me if I start eating like him," Lom laughed back.

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For the past two days, the Basin's had Kid so busy showing him how everything was set up and how the store was run, that he hardly had time to sit and breathe, let alone stop and send Heyes a telegram. He knew that his cousin would be worrying about him but by the time he would finish up at the store, the telegraph office would be closed and in the morning, he was at work before it opened. It was his third day working at the store and he was busy carrying in the new inventory to the storage room when three rough looking cowboys entered the store. Kid's instincts kicked in and he quickly put down the items that he was holding.

Taking a look around the store, he noticed that it was fairly empty except for a woman and her two young children and Mr. Basin, who was stocking one of the shelves in the back of the store. Fortunately, several displays and shelves hid all of them. Kid unhooked his gun that he was still wearing, even against Mr. Basin's wishes, and he quickly moved up to the counter as Mrs. Basin started helping them. "I'll take care of them for you Mrs. Basin," Kid said as he moved in front of her.

"Are you sure, Thaddeus?" she asked, confused by the man's actions.

"Oh yeah, very sure," Kid smiled as he looked directly at the three men. "You just go on back to the storage room." Mrs. Basin looked at him sensing that something was wrong. She nodded and moved towards the back of the store and Kid waited till she was out of sight. "Now gentlemen, how can I help you?"

"You can help us by handing over your money," the leader said as he pointed his gun at Kid.

Kid stood there, his stance relaxed and his gaze fixed squarely on the man. "I'm afraid I can't do that," Kid said, his tone firm.

"Then I guess I need to teach you a lesson," the man said as he cocked his gun. The man waited for Kid to flinch and was surprised when he never moved. "If you don't feel like dyin' today, I suggest you hand over the money," the man ordered, his gun shaking slightly. Kid still did not move.

"I'm not gonna let you rob this store." Kid's blue eyes stared hard at the other man as he waited for his chance to make his move, he didn't have to wait long. Kid heard the young mother gasp as she came around a display and so did the other man who turned slightly to see who it was. Kid didn't waste anytime. With his left arm, he swung and knocked the gun away from him as he went for his own gun with his right hand. By the time the man recovered enough to realize what was going on, Kid's gun was pointed directly at his head, right between his eyes. "Now, you boys want to reconsider your request?" Kid asked with a wicked smile. The leader's gun sagged in his hands and he quickly dropped it onto the floor.

At the same time, Sheriff Katlin and his deputy came rushing through the front door of the store with their gun's drawn. They quickly came up behind the three men with their guns pointed at the other two as Kid still had his gun trained on the leader. Seeing that they were surrounded, the other two finally dropped their weapons as well. "Everything all right in here?"

"Everything is just fine now, Sheriff," Kid replied, his gun never wavering. "But I do believe that these boys here are very interested in a tour of the local jail." Katlin nodded, holstered his gun, and moved to put handcuffs on the three robbers. Kid's gun never flinched until all three were cuffed and then he quickly put it away with a sigh, knowing that the Sheriff had seen everything.

"I've never saw anyone that fast before," the leader of the three mumbled out loud.

"Thaddeus, are you all right?" Mrs. Basin asked as she came in the front door of the store.

"Just fine, Ma'am," Kid smiled at her.

"I was so worried," she said wringing her hands together. "When you pushed me out of the way to take care of these men, I could tell that something was wrong, you seemed…different. I ran and got the Sheriff as fast as I could."

"You did just fine, Ma'am," Kid said as he grabbed her trembling hands. "Everything is all right now."

"All right?" Mr. Basin yelled out as he came over, "Everything is better than all right. I knew that you were a good choice for the job," he hollered out in praise, slapping Kid on the back. Kid just stared at the man, knowing that Mr. Basin really didn't like him. "You not only saved the store, but my wife's life, and the lives of my customers. Heck boy, you're a hero!" Kid stood there groaning to himself knowing that keeping a low profile was no longer an option.

"Mr. Jones?" Sheriff Katlin asked as he held onto the leader. "I'll need you to come down to the Sheriff's office. I think we've got some things to discuss." Kid could hear the subtle tone in the Sheriff's voice.

"Yes sir, Sheriff," Kid said. "I'll be right there." Kid watched the Sheriff and the deputy as they left with the three would be robbers.

"Are you sure you're all right, Thaddeus?" Mrs. Basin asked.

"I'm fine, Ma'am, but I better go see the Sheriff." He quickly grabbed his hat and headed out the door as he heard Mr. Basin claiming that he was the best employee he had ever hired.

Knowing that the Sheriff knew who he was and figuring he had no choice, Kid nervously entered the Sheriff's office just as Katlin finished locking up the men who tried to rob the store. The Sheriff turned and motioned Kid to take a seat as he went to sit in his own chair. "Mr. Jones, I first want to thank you for what you did at the Basin's store today. You may have saved many lives today. Not many people I know would have been able to pull off a move like that." Kid could hear the undertone in the Sheriff's comment. "But there are a couple of men that I know of that could do it… just like you did."

Kid swallowed and nodded. "Just what are you implying, Sheriff?" Kid asked with a nervous smile, hoping his mind could come up with a plan of escape without his partner helping him.

"What I'm implying Mr. Jones, is that the men that I know of that could do what you did today are not exactly what you would call model citizens." Katlin then got up out of his chair and started walking towards the wall where the current wanted posters were hung. "Now, I'm not saying that you are one of those men, Mr. Jones," Katlin began again as he fingered Kid's poster, "but it does seem to me that you could be mistaken for one of them, one of them in particular." Kid sat quietly in his chair. "Now because of what you did today, Mr. Jones, I am going to assume that you are not the man I suspect you to be, however, I do believe it is time for you to head on out of town. Do you understand what I mean?"

Kid leaned back in his chair and sighed, half in surprise and half in relief. "I understand completely Sheriff and thank you." Kid slowly got up and headed for the door.

"Mr. Jones," Katlin called out. "I heard that you and your partner had quit the business but I didn't believe it myself until I heard about your partner getting that amnesty. I was quite surprised about that. I do hope that the Governor comes to his senses and offers it to you too. If you are willing to risk your life like that to save others, even though you are still wanted, I can only imagine how protective you'll be if you're free. If and when you do get that amnesty, come back and look me up. I could always use a good man like yourself."

Kid stared at the smiling Sheriff, stunned by what he just heard. "Uh, yeah, I might just do that. Thanks again, Sheriff." Kid tipped his hat and then headed out the door.

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Heyes sat there staring at his cards, chewing on the cigar that he was smoking. The hand he was holding wasn't the best hand he ever had, but that never stopped him before. "Raise ya another five," he said as he threw in his money. He quickly got the read on the rest of the players only after a few hands, finding them to all be below the caliber of players he normally played with. "Even Kid could beat these guys," he thought sadly as he reminded himself that Kid wasn't here. He watched as the rest of the players all folded and grumbled at the luck he was having. Finding himself suddenly depressed, Heyes sighed as he pulled in his money. Poker wasn't as much fun without the Kid around. Putting his cigar out and pushing his chair back, he went to stand up. "Sorry fellas, but I've got to be going. Got to be able to get up to go to work tomorrow." The men all stared back as he picked up his winnings.

"You can't go yet Mister," one of the cowhands snarled. "You've got to give me a chance to win some of my money back."

"As much fun as that sounds, I really need to be going." Heyes went to turn but was stopped at the sound of a gun being cocked.

"And I said that you need to give me a chance to win my money back," the man said again.

Heyes turned and stared at the gun that was already pointing at him. Normally, he would have thought nothing of the situation but he suddenly found himself frightened. He knew that he was pretty good at using his gun, being faster than most others, but he knew he could never outdraw a man who already had his weapon pointed at him. He sighed thinking that it was Kid who usually took control of these types of situations. So, knowing that he needed to do something, Heyes did what he did best, he smiled his most innocent smile.

"I'll be glad to give you a rematch some other time but not tonight."

"And I said that you will give me a chance to win my money back," the cowhand grumbled back as the rest of the saloon went quiet.

Heyes sighed again knowing that this man wasn't going to take no for an answer and leaned his hands on the table. "Listen friend, I don't want any trouble but if you force me, I'll give it to you." The look in Heyes' eyes caused the man to pause in thought but he continued to aim his gun at him.

"It seems to me that you are the one in trouble," the cowhand smiled nervously.

