Well thanks again to those still reading. Things are about to get really interesting now. Hehehe


The Other Side

Chapter 14

Gil and Sara were taking some time near the lake when Jim and Grey Wolf rode past with the well needed supplies. Sara waved as they past. She was resting in the grass cradling their son while Gil washed up the morning's dishes. She had carried a blanket down with them to keep the crisp morning air from chilling them.

"Gil."

"Hmm."

"Being further north won't we have to worry about the snow?" She questioned unsure of the future weather chances.

Gil nodded. "I thought you wanted snow?"

"I do. But…" When she paused Gil glanced up at her. She was looking down at their peacefully sleeping son. "Just tell me that we'll be okay."

Gil smiled and went to sit next to her. "Sara, no one knows where we are. I assure you that we'll be safe."

Xxxxxxxxxxxx

Nearly three weeks had past. The fresh layer of white powdery snow enveloped the valley. Sara was the first one awake and once she had the morning coffee started, headed out to greet the snow. She walked around kicking at the new landscape. After several minutes, Gil was standing in the doorway watching her. He smiled seeing her newfound happiness. It was his goal to make sure she was happy and received everything that she ever wanted.

"Having fun?" Sara stopped at the sound of his voice and smiled. "Rhetorical question."

"Come join me." She offered as she scooped up a handful of the snow.

Gil raised his hand. "I'm fine, thanks."

"You sure?" Sara began sculpting the snow in her hands.

It didn't take much for Gil to realize what she was doing. "Don't you dare." He warned.

Sara grinned and drew back to throw the snowball at her husband. Gil ducked avoiding her throw. A piece of him felt years younger and Gil moved quickly off of the porch and towards her. Sara squealed as he tackled her in the snow.

Gil made sure he was on top of her. "I warned you."

She was laughing until the familiar shrill cry came from the cabin. "Your son demands my attention."

"Because he knows how to ruin my fun." Gil rolled off of her as she quickly went to please their child. He picked himself up off of the ground and dusted the snow off of him. It was then he noticed that Jim's horse was still gone. He shook his head knowing what his friend was up to.

Gil was thinking that Grey Wolf would soon return from his expedition. Their friend had decided to see what was closer to the mountain but had yet to return. He only hoped he was all right. After a peaceful moment of solitude, Gil walked back to the cabin.

Sara fixed them a small breakfast while Gil told her of his daily plan of activities. They enjoyed the closeness they shared in the cabin. Just as Gil was about to bid Sara farewell and proceed with his daily tasks, the door opened.

Jim walked in with a large grin was plastered on his face. "You'll never guess who I ran into?"

Both Gil and Sara's faces became confused until Heather stepped in behind Jim. Sara's mouth went slack as the familiar face was now before them. Gil had other thoughts. "You bitch."

Jim turned to glance at Heather. "Gil…"

Gil moved towards Jim and pointed. "You, you told her where we were. And now that she's here, we're all in danger." Sara gasped and went to be with her son. "I can't believe you would do something like that."

"I never asked her to come." Jim defended.

"No, but I'm sure you sent her messages, and she just had to come." Gil began to lose control of his anger. "We didn't come this far just to be found and killed!"

Heather stepped between Jim and the now angered Gil. "No one followed me, I made sure of it."

"How in the hell would you know!"

"Dammit Gil!" Jim stood beside Heather. "You started this."

"And I'm finishing it." Gil moved to open the door. "Leave. You two are on your own."

"Fine." Jim nodded to Heather and he graciously walked through the open door.

Just as Jim's foot landed on the porch, a loud shot rang out and he fell backwards into the cabin. Heather screamed, Gil rushed to his side, and Sara ducked back into the bedroom clutching her son close. Jim groaned as Gil reached out and shut the door. "Get down!" He ordered to Heather. She dropped to the floor as several more shots hit the cabin, several going through the small window.

"Dammit." Jim tried to sit up but his injury was preventing it.

"Lay still." Gil pulled a piece of cloth from the table and placed it over Jim's bleeding wound. "Here…" He pulled Heather towards Jim. "Hold this." She did as he ordered as he crawled to the small bedroom. "Sara."

"We're here." She called out.

Gil went to Sara and Matt. "Are you okay?" She nodded as she held their son close to her chest. "Stay here, I'll be back shortly."

"Gil." She reached out desperately clinging to his shirt preventing his departure. "Please be careful."