Heyes closed his eyes and shook his head in disgust. "Gentlemen," he said as he quickly looked around the table, "please forgive me." Before anyone could ask what he meant, Heyes grabbed the table tipping it towards the cowhand causing the man to jump back and fall off of his chair to avoid being hit by the flying cards, money and the table itself. As he landed on the floor his gun went off, the bullet harmlessly taking out a portion of the ceiling. With the other players jumping out of the way, Heyes moved around the table with his gun out and pointed at the cowhand as he tried to recover from the outburst. Heyes then quickly grabbed the cowhand's gun and threw it to the side. "Now, as I said before, I will gladly give you another chance some other time, but not tonight." The cowhand just nodded and swallowed hard as he looked at the gun that was pointed at him and saw the dark fury in Heyes' eyes. Heyes then holstered his gun, turned, and left, leaving a very stunned crowd behind.

"I didn't know Hannibal Heyes was that fast with his gun?" one of the other players said.

"Yeah, I always thought that Kid Curry was the fast one," another one said.

"That was Hannibal Heyes?" the cowhand asked in shock. Swallowing hard again, he turned and watched the man leave, grateful for the fact of still being alive.

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Two days later, Kid rode up to the small cabin, making sure that nobody else was around. Tying his horse to a small tree near some grass, he cautiously headed over to the cabin, stopping in front of the door and quietly knocked. When the door opened, the cabin's lone occupant stood there a moment stunned at who was standing there and then smiled. "Kid!" Clementine Hale screamed out as she threw her arms around his neck and kissed him soundly.

"Hey Clem," Kid laughed when the kiss broke. "It's good to see you too."

"What are you doing here?" she asked as she hung onto his neck.

"Was kinda wondering if it would be possible to stay here for a little while?" Kid tentatively asked, not sure how Clem would take to his request.

"Well sure you can," she answered finally letting him go and looking around. "But where's Heyes?"

"You didn't hear?"

"Hear what? He's okay isn't he?"

"Last time I saw him he was."

"What do you mean last time you saw him? Kid, what's going on?" Her concern for Heyes was making her temper rise.

"Take it easy, Clem," he told her as he pushed her inside the house. "I can't believe you didn't hear about it."

"Hear about what?" she demanded as Kid sat down.

"Heyes got the amnesty."

"He got the amnesty?" she shouted. "That's so wonderful! You two must be very happy now that you are free and can now live like you want..." In her excitement over the news, it took her a few moments to notice that Kid wasn't as ecstatic about the news as he should be. Then the realization of what he just said kicked in and her hands flew to cover her mouth. "Oh no. Heyes got the amnesty?" she asked quietly. Kid just nodded. "A…and you didn't?" Kid shook his head. "Oh Kid, I'm so sorry." She hastily moved over to him pulling up a chair beside him, taking his free hand in hers. "Why didn't the Governor give you your amnesty?"

"Thought it would be a bad political move on his part," he ground out as he threw his hat onto the table.

"Oh," she said slumping in her own chair. "But where is Heyes?"

"Staying at Lom Trevors' place in Porterville. Because of the amnesty, he's not allowed to associate with any known outlaws, including me."

"The Governor can't do that!" Clem shouted. "You're his family!"

"He did," Kid said dejectedly. "That's why I came here to see if you would let me stay here for a little while until things settle down a little. I tried staying at Big Mac's in Texas but quickly realized that the Sheriff would be able to figure out who I was if he saw me. So instead of getting Mac into trouble, I took off and ended up in Rio Rancho, but the Sheriff there did recognize me."

"And he let you go?" Clem asked in shock.

"Believe me, you're not half as surprised as I am," Kid smiled. "I sort of helped to stop a robbery and that's when the Sheriff figured out who I was. So instead of arresting me, he let me go. Been riding for the last two days to get here."

"Well I for one am glad that you did," Clem smiled back. "You can stay here for as long as you need to."

"I appreciate this Clem," he said as she took him into a big hug. "I really appreciate this."

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Heyes had started his job of security at the Porterville bank a few days earlier and he had taken a detailed tour of the bank with Mr. Porter himself, showing the man where his security was lacking and what was overkill. Mr. Porter turned out to be quite impressed with what Heyes showed him and was becoming very excited about the prospects of having a very secure bank. It was the first time in days that Heyes was actually enjoying himself and feeling like his old self again. He was still worried about not having heard from his cousin in over two weeks but finally came to the realization that Kid must be laying low for a little bit at least until the news about his amnesty quieted down. It was later on that afternoon that Lom entered the bank searching for his friend.

"Lom, what are you doing here?" Heyes asked in surprise. "Checking up on me?"

"Now you know me better than that Heyes. You know that I trust you…most of the time."

Heyes laughed at the small dig. "So what are you doing here?"

"I got this mysterious telegram a few minutes ago and thought that you might want to see it. I don't know the person that sent it but was hoping that you would." Lom held up a telegram for Heyes to see and Heyes quickly grabbed it out of his hands to read it.

To Sheriff Lom Trevors

Porterville Wyoming

From Clementine Hale

Denver Colorado

Dear Sheriff Trevors

The package that you sent has arrived here via Texas and New Mexico safe and sound.

Plan on keeping it here for a while until it is ready for the next trip.

Will inform you of when that move will be.

Clementine Hale

"Clementine?" Heyes said slightly surprised as he looked up at Lom with a smile on his face. "Kid's with Clementine."

The relief showed on Lom's face. "Glad to see he's safe," Lom smiled back. "I'm just surprised that he didn't stay with your friend Mac."

"Unless he thought that the law was getting too close," Heyes mused while scratching his head. "Mac is one of the few people who knew who we really were and covered for us by telling the sheriff that Kid was his nephew."

"Did that Sheriff ever see you?"

"Yeah. That's probably why Kid didn't stay there. I bet you he was just trying to protect Mac."

"That would make sense," Lom agreed. "But who's this Clementine Hale though?"

"An old friend. We've known each other since we were kids. In fact we helped her a while back prove that the man her father worked for was swindling money and that he framed her father for it."

"Well that was nice of you to do," Lom commented.

"It would have been if it wasn't for the fact that she had the only picture of me and Kid in her possession at the time. Not a good thing to have going around when you're wanted."

"She blackmailed you?"

"You could say that."

"Boy with friends like that, I'd hate to see what your enemies would do to you," Lom smiled.

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Kid and Clem rode the buckboard into town as he constantly looked out for anyone who might know who he is. With his little adventure in Rio Rancho and without Heyes at his back, everything was making him jump. "Will you please relax," Clem ordered after Kid spun around quickly when someone started pounding the hammer they were using to fix the boardwalk.

"Sorry," Kid sighed as he leaned heavily onto the wagon, feeling like every eye in the city was on him. He shook himself then helped Clem to get down. "I'm just kinda nervous is all."

"You couldn't tell," Clem sarcastically said. She then saw the frightened look on his face and was immediately sorry for being so harsh with him. "Look, I know that you're use to having Heyes watching your back, but I also know that you two can take care of yourselves without each other's help." Kid just nodded. "Just remember that Denver is a big enough town that you can get yourself lost in if you run into any sort of trouble. I know…I've done it before." This caught Kid's attention as he gave her a questioning look. "I…I wasn't always the sweet, innocent girl that you've come to know and love," she said as Kid started grinning at her. "My friends and I…well let's just say that we could be pretty wild when we wanted to."

"This I would like to hear about," Kid said as he crossed his arms waiting for her to explain.

"Well you're not going to hear about it now," Clem answered as she started pushing him towards the general store. "We've got supplies to pick up and I know that you want to get back to the house as soon as we can."

"Promise you'll tell me later?" Kid grinned as he stood his ground while she tried to push him along.

Clem finally stopped pushing and gave an exasperated sigh. "Oh all right, I'll tell you later. Much later," she said under her breath. Kid nodded again and held out his arm for her to take and together they headed into the general store.

They were in the process of getting the much-needed supplies when the door to the store opened and in walked two women who were impeccably dressed, with their long brown hair swept back and tied up on the back of their heads. Their brown eyes and their pretty, matching features told everyone that they were definitely sisters. Clem spotted them immediately and frowned. "Oh Clem, I'm so glad we caught you," one of women said as they stood beside her.

"Annie, Molly, wonderful to see you," Clem said as she quickly hugged each girl. "What is it I can do for you?" She noticed that the two of them seemed to be looking around for someone.

"We were just wondering if you are coming to the church social on Friday evening?" Molly asked as she spotted Kid in the back of the store and slightly elbowed her sister to get her attention.

"The church social? I completely forgot about it," Clem lied, trying to deflect their attention off of Kid. "I don't think that I'll be going actually."

"Why not?" Annie asked as she finally found who she was looking for. "It should be loads of fun."

"Oh well, you see, I have company in town this week and I'm afraid it just wouldn't be a good idea." Clem could tell just who they were looking at and how hard they were looking at him too.

"That's too bad," Molly said in a deflated tone. "We were kind of hoping that maybe you could bring your company with you."

"Like I said that wouldn't be a very good idea at the moment." Clem stiffened slightly when she felt Kid come up behind her.

"Hey Clem, do we have everything we need?" Kid innocently asked as he placed more supplies on the counter.

"Please tell us this isn't your company now is it?" Annie asked as she desperately tried to get Kid's attention.

"Oh him?" Clem feigned innocently. "Why yes, yes he is. Thaddeus," she said as she grabbed him by the arm, "this is Annie and Molly Winship. A couple of very dear friends of mine." Kid held back the smile that was trying to form from Clem's sarcastic comment. "Annie, Molly, this is Thaddeus Jones, my…"

"Cousin. I'm Clem's cousin," Kid said as he removed his hat and shook each lady's hand.

"Your cousin?" Molly cried out. "Why it is so wonderful to meet you Mr. Jones," she said, eyelashes wildly batting at him.

"Oh yes, it is a real pleasure," Annie added in a not so quite bashful tone.

"My pleasure ladies," he smiled back charmingly. "Now, just what were you three talking about?" he asked as he stood back and crossed his arms.

"We were wondering if Clem was coming to the church social on Friday night," Annie told him excitedly.

"And we heard that she had company and was wondering if you were coming also?" Molly asked with a hopeful hint in her voice. "It should be quite the social event of the season."

"Well, I'm not sure if my plans allow it," Kid said, much to the disappointment of the two women. "In my line of work, I never know exactly when I might have to leave town."

"What kind of work are you in?" Molly asked, her brown eyes fluttering again.

"You could say banking and railroad," Kid smiled innocently.

"Banking and railroad?" Annie asked in a somewhat confused manner.

"Uh yes, I sometimes help acquire other people's money and also guard the shipments."

"That must be so exciting," Molly squealed in delight.

"Oh yes I'm sure it is," Clem replied, sarcasm dripping in her voice. "I'm sorry girls, but Thaddeus and I need to get back home. It's not often we get to spend time together, so if you'll excuse us?" Clem quickly paid for everything while Kid grabbed the supplies to load them into the wagon.

"It was nice meeting you ladies," Kid said as he passed by the two women with his arms full.

"Nice to meet you too, Mr. Jones," they both said while they watched him.

Once the supplies were in place, Kid helped Clem into the wagon and climbed in. Just as he sat down, Clem slapped his arm. "Ow! What was that for?" Kid asked as he rubbed his offended arm.

"Why did you tell those two that you were my cousin?" Clem demanded, almost sounding jealous.

"Well you wouldn't want me to tell them that I'm just your friend staying at your house now would ya?"

"Why not?"

"Why not? I don't think that would make a real good impression with everyone."

Clem sat back in the seat with a deflated look on her face. "No, I suppose it wouldn't," she reluctantly agreed. "But just be careful with those two. Once they find an eligible bachelor, they become worse than leeches."

Kid laughed at Clem's over protective tone. "I will be, besides, I'm sure you'll look out for me with those two." Kid grinned wickedly as he slapped the reigns and the two of them headed back to her house.

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Heyes escorted his "date" into the restaurant where they were seated at a quiet little table in a secluded corner. As they sat down, Heyes looked at his companion with just a touch of nervousness although his outward appearance never showed it. Clearing his throat he spoke. "It was very kind of you to invite me to dinner, Ms. Porter."

She looked up at him with a shy expression. "Please, call me Caroline," she insisted. "After all, we aren't working at the bank at the moment and to tell you the truth, I find it quite exciting to have the infamous Hannibal Heyes working at my bank and not Joshua Smith."

Heyes ducked his head slightly at the comment. "I'm sorry about that, Caroline, but we did have a good reason for not calling ourselves by our real names."

"Yes, I can understand that…but what should I call you?" Caroline asked as she looked back at him. "I mean, I can't call you Joshua anymore and Mr. Heyes sounds so stuffy."

"Most everyone calls me Heyes with the exception of a select few who insist on calling me Hannibal," Heyes smiled.

"All right, Heyes it is," she smiled back. "Tell me Heyes, if I maybe so bold, what was it that started you and Thaddeus, I mean Kid, off in a life of crime?"

"That's quite a long story, Caroline."

"Well if you don't want to tell me that's all right…"

"No, it's all right, it's just that…a long story," Heyes sighed, stopping only long enough for them to order their dinner. "Kid and I both lost our parents in the war and being the only family we each had, we made sure that we stayed together, but the orphanage that we grew up in wasn't what you would call, conducive to nurturing young children. Living there was probably just as hard as living in the streets with the exception of beds to sleep in."

"How horrible for you and your partner. I can't even begin to imaging what you must have went through."

Heyes cleared his throat again, finding it difficult to talk about the part of his life he would like to forget. "Well, when I was sixteen, Kid and me ran away and found ourselves on the streets. Finding work wasn't easy at the time especially with a depression on and being that we were so young, we quickly learned how good we did have it at the orphanage, but neither of us was willing to go back. We somehow managed to find work once in a while so that we could at least get some food, but we found ourselves stealing it most of the time. We even hooked up with some people who taught us about the con circuit, teaching us things that would come in handy later. Kid even found himself someone who was willing to teach him how to shoot a gun. He would practice for hours a day when he could and became quite good with it as you well know."

"Yes I heard the stories about how fast he is," Caroline agreed. "Is he really as fast with a gun as they say?"

"Probably faster, but he's never shot or killed anyone unless it was in self defense. I think that's why he practiced so much so that he wouldn't have to kill intentionally." Heyes sat there staring at the cup of coffee that was in front of him, silently thinking.

"You miss him, don't you?" Caroline asked as his silence continued.

Heyes gave her a watery smile. "Very much," he sighed. "We went our separate ways once and we both found out how much we depended upon each other, and now Kid doesn't have anyone but himself to depend on. That can make the life of an outlaw very dangerous. It's much better when you have someone watching your back." Heyes sighed again as he played with his silverware. "Sometimes I think all of this would be easier if he were dead that way I would have some closure and that I could get on with my life, but knowing that he's out there somewhere where I can't even help him if he is in trouble…"

"It was unfair of the Governor to do that to you two," Caroline answered, covering his hand with hers. "I truly like Thaddeus, I mean Kid. He is a sweet, gentle man and I enjoyed the times that we were together having dinner."

"I know that he likes you too, Ma'am, but life as an outlaw does have its disadvantages."

"I can understand that," she smiled. "Now enough of this depressing talk," she blurted out suddenly. "Tell me, Heyes, what other improvements do you have in mind for the bank?"

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"Are you sure that you really want to do this?" Kid asked once more as he tied the string of his red shirt into a loose knot. It was Friday, the day of the Church social, and Clem could see that Kid was beginning to bounce off the walls from being cooped up for so long.

"Kid, you have been stuck in this house for almost a week now," Clem said as exasperation laced her voice. "The only time you have been out is when we went to town to get supplies."

"That is the idea of laying low," Kid reminded her.

"I know but you need to get out once in awhile," she replied. "You've been pacing around here like a caged tiger. Maybe this dance is just what you need."

"What about Annie and Molly?" Kid asked with a smile on his face as he looked at her. "You weren't too happy when I met them in town the other day."

"True, but this time we'll be prepared for them when they do come after you," Clem answered as she fixed the collar of his shirt, staring into his eyes and wrapping her arms around his neck. "Even though you are technically to the other townsfolk, my "cousin" and not just my friend, I expect you to have most of your dances with me."

Kid pulled her close to himself. "Now don't tell me you're the jealous type?"

"Me? Jealous? Whatever gave you that idea?" she asked coyly. "Believe me, I know those two. Once they try to get their hooks into you, you'll be running faster than if you had a posse chasing you and I'm not ready for you to leave yet. I've kind of enjoyed having you around these last few days."

Kid couldn't help but chuckle. "Somehow, I think you'll keep me safe from those two," he said as he leaned down to kiss her.

"I better. Heyes would never forgive me if I let them take you away," she smiled, and then she suddenly frowned at the look on Kid's face. "I'm sorry, Kid. I didn't mean to upset you. I was just trying…"

"It's okay Clem, I'm fine," he sighed as he pulled away.

"I know that you miss him. I should never have mentioned him…"

"Clem, really. It's okay," Kid smiled slightly as he took her in his arms again. "You're right, I do miss him. Its just hard knowing that I'm not allowed to see him that really bothers me. I just have to be patient for the time being and if all goes well, I'll get to see him in two years."