He smiled and leaned back towards her to steal a quick kiss. "I love you." Gil closed the door on his way back to check on Jim. "How is he?"

"I'll live." Jim answered. "Who the fuck is shooting at us?"

"Whoever followed Heather." Gil shot a cold look at her before moving towards the back of the cabin. "Stay down." He removed the loose window at the rear of the cabin and crawled through it.

Gil had no idea what he was going to do. The horses were at the front and the tree line was nearly too far to make a run for it without some kind of distraction. When he was trying to make a decision, he noticed a rider coming up from the far trees. He squinted and at first thought it might be another bounty hunter, but as the familiar red sorrel horse got closer, he knew help had arrived.

"I heard shots." Grey Wolf quickly dismounted.

Gil breathed a sigh of relief. "You couldn't have come at a better time. A man followed Heather here and he's already shot Jim." At the shock of Grey Wolf's face, Gil stated that he was alive. "We need to flank him somehow."

Grey Wolf nodded to the left. "I'll ride to the far tree line."

"It's about the only option we have." Gil agreed and they split off. He waited next to the edge of the cabin and peeked around the corner hoping to catch a glimpse of the shooter.

Gil waved at Grey Wolf and he took off. The plan worked and he was able to draw the man's fire while Gil ran back to the near tree line. The multiple shots echoed as the shooter tried to hit his friend on horseback before he was able to duck into the trees. Gil made it to his destination without being seen and proceeded to follow the sound of the shots. They became spread out indicating to him that Grey Wolf was amongst the trees and the shooter was having a hard time getting a sight drawn on him.

Several straining minutes past and Gil finally found the location of the shooter. He snuck up behind the man as he cowered behind a rock. It was obvious he was trying to get a clean shot at Grey Wolf, but Gil pressed the barrel of his gun against the back of the man's head. "Pull that trigger one more time and you're a dead man."

The man froze and slowly uncocked his rifle. He eased it to the ground. "I'm just doing my job."

"Me too. Get up." Gil followed the man with his gun as he stood. He reached out and removed the two six shooters from his holsters. "Now, let's go shall we?" Grey Wolf met up with Gil as he came towards the cabin with the captive. "Over that small rise are his rifles and horse." He nodded and rode to collect the guns. Gil opened the door and pulled the man towards a chair. He grabbed the bundle of rope hanging by the door and tied the intruder up. "That should hold ya."

When Gil stepped back, Heather got a good look at the shooter. "Nic?" He never flinched. "Why?"

"It's what I do?"

"I thought I explained everything to you." Gil had moved over and helped Jim onto a chair while Heather went to stand before Nic. "I hoped you wouldn't come."

"Did you honestly think that everything you told me would make a difference? Tom has paid me nearly a thousand dollars to kill them." Nic gave a tug on his restraints to check their security.

Heather sighed and shook her head. "I can't believe you."

"You know him?" Jim spoke up.

Heather nodded. "I've known him for a while now."

"Bullshit!" Nic spat out.

Gil crossed the room in three strides, pulled back his right arm, and punched Nic across the face. "Shut up, or the next one's a bullet." He turned back to Heather. "I can't believe you led him right to us."

"Gil, it's over, drop it." Jim pleaded. "I'm fine."

"It's not fine." His voice began to escalate. "I'm sure he's been sending messages back telling whoever it is that's hunting us exactly where we are."

"No I haven't." Nic spoke up. Gil turned back to him and he was quick to shut his mouth.

Gil sighed. "All I know is that we're not safe here anymore, and he's a liability."

Sara appeared at the bedroom door with Matt in her arms. He was now asleep. "Gil?"

He glanced at her holding onto his son, fear plastered across her face. Gil pulled his gun and placed it against Nick's head. He pulled the hammer back. Nic shut his eyes waiting for it all to go black.

Heather screamed and swatted Gil's arm away. "No!" She fought with Gil momentarily. "You can't shoot my son!"

The cabin grew silent. Jim stood slowly and came up behind Heather. "What?"

She sighed and turned back to Jim. "Honey, I'm sorry. I should have told you but I didn't know how." Jim was in disbelief. Heather reached out and placed a soft hand on his shoulder. "My sister is married to the governor."

Jim connected his eyes with hers. "All this time…you knew where he was."

Heather nodded. "Not entirely, no. But when I saw him the first night he was in town, I knew why he had come."