"A lot can happen in two years, you yourself know that."

"I know but all I can do for right now is keep out of trouble and be patient, and you know how hard both of those things can be for me."

"That I do know," Clem smiled back. "Come on, let's go to that dance and show the others how it's really done."

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A half hour later they arrived in town and pulled up at the social hall where the dance was being held. As they entered, the many friendly people of the town greeted them, with Clem introducing Kid as her cousin. They both walked around making small talk with the others and watched as the children ran around playing a game of tag with each other as they waited for the music to begin. Clem had to pull Kid away from the food table a couple of times so that she could introduce him to some of the others.

"Clem, Mr. Jones, it's so good to see you here tonight," Molly gushed as she pulled the young man that had asked her to the dance along. She made no obvious attempts to hide her infatuation with Kid as her friend just stared at them both.

"Well, Thaddeus and I decided that since he was still in town that we would come tonight. After all, this is one of the biggest social events of the year," Clem said with a forced smile.

"Oh, yes it is," agreed Molly. "Mr. Jones, you must dance with me at least once tonight," she said as she clung onto his arm.

"Well now that will be up to Clem here," Kid replied with a smile. "She's already warned me that she wants to dance every dance with me tonight."

"Oh?" Molly questioned.

"Yes, you see, we took lessons together when we were younger and it seems that the only other person we can really dance with, without making fools out of ourselves, is each other," Clem lied as she pulled Kid away from Molly. Fortunately for her, the music started playing. "Come on Thaddeus, let's dance." Quickly the two of them moved away from the infuriated Molly and her uncertain boyfriend, who just continued to stare at Kid.

"That was close," Clem said as they waltzed their way around the floor.

"For you or me?" Kid smiled back.

"For both of us," Clem answered. "Like I said, if she would have gotten her claws in you, she wouldn't have let you go."

"What about the guy she was with? Wouldn't he have something to say about it?"

"That wimp, Dwayne?" Clem sarcastically said. "Believe me, you wouldn't even need your gun to knock him flat on his back. Just one look and he'd pass out."

"He seemed like a nice guy," Kid said as they continued their dance.

"Nice guy yes but no back bone. A real Mama's boy if you know what I mean, and would you believe that he's a Deputy Sheriff?"

"A Deputy Sheriff?" Kid said as he looked at her in horror.

"Don't worry about him, Kid," Clem said reassuringly. "The only reason he has that job is because he's the Sheriff's nephew. You know I think he would faint if someone pointed a gun at him." Kid relaxed a little but not much.

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That same Friday night, Heyes and Caroline found themselves together again walking down the road out of town enjoying the mild temperatures and the full moon. They chatted amiably through out the night. Heyes found himself relaxed in her company, taking pleasure in the meaningful conversation that they were having. They talked about everything from the bank to the local political situations that were governing the town of Porterville.

"It just amazes me, Heyes, at how knowledgeable you are about so many different subjects," Caroline said as she turned to look at him.

"Surprised to find that an ex-outlaw actually knows what's going on in the world?" Heyes asked with an impish smile.

"Oh, I didn't mean it that way," Caroline stammered.

"I know," Heyes answered. "Believe me, I got that quite a lot over the years. People have a tendency to think that the only thing I was good at was robbing trains and banks."

"But you're not, I can see that," Caroline complimented. "You really are quite intelligent in many aspects too."

"I guess all that reading I do has paid off," Heyes quipped.

"You read?" Caroline tried to hide the shocked expression that was on her face from the blatant comment that she just made. "I'm sorry, I did it again. That didn't come out quite like I meant."

"Well what did you mean?" Heyes asked, a smile on his face, enjoying the chance to embarrass her some more.

"I…I guess I have a tendency to speak before I think sometimes," she explained. "What I really meant to say was what kind of books do you read?"

"Basically anything that I can get my hands on," Heyes smiled back. "That was probably one of the hardest things about being an outlaw, that I wasn't up to date on all the latest books that came out. Most of the books I read were the ones I found in the hotel rooms that we stayed in, the books that somebody inadvertently left behind. I could sit and read for hours; use to drive Kid crazy."

"I take it Kid doesn't read much?"

"Oh he can read but he's a man of action. Never was one to sit around for any lengths at a time. Although, he does enjoy a good dime novel now and again."

Caroline couldn't help but laugh. "Not ones about you two, I hope?"

"Especially the ones about us," Heyes laughed back. "He always got a kick out of the ones where he would come in, guns blazing, shooting ten people before he had to reload. He would sit back and wonder how he was able to do that with only six bullets in his gun."

"I guess that is what makes those novels so exciting."

"Yeah, but it always bothered him when they made him out to be something that he wasn't and to some extent, they did the same to me only not as obvious," Heyes sighed. "I guess that's why the Governor thinks the way he does about him."

"Heyes, let me help," Caroline suddenly said.

He stopped walking and cocked his head to one side. "Help? Help with what?"

"With Kid silly," she explained. "Let me and my father help you try and get that amnesty for your partner."

"I don't know if that's even possible," Heyes said frustrated. "The Governor was pretty adamant about not giving it to him."

"But we could at least try," she begged. "Listen, you've told me some of the things that you and Kid have done over the last couple of years while you were trying to go straight, about the people you have helped. Even Lom is willing to try again."

"I appreciate this, I really do, but will the Governor be willing to listen?"

"The only thing we can do is try," she said with a shrug. "Let's start by contacting some of the people you helped and have them send telegrams to the Governor on behalf of the Kid."

"Why do you want to help him like that?" Heyes asked, suspicious of her intent.

"Because I like you and I like Kid too, even though I only really know him as Thaddeus Jones," she said with a sincere smile.

Heyes stared at her hard for a few moments. "Well, I guess it's worth a shot," Heyes grinned back. "In fact it's a lot better than the plan I had in mind."

"Oh? What was that?"

"Go to the Governor's mansion and hold him hostage until he signs that amnesty."

"Oh yeah, I could really see that working," Caroline laughed back. Her laughter stopped when Heyes grabbed her by the shoulders and leaned in to gently kiss her. After a few moments, the kiss finally broke. "What was that for?" she asked with a dazed look in her eyes.

"Just thanking you for trying to help Kid" he paused, "and because I wanted to."

"Well, Mr. Heyes," she smiled back at him, "if you want to do that again, I won't stop you." Heyes smiled and dove in for another kiss as he held her tightly.

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Just as Clem promised, the two of them had dance almost every dance together, thus effectively keeping Molly and Annie away from Kid. Annie had tried desperately to get Kid to dance with him while they took a quick break to get something to drink, but Clem had run interference by handing Kid a plate of food piled high with the various delicacies available. Only twice did Clem allow someone other than herself to dance with Kid, one being the Preacher's wife, who was dying to get to know the man who was her "cousin", and the other being Mrs. O'Malley, the town's prominent seventy-five year old widow who always had the honor of dancing with each of the young men present. Both women found Kid to be extremely charming and a wonderful dancer too.

"So how are you holding up?" Clem asked as the two of them moved around the dance floor again.

"I don't know about you, but all this dancing is more tiring than driving a cattle herd all day," Kid smiled back.

"But I bet you it isn't as dusty and dirty though," Clem laughed.

"True, but just as dangerous sometimes, especially the way you're keeping me from Annie and Molly."

"Well just be glad that this thing is almost over, though I hate to see it end. I have to admit, I had a lot of fun tonight dancing with you."

Kid beamed back at her. "And I have to say that I also enjoyed myself."

The two of them continued dancing, taking pleasure in each other's company, and avoiding the children as they started playing tag once again. It was the same group of children that had accidentally knocked over one of the stands that had a lantern hanging on it. The quickly spreading oil caught on fire, thus setting ablaze the old wooden floor and walls. Screams could be heard as the fire continued to grow and panic started to ensue.

A few of the calmer minds took over trying to calmly evacuate those that were in the building. Kid had chased Clem out and went to help anyone he possibly could. He quickly came upon Mrs. O'Malley and picked her up to carry her outside to safety. After gently setting her down, safely away from the fire, he ran back in to help anyone else he could. He noticed that the smoke had become quite thick as the old dry floors and walls acted like kindling, which the fire greedily consumed. He had just managed to help an elderly gentleman out of the building when he heard the scream of one of the mothers.

"What's wrong?" he asked as he came up to the hysterical woman.

"My son, Jeffrey," she sobbed. "He's still in there."

Without even a second thought, Kid ran back in only to find that the building was almost consumed with fire. Eyes watering and coughing as he went, he checked under every table and hiding place that he could find in the smoky room. Finally, he came upon the boy, who appeared to be about five years old, as he hid in a corner of the building that had yet to catch fire. Picking him up, he heard a whimpering sound coming from the boy and started carrying him to safety. "It's okay, Jeffrey, I'm gonna get you out of here," he promised as he headed towards the door. Kid was stopped short when a burning beam from the ceiling crashed down in front of him. He knew his time was running short as he heard another loud creak coming from another part of the room.

Kid looked around trying to find a way past the fire. He was startled when he heard a voice calling out to him just past the burning beam. Seeing that it was Dwayne, who was trying to make his way towards them, he quickly called out to the man. "Dwayne here, catch him." Kid yelled as he tossed the boy over the burning beam, high enough over the flames, into the waiting arms of Dwayne. The Deputy Sheriff then ran out to safety with his charge. Coughing some more as the smoke thickened, Kid desperately tried to find a way out for himself. Seeing no other choice, he ran and jumped over the burning beam, landing heavily on the other side, his feet crashing through the weakened floor. He cried out in pain as the wood sliced through his left leg, just above his boot as it went through the broken boards, and again when he tried to pull himself out.

He was finding harder to breathe as the smoke and flames continued to eat at the dry wood. He tried desperately once more to pull his leg out, only to have it stay put. Coughing more, he found that his strength was leaving him and collapsed to the floor. He never felt the hands grabbing a hold of him and removing his leg from the splintered floor and he never felt himself being carried out into the cool, fresh air.

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Clem sat in the Doctor's outer office, her hands wringing the handkerchief that she held. Mrs. O'Malley sat beside her holding onto to her, doing her best to console the younger woman. Clem found herself truly frightened when she saw the other men carrying Kid out of the burning building and was instantly by his side as they placed him on the back of the buckboard so that they could take him to the Doctor's office. She never noticed the others who were watching as he was taken away.

She sat there staring straight ahead, waiting impatiently for the Doctor to come out. As soon as the door opened, she was on her feet. "Doctor, how is he?"

"The Doctor tiredly smiled at her. "He's going to be fine in a few days," he said as he sat her back down. "The cuts on his leg weren't very deep; only one of them needing stitches, and his breathing has eased up now that he's out of all that smoke."

Clem couldn't help but smile at the news. "Can I see him?" she asked, needing to see for herself that he was safe.

"Sure, but only for a few minutes," the Doctor replied. "I want him to stay here tonight so that I can keep an eye on him, just to be safe." She nodded and followed him into the room where Kid was. "Mr. Jones, your cousin is here," the Doc said quietly so as not to scare the man.

Kid's eyes instantly flew open and he scanned the room. Clem saw the disappointment in his eyes when he realized that the Doctor was talking about her and not Heyes, but his face did break into a large smile as soon as he spotted her. "Hey," he said tiredly as she walked up to the table.

"Hey yourself," she smiled back. Both waited for the Doctor to leave before either one spoke again. "You scared me you know," she scolded him lightly as she placed her hand on the side of his face.

"Sorry," he sighed as he leaned into her hand. "Wasn't planning on getting trapped in that building."

"Yeah, well you of all people should know that trouble always follows you."

Kid grinned back at the comment. "I could say the same about you, you know. How's the little boy?"

"He's fine. He was just scared, although he liked it when the big man that rescued him threw him over the fire into the arms of the Deputy." Kid smiled, relief showing on his face knowing that the boy was safe. "How do you feel?" Clem asked as she took his hand in hers, not quite able to hide the concern in her voice.

"My chest and leg hurts and it looks like I ruined another pair of pants," he smiled as he played with the pant leg that the Doctor had cut up to his thigh, "but mostly I'm just tired."

"Too much dancing, huh?"

"Yeah, that must be it," he yawned. "Sorry about ruining your evening."

"Why should you be sorry? You didn't start the fire. Besides, like I said earlier, I had a great time tonight. I can't ever remember dancing that much." Kid saw the smile on her face and couldn't help smiling himself.

"Well let's get going then," he said as he started to sit up, stopping when he felt her hands on his shoulders.

"You're not going anywhere, Mister," Clem stated as she pushed him back down.

"What do you mean? I feel fine."

"The Doctor wants you to stay here tonight just so he can keep an eye on you."

"I can't stay here, I'm supposed to be keeping a low profile, remember?"

"Well you should have thought of that before you started saving half the town," Clem told him, admiration in her eyes. "Besides, you're just staying here so that the Doc can make sure that you're all right. It's not like he's going to parade you all over town."

"But…"

"No buts. You're staying and that's that," Clem said as she kissed him lightly on the lips. "Now you get some rest, Doctor's orders." Kid was just going to make a comment when the door to the room flew open and in walked the Sheriff, Dwayne, and the protesting Doctor. Mrs. O'Malley followed quietly behind. "What's going on?" Clem asked as she turned to face the three men.

"We're here on official business," Sheriff Lewis stated as he stood at the foot of the examination table. "Kid Curry, you're under arrest."

"What? He's not Kid Curry," Clementine protested as she moved closer to protect her friend.

"Please Clementine, don't dig yourself in any deeper than you already are," Lewis said as he moved to cuff Kid's wrists.

"But Sheriff…"

"Clem, I'm letting you off easy, be grateful for it," Lewis said as he stared back at the woman. "I could arrest you for aiding and abetting a known outlaw but I'm not."

"But I'm telling you he isn't Kid Curry," she stated emphatically.

"Dwayne here recognized him from the description on his wanted poster. He fits the description to a tee. He also saw Heyes and Curry once when they robbed the train that he was on."

"But…"

"Clem don't," Kid said as he grabbed her hand. "I don't want you getting into anymore trouble." Clem looked at him, her heart breaking. "It's okay Clem. It…it's probably better this way." The smile on his face didn't have the same brightness that it usually did. She just nodded as the tears formed in her eyes. "Let's go Sheriff," Kid said as he attempted to get up.

"Sheriff, I must protest," the Doctor yelled as he went to help his patient. "He is in no shape to be getting up."

"You can take care of him just as easily at the jail as you can here," Lewis said as he grabbed Kid by the arms. "Come on Curry. Time to lock you up." Kid was quiet as he limped along between the Sheriff and the Deputy as Mrs. O'Malley and Clementine looked on."

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Heyes was busy working with the job foreman as they discussed the plans that were being used to make the bank more secure. They were taking advantage of the bank being closed for the day to do some of the work that couldn't be done with customers in the way. He was in the middle of a conversation with the man when a young boy came up to him. Heyes stopped talking and looked down at the young boy. "Can I help you?"

"Are you Hannibal Heyes?" the boy asked.

"Uh, yeah I am."

"Telegram, sir," the boy said as he handed him the piece of paper. Heyes quickly fished his pockets for some loose change. "Thanks Mister," the boy cried out as he left.

"Excuse me a moment will you?" Heyes asked the foreman as he moved away slightly so that he could read the telegram. Expecting the telegram to be from either Kid or Clem he smiled as he read who it was from but his smile quickly faded as he continued to read it.

To Hannibal Heyes

Porterville, Wyoming

From Clementine Hale

Denver Colorado

Kid arrested and is currently in Denver jail.

Sheriff sending for official to return him to Wyoming.

Please advise what to do.

Clem

Heyes was almost shaking as he read the telegram over again. He looked around and found Caroline finishing up with some of the never-ending paperwork. He quickly headed over to her catching her attention as he drew nearer. She immediately recognized that something was troubling him and started towards him as well. "Heyes, what's wrong?"

"Kid's in trouble," he said as he ran his hand through his hair.

"In trouble? How?"

"He's been arrested. Look, I hate to do this, but I have to get down to Denver and see if there is anything that I can do."

"But won't that go against the Governor's conditions on your amnesty?"

"I don't see how since he's in jail," Heyes said as his mind raced for ways of getting his cousin out of said jail. "Listen, I maybe gone for awhile, so…"

"Heyes," Caroline said with a pleading tone in her voice. "Please don't do anything foolish that will cause the Governor to change his mind about you." He could read in her eyes that she knew what he was thinking.

"Caroline, if it means saving Kid from a twenty year prison term, I have to do something," he said as he looked directly into her eyes. "I'm sorry," he said quietly as he quickly kissed her and then turned to leave. Caroline stood there biting her lower lip, when she suddenly headed out the front door.

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Heyes headed straight to Lom's house where he gathered up all of his things and packed them into his saddlebag. He stopped long enough to leave Lom a note as to where he was going and was heading towards the door when Lom stepped through. "I just heard but what do you think you're doing?" Lom asked as he effectively blocked the door.