Jim was holding his wound to keep pressure on it. "You could have told me." He turned and we back to Heather. "I thought we had something? Trust?"

"We do."

During this discussion, Nic was working on his restraints. When Jim turned his back to Gil, he found the opportunity to act. He leapt from the chair and grabbed Gil's gun. The two men struggled for the six shooter. Jim pulled his gun and took aim at Nic, but Heather's hand was on his arm in hopes of preventing the death of her only child.

Sara hid back in the bedroom in order to ensure the safety of her son. She didn't want to witness what was about to happen, but she couldn't help but peek around the corner.

Nic managed to get the upper hand for a split second and aimed the gun at Jim. Both men's hands were on the weapon, so when the shot echoed, neither knew for sure who exactly had pulled the trigger. They ceased when the gun discharged. Gil and Nic looked to Jim who in turn was shocked at the sight.

Heather had moved directly in front of him once she noticed that Nic was going to shoot. She stumbled backwards into Jim's arms before her legs gave out. Jim gently lowered her to the ground. Her chest was quickly becoming saturated in blood.

"Oh God." Jim tried to stop the bleeding but the blood seeped through his fingers.

Nic also kneeled down next to her. He didn't know what to say. "I'm sorry." It was the first thing that came to him.

Gil remained standing over them knowing Heather's fate. He glanced to where Sara was standing only to find the space vacant.

"Heather, why?" Jim clutched her hand hoping to get some kind of closure.

She swallowed hard and reached for Nic's hand. He let her take it as she drew it across her body and placed it over Jim's. "He's your son." Jim almost fell back. Nic's mouth fell slack. She turned to look at Nic. "This is your father."

Nic shook his head. "I don't get it."

Heather swallowed. "Remember, I told you he was gone for nearly a year."

Jim sucked in a deep breath remembering the slight conversation they had years ago.

"Because we both couldn't raise a baby. Every time you left I always thought it would be the last time I saw you." She glanced at Jim before coughing a few times.

"Hang on." Jim pressed harder onto the wound.

Heather's hand joined Jim and Nic's as they tried to stop the bleeding. Her mouth went slack and her eyes closed forever.

Nic slowly withdrew his hand. The bleeding had stopped. He stood and stepped back until his knees hit the back of the chair he was in, and he slumped down into it. His chest pounded and swelled with confused emotions.

Jim leaned over Heather's body and began crying. He was talking to her but no one could understand him.

Gil came out of his haze and quickly raised his gun pointing it back at Nic. He was met with a cold stare. Deciding that he couldn't leave him loose, Gil retied Nic's hands behind the chair. He holstered his gun and went to check on Sara.

She was curled up on the bed sobbing; her body surrounding Matt protecting him. Gil eased onto the bed and scooted up behind her. She settled down after his body contacted hers. It was an instant relief knowing that he was still there. "She's dead isn't she?"

Gil sighed. "Yes." He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her as close as she could get. "Things are a lot more complicated now."

"They'll find us, won't they?"

"I don't know." He thought about what Nic was saying and telling Heather. If he knew that she was indeed his mother before he followed her, he should have no reason to lie to her. Although money is very persuasive. Gil remembered the many people he would lie to in order to find their family that he was hunting. At the time he never gave any of it a second thought, but now he regretted it. "I'm sure eventually, they will." Sara shuddered in his arms and pulled their son closer to her. "I won't let anything happen to you two." Gil kissed her cheek.

Jim's crying subsided several minutes later and he looked up through tear blurred eyes to Nic. He was sitting in the chair emotionless. After several strained breaths his eyes turned to deep angered ones as Jim got to his feet.

Gil was enjoying the moment of quiet with Sara, but it was disrupted. "What the…?" He released Sara and climbed out of the bed. Instinct had him pulling his gun, but once he saw the scene before him, he replaced it.

Jim was cursing at Nic between blows. He would draw his right hand back and hit him several times before switching to his left. Nic wasn't protesting the beating he was receiving and took every hit without a sound. "You fucking bastard! You killed her! Son of a bitch!"

After watching for several moments, Gil decided to pry them apart. That and Nic was bleeding from both nostrils and his mouth. "Jim." Gil reached out and grabbed his arm as it was drawn back.

"Let go dammit!" He tried to fight with Gil, but between his injury and the emotional loss, he was drained and couldn't fight anymore.

"Just stop