"Out of my way Lom. You know what I have to do."

Lom saw the look of determination on his friend's face. "Heyes don't do this, don't give up everything you worked so hard for."

"Why not? Kid had to," Heyes spat back angrily. "In fact we both did thanks to the Governor."

"I know that, but you breaking him out of that jail won't help either of you," Lom answered back, trying to reason with him. "In fact breaking him out will only make the prices on your heads even higher. You'll have every bounty hunter this side of the Mississippi hunting harder for you than they ever did before."

"And I can't let him rot in prison for the next twenty years either," Heyes yelled back. "I'm the reason that he's in this fix now."

"How? How did you cause this?" Lom asked not sure what Heyes was getting at.

"Because I wasn't there to watch his back like I should be, like a partner would be."

Lom saw the defeated look in Heyes' eyes and understood what Heyes was really thinking. "Heyes, Kid wanted you to have this amnesty. He wanted you to have a chance at being free. Going off to break him out of jail will only go against what he wants."

"And what about me? What about what I want?" Heyes argued back as he hit his chest. "I don't want Kid locked up for the next twenty years. It was bad enough knowing that I won't be able to see him for the next two years, and I'll be damned if I'm gonna allow it to become twenty, and that's assuming he makes it that long in there." Lom stood there not knowing what to say. He knew that Heyes was determined to go and that there was no way he was going to stop him.

"All right Heyes," Lom finally sighed, giving in. "Just…just take care of yourselves."

Heyes looked back at Lom, seeing the sincerity on his face. "Thanks Lom. Thanks for everything that you've done for the both of us over the last few years." Lom shook the hand that Heyes held out for him.

"Keep in touch somehow, will you?"

"We'll try. Not quite sure where we'll end up, but we'll try."

"Be careful out there," Lom said with a small smile while moving away from the door.

"Thanks again Lom," Heyes replied as he headed out the door.

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Heyes rode for two days straight with only short breaks to give him and his horse enough rest so that neither one of them would collapse. He arrived at Clem's house only to find that she wasn't there. Getting back on his tired horse, he headed straight into town, stopping directly in front of the Sheriff's office. As he was dismounting, he heard someone yelling out his name. Turning, he saw Clementine running up to him.

She jumped directly into his arms as he returned the hug that she gave him. "Oh Heyes, I'm so glad you're here," Clem said as she continued to hug him. He pulled back from her far enough to see her tear-stained faced.

"Hey, what's this all about?" he asked as he wiped at the wetness on her cheeks.

"It's all my fault," she said as she clung onto him.

"What's all your fault?"

"Kid. I made him go to that dance and then the fire broke out and…and," she stammered out.

"Slow down now," Heyes said as he moved her over to a nearby bench and sat her down. "Now start from the beginning."

"Like I said, it's my fault," she claimed as she looked away from him. "Kid had been cooped up in the house for so long, that I insisted that we go to the Church social. We tried to be careful, but the man that was with Molly Winship was a Deputy Sheriff and he recognized Kid. But it wasn't until after the fire, and that Kid was hurt, that the Sheriff arrested him."

"Wait a minute? Kid is hurt?" Heyes asked as an icy chill ran through him.

"Oh, uh he is, but it isn't serious," she tried to explain. "You see, towards the end of the dance, some of the children knocked over one of the lanterns and the place caught fire. Kid being Kid, kept running into the building helping to bring out those who needed help. It was when he went in to get little Jeffrey, that he got trapped in there. He was able to hand Jeffrey off but as he was trying to get out the floor collapsed and cut into his leg. But because the smoke was so thick, he was unconscious by the time some of the other men got him out." She saw the look of horror on his face. "No Heyes, really he's all right. Only one of the cuts in his leg needed stitching and he's been breathing fine since they brought him out of the smoke." Heyes relax slightly as he heard that news.

"But what happened? When did they arrest him?"

"It was later on in the Doctor's office. The Sheriff, the Deputy, and the Doctor all came in and that's when the Sheriff took him over to the jail. The Deputy recognized him from a train robbery that you two pulled."

"I've got to do something," Heyes said as he pushed his hat back on his head.

"You can't," Clem said in horror. "The Sheriff isn't allowing him visitors and he's just waiting for someone from Wyoming to come down here to identify and take Kid back."

"Oh, he'll let me in," Heyes said as determination crossed his face. "If he doesn't, then I'll just have to do something to get Kid out of there."

"That will mean you'll be in trouble again and the Governor will take back your amnesty."

"I know that, Clem, but I am not gonna let Kid spend the rest of his life in jail."

"Oh Heyes, please don't," Clem cried out. "Some of the people in this town have been doing everything they can to get him out."

"The town?"

"Yes. It seems that Kid made quite an impression on a lot of the townsfolk at the dance, especially when he kept going back in to save the others."

"I don't think I can wait, Clem. If the Official from Wyoming gets here, there'll be no way to save him from spending the next twenty years in prison."

"Perhaps you can't do anything, but I can." Both Clem and Heyes turned to find who had spoken to them.

"Mrs. O'Malley," Clem stated in surprise as the older woman came closer.

"You must be Hannibal Heyes, am I correct?" Mrs. O'Malley asked as Heyes stood up and offered her his seat.

"Yes Ma'am, I am," Heyes replied, not quite sure what this lady wanted.

"How exciting," Mrs. O'Malley gushed in exhilaration. "Not only have I met two famous outlaws, but I was also saved by one of them."

"You're one of the people Kid saved?" Heyes questioned, trying to figure out where this whole thing was going.

"That's right. Myself, little Jeffrey, and Mr. Hanson, the Mayor of this wonderful town."

"The Mayor?"

"Thaddeus, I mean Kid also saved Mayor Hanson?" Clem asked in disbelief. "I didn't know he did that."

"That's why you two should stop worrying about Mr. Curry," Mrs. O'Malley said sternly.

"Uh, no offense, Ma'am, but I'm afraid that my partner is in a lot of trouble. Once the Wyoming Official gets here, he'll have no choice but to take Kid back with him to stand trial."

"That won't be a problem," Mrs. O'Malley said as she stood up.

"I'm afraid that is a big problem, Ma'am," Heyes replied.

"Nonsense. We already have a plan in place. Nothing is going to happen to your partner."

"I wish that I could believe that Ma'am, but I'm afraid that I just can't take that chance."

Mrs. O'Malley pulled herself up to her full five foot three height and stared directly into Heyes' eyes. "Mr. Heyes, I can tell by the look in your eyes what you intend to do and I beg of you to please be patient a little longer. You must have faith that everything will work out for the best."

"I'd like to Ma'am, but I've found out over the years that faith is sometimes very hard to come by," he replied sadly.

"I understand what you are saying, Mr. Smith," she said sympathetically, "but I must ask you to trust me." Heyes looked directly back at her and saw her unwavering assurance. "He saved my life, Mr. Heyes, now I am going to save his." Not really knowing why, Heyes found himself trusting her, so he nodded and smiled back at the woman standing in front of him. "Now, come with me and let's go see that partner of yours."

ASJ ASJ ASJ ASJ ASJ

The door to the Sheriff's office slammed open as if a hundred mile per hour wind had just blew it open. Sheriff Lewis stood up and groaned as he saw Mrs. O'Malley coming through the door along with Clementine and another man that he didn't recognize. Boldly, Mrs. O'Malley walked up to his desk.

"Sheriff, this young man has come to see Mr. Curry," she stated fearlessly, with no intentions of backing down.

"Mrs. O'Malley, I have already told you that the prisoner isn't allowed any visitors," Lewis whined like a ten-year-old schoolboy who was caught doing something he shouldn't be doing.

"Nonsense," she blustered back. "Do you have any idea who this gentleman is?" Lewis stared at the man and shook his head. "This fine, young man is none other than Hannibal Heyes, Mr. Curry's partner and only family."

"Hannibal Heyes?" Lewis yelled back as he reached for his gun.

"Put that thing away, Sheriff," Mrs. O'Malley ordered. "If you would stay current with your wanted posters like you should, you would know that Mr. Heyes here was granted amnesty and is now a free man."

"Oh, oh yeah that's right," stammered Lewis as he remembered hearing the news. "I'm sorry Ma'am, but he still can't see the prisoner. Curry there is still a wanted man and very dangerous to boot."

"He didn't look that dangerous to me at the Church social when he saved not only me, but little Jeffrey, and Mayor Hanson," she challenged.

"Well that maybe so Ma'am but…"

"But nothing, Sheriff. That man risked his own life for others. That doesn't sound like a dangerous criminal to me." Heyes stood to the side and smiled at not only how she was handling the Sheriff, but also what she was saying about Kid. Sheriff Lewis stood there frozen, not knowing what to do or say. He jumped a mile high when Mrs. O'Malley spoke again. "Well Sheriff?"

"Leave your gun," Sheriff Lewis ordered as he quickly walked around his desk with his keys in his hands and motioned Heyes to follow him. Heyes nodded, removed his gun, and smiled as he followed the Sheriff back to the cells. The Sheriff unlocked the outer door and escorted Heyes back to the cell where Kid was. "Curry, you have a visitor," Sheriff Lewis informed the young man. "You have five minutes," he told Heyes and quickly walked back out, leaving the two alone.

Kid was lying on his bunk with his arm over his eyes. He slowly removed it expecting to see Clem standing there but instead saw the smiling face of his partner. "Heyes!" he yelled out as he jumped up and ran over, giving him a semi-hug through the bars. Suddenly his joy turned to anger as he backed away and stared at the man. "What are you doing here? Are you crazy? Are you that desperate to lose your amnesty coming to see me?"

Heyes held up his arms in surrender trying to get Kid's attention. "Take it easy Kid, take it easy," Heyes said calmly as he looked over his friend. "Technically, you're not wanted anymore since you're in jail. It's good to see you too, by the way."

Kid stared at the smiling man and slowly his own smile returned. "God it's good to see you, Heyes," Kid said as he moved closer to the bars once again.

"I've missed you too, Kid. You okay? I heard that you were hurt," Heyes' tone suddenly becoming concerned.

"I'm fine, Heyes. Just a couple of scratches."

"From what I heard, it was more than that," Heyes said as he continued to check Kid out.

"Really Heyes, I'm fine," Kid replied trying to calm his partner's fears. "The Doc here has been taking real good care of me, not that it matters though."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Did you forget about me being transferred to Wyoming sometime very soon?" Kid asked in astonishment. "About me going to prison for the next twenty years?"

"I'm not so sure about that," answered Heyes with a mysterious tone in his voice as he looked at the outer door.

"What do you mean?" Kid asked. "You're not planning on breaking me out are you? Heyes, you can't do that. I won't let you give up your amnesty."

"Kid will you stop and listen," Heyes ordered causing Kid to close his mouth. "I'm not sure what's going on around here, but that Mrs. O'Malley, the lady that you saved from the fire, well she seems to have something in mind."

"Something in mind? Like what?"

"I don't know, but she's asked me to trust her," Heyes said with a shrug.

"Do you? Trust her I mean?"

"Yeah, I don't know why, but I do. She seems to have taken a real shine to you Kid and not to mention the fact that the guy you pulled out of the fire?"

"Yeah, what about him?"

"Seems he was the Mayor."

"Mayor? I saved the Mayor?"

"Yep, and the way I hear it, the whole town is in an uproar about the way you're being treated," Heyes smiled back.

Kid suddenly found himself sitting back on his bunk. "The whole town?"

"Yep, the whole town."

"And Mrs. O'Malley thinks that this is going to save me from going to prison?"

"She thinks so at least," Heyes shrugged again. Heyes and Kid both turned at the sound of the outer door being opened once again. They both watched as Sheriff Lewis came back in followed by Lom Trevors.

"Lom, what are you doing here?" Heyes asked as the two Sheriffs came to the cell.

"I got the telegram right after you left. I've been asked to escort Kid," Lom said grimly as Sheriff Lewis opened the door and cuffed Kid's hands together.

"Lom, you can't do this!" Heyes protested as he watched Lewis haul Kid to his feet.

"I'm under orders Heyes. It's my job, I have to." Lom grabbed Kid by the arm and started to move but stopped as Heyes blocked their path. "Please Heyes, don't make this harder than it already is for me," Lom begged. Heyes unwillingly stepped back and watched as Lom escorted Kid out the door. He quickly started following them and was met by Clem and Mrs. O'Malley, who had a pleading look on her face.

"Please Mr. Heyes, don't do anything you might regret," she said as she grabbed him by the arm.

Turning, he pulled away and faced her with eyes blazing. "I thought you told me that you had a plan so that he wouldn't end up in jail," Heyes said, venom in his voice.

"Please Mr. Heyes, you must trust me."

"How? They're taking him away and I won't see him for another twenty years!" The look of utter terror on Heyes' face caused her to step forward and take him by the arm once again.

"Come with me, Mr. Heyes. You need to see this," she said with a small smile. Having no other choice, he followed her outside with Clem right behind them, and together the three of them headed over the Mayor's office across the street.

Once they entered the large office, Heyes saw that Kid was standing between Lom and Sheriff Lewis looking around trying to figure out why he was brought here. An adjacent door suddenly opened and in walked Mayor Hanson along with the Governor of Wyoming. With the exception of Mrs. O'Malley and Mayor Hanson, everyone else was completely surprised by the Mayor's visitor. "Mr. Curry," the Governor coughed out, "I assume you know who I am?"

Kid stood there stunned and didn't answer until Lom elbowed him in the ribs. "Uh, yes sir, Governor. I know exactly who you are," Kid said, not really succeeding in hiding the disrespect in his voice. Lom elbowed him again, this time to shut him up.

"Ah yes, I can understand your attitude towards me, young man, especially the way I have treated you." Kid cocked his head at the Governor's statement. "I don't do this very often, Mr. Curry, but I owe you a very large apology for my preconceptions about you." Kid was stunned once again, along with most of the room. "I had allowed the opinions of others to color my view of who you really are and now, I realize that those opinions were not at all correct." Kid just stood there nodding his head, his mouth wide open in shock. "What I really want to tell you, son is this. As of this day forward, you, Jedediah "Kid" Curry, no longer have a warrant of arrest upon your head. By the authority invested in me as Governor of Wyoming, I hear by grant you your amnesty. Congratulations, Mr. Curry!" The Governor grabbed Kid's cuffed hands and shook them with gusto as Kid stood there still in shock over what just happened. "Uh, Sheriff Lewis? Perhaps we can remove these?" the Governor asked with a smile as he held up Kid's cuffed hands. Lewis, who was also astonished by the announcement, nodded and released Kid from the cuffs.

The rest of the room seemed to explode in a frenzy of cheers as Heyes pushed his way past everyone else and pulled Kid into a large hug. Pulling away, both men's eyes were bright with moisture. "You did it Kid! You got it!" Heyes yelled out, slapping him on the shoulder.

"I…I did, didn't I?" Kid asked in complete amazement and then turned to face the Governor. "Uh, not that I'm not grateful about getting the amnesty, sir, but…why? What made you change your mind?"

The Governor smiled at him. "Mr. Curry, my office has been receiving a constant stream of telegrams from the people that you and Mr. Heyes have been involved with over the past couple of years, telegrams that stated how you two have helped them to solve some very unusual problems. But those telegrams were not the reason that I changed my mind."

"They weren't?" The Governor smiled again and stepped back through the open door that he had come out of earlier. Heyes and Kid both looked at each other. As the Governor came back, he held a five-year boy in his arms. "Jeffrey?" Kid asked confused as to what Jeffrey had to do with anything.

"Yes Mr. Curry, this young man here," the Governor said as he tickled the child, "had the most influence in changing my mind about you."

"But what does Jeffrey have to do with anything?"

"Jeffrey is my Grandson, Mr. Curry," the Governor announced with pride in his voice. "You son, willingly went back into that fire and saved not only his life but the life of Mayor Hanson and Marguerite O'Malley here, at almost a great expense to yourself. These two fine folks have been friends of mine for a very long time and when they found out just who you were, they immediately notified me of what you did, not to mention the fact that my daughter and son-in-law made sure I knew what happened also," the Governor smiled back. "Like I said, I misjudged you very badly and I am truly sorry for the pain that I caused you and your cousin."

"Thank you Governor," Kid smiled back. "I am grateful for the second chance you have given me."

"My pleasure boy, my pleasure," the Governor replied as he tickled his squirming Grandson once again.

ASJ ASJ ASJ ASJ ASJ

It was later on in the evening, after everything had quieted down, that Heyes, Kid, Lom, and Clem found themselves at the Hotel Restaurant having dinner. The occasion turned out to be a celebration dinner for both Heyes and Kid as they basked in the fact that they were both free for the first time in years. The four of them sat there making their travel plans for the trip up to Cheyenne for the official presentation of Kid's amnesty. This time, Heyes knew it would be a very happy occasion since both of them would be there together and they would both be free. Kid was also informed that the same requirements that Heyes was given would also apply to him, but he wasn't too concerned about them as he was before.

They had just settled back with a fresh bottle of wine to celebrate the occasion when, Annie and Molly walked into the room in search of someone. "There you are," Molly said excitedly as the two women came up to the table. Kid and Clem both quietly groaned at the interruption.

"We've been looking all over the town for you," Annie said as she gazed intently at Kid.

"Well you found us, now you can leave," Clem said with a none-to-gentle tone. Heyes and Lom looked at each other with amusement.

"We were hoping that you would join us for some refreshments, Mr. Jones…I mean Mr. Curry," Molly said coyly, being very obvious what was on her mind. "It's so exciting to know a real live outlaw." Heyes, who was taking a sip of wine at the time, couldn't help but snort at the comment, covering it by pretending to cough. Kid glared at him before turning his attention back to the two women.

"Uh, thanks for the offer, ladies," Kid said sincerely, "but as you can see I am busy at the moment."

"Well, perhaps when you are finished…" Annie suggested.

Before he could respond, Clem stood up; glaring at the two women she considered leeches. "Back off you two," she warned with venom in her voice. "He's mine." Kid just sat there with his elbow on the table and his chin in his hand, smiling, but the entire room could see the look of surprise on both Heyes and Lom's faces. It was only Annie and Molly's look of shock that had the two men beaten in that department.

"You're dating your cousin?" Molly asked with a surprised tone in her voice.

Clem sighed in exasperation. "He is not my cousin," she answered as she sat back down, threading her arm around him and pulling him in close, making sure that her meaning was clear. Both women took a step back as understanding dawned on both of them and another smile passed between Heyes and Lom.

"Oh, I see," Annie said, severely disappointed in the news. She stood there for a moment before her gaze fell on Heyes and she smiled once again. "How about your friend here, then?" she asked with a questioning look on her face.

Heyes stood up and greeted the two with a large smile on his face. "Allow me to introduce myself, ladies. The name is Hannibal Heyes." Both girls turned to each other, the excitement returning to their eyes at the prospects of meeting another famous outlaw. "It is a pleasure to meet you, but I must also decline the invitation." Both ladies looked at him in confusion. "You see, it wouldn't be fair to either of you lovely ladies if I decided to, shall we say, get involved with one of you, leaving the other to fend for herself. Besides, I would feel inadequate by the beauty that abounds from the both of you." Smiling, Heyes then took a hand of each girl and placed a chaste kiss on the back of it. Both girls slowly nodded and backed away from the table, staring intently at the man who had just swept them off their feet. Turning, both girls headed back out of the room, practically holding each other up. As Heyes sat back down, the table erupted in laugher.

"Oh Heyes, that was beautiful," Kid chuckled, his eyes twinkling with delight.

"The way you handled those two was perfect," Clem smiled at her friend. "Otherwise, they would have been all over you."

Kid paused long enough for that thought to sink in. "Heyes?"

"Yeah?" Heyes answered, reveling in the complements.

"What's her name?" Kid asked as a smile grew on his own face.

"Whose name?"

"The girl that's got you so smitten that you would give up a chance to go out with those two?" Kid's raised eyebrows made it known that he knew that there was someone special in his cousin's life.

"How'd you guess?" Heyes asked shifting uncomfortably in his chair, miffed that his cousin had figured him out again.

"I know you Heyes, now give. Who is it?"

"Would you believe Caroline Porter?"

"Caroline Porter?" both Kid and Lom yelled out in disbelief.

"Yeah, Caroline Porter," Heyes answered as if he had just been insulted. "What wrong with Caroline?"

"Nothing's wrong with Caroline," Kid answered, holding up his hands in surrender. "I think it's great. I just wasn't expecting it to be her, that's all."

"You don't have a problem with it do you?" Heyes asked, directing his gaze at Kid.

"Why should he have a problem with you seeing her?" Clem asked suddenly quite interested in the conversation.

"Oh, only because he's dated her a few times," Heyes smiled back, ignoring the daggers coming from Kid's eyes.

"You dated Heyes' girlfriend?" Clem asked in disbelief.

"It was only one dinner date and it was a couple of years ago when we first came to Lom about the amnesty," Kid said in defense. "Besides, we were working for her bank at the time, and as it turned out, she wasn't my type."

"And just what type is she?"

"Heyes'," Kid smiled back.

"Okay you three, enough," Lom yelled out trying to control his laughter. "I hate to break up this special occasion, but I've got a long ride ahead of me tomorrow so I need to get some rest. These past few weeks have been a little hectic."

"You can say that again," Kid agreed.

"Well, come on then, let's head back to my place so that you all can get some rest," said Clem as she stood up followed by the three men. "I'll make sure that you are taken care of for your trip home, Sheriff."

"Much obliged, Ma'am," Lom smiled as the four of them headed out the door.

ASJ ASJ ASJ ASJ ASJ

Once they had returned back to the cabin, Heyes and Kid had filled each other in on what had happened to them while they were both separated. It was a couple of hours later, that Heyes found he couldn't sleep being somewhat troubled by his conversation with Kid, that he decided to go outside for some fresh air. He found Kid standing outside of the cabin just staring at the stars above. "Nice out here, isn't it?"

"Sure is," Kid said as he looked over at his partner and smiled. "World looks a lot different when you're free."

"It sure does," Heyes laughed back. Taking a deep breath, he continued. "You know, we always thought that we would be together after we got the amnesty, but these last few weeks…things have changed haven't they?"

Kid swallowed hard and looked at the ground. "Yeah, they sure have. We…we actually had different lives; found out that we could make it without each other."

"You and Clem, huh?" Heyes asked with a mischievous smile.

"Yeah, me and Clem," Kid laughed. "Didn't mean for it to happen but I think I am seriously falling for her."

"That's great Kid, it really is. You deserve some happiness after everything that's happened."

"What about you and Ms. Porter?"

"It's still in the early stages, but she could be someone that I could care about," he smiled pleasantly at the memories of their walk. "You do realize that she was the one that had everyone telegramming the Governor, don't you?"

"Ms. Porter did that?" Kid asked stunned.

"Yeah she did. Told me that she wanted to help you get your amnesty and that was the only thing that she could think of to do. She pumped me for information about the people that we helped and had them write the Governor. Although I didn't realize she actually did it until the Governor said he was getting all those telegrams."

"That was really nice of her," Kid said smiling at what she did. "So…what happens to us?" Kid asked as he turned to face his partner again.

"I'm not sure," Heyes said quietly. "We both went different ways and found out we can make it on our own."

"Sometimes with a little help from some friends," Kid quickly added.

Heyes looked directly into Kid's eyes. "Got kind of use to having you around though. Would probably miss you if you weren't."

"Same here," Kid smiled sadly.

"Well then don't split up," Clem told them from behind.

"How long have you been there?" Kid asked turning to face her, slightly embarrassed about being caught having such a serious discussion.

"Long enough," she answered. "Kid, I know for a fact that you were miserable without Heyes around and Heyes, knowing you as well as I do, you were probably just as bad." Heyes nodded his head in agreement. "So…if you don't mind," she said slyly, "how about we all move back to Porterville for awhile?"

"Porterville?" Heyes asked, stunned at the suggestion.

"What about your life here?" Kid questioned, just as stunned.

"Listen, you two are the best friends that I have ever had, and maybe a little more," she said looking directly at Kid. "In fact, you two are my family and family sticks together. There's nothing holding me here now that my father is no longer around, so I can sell this place and we can all live together in Porterville."

"Did I ever tell you how wonderful you are?" Kid asked as he grabbed her into a hug.

"Not nearly enough," she joked back as she looked up at him lovingly.

"Well let me tell you how wonderful you are too," Heyes said and he took her into an embrace.

"Now all I have to do is figure out what kind of job I can get," Kid sighed softly. "Not much call for an ex-gunslinger."

"I don't know," Heyes smiled. "Maybe Lom could use a new Deputy."

"And if your interest in Ms. Porter continues, I have a feeling that you're going to have more interest in the bank," Kid joked. Both Heyes and Clem grimaced at the remark.

"Oh that was bad," Clem laughed seeing the mock expression of hurt on Kid's face. "Well it looks like I've got a lot of work ahead of me. I've got a whole house to start packing and you," she said as she pushed her finger into Kid's chest, "will have to find a job and a house in Porterville for us." Kid groaned.

"Henpecked already are ya?" Heyes laughed at Kid's expression.

"Yeah, great isn't it?" Kid laughed back as he hugged Clem again.

"Yeah, sure is," Heyes smiled back.

The End.

March, 2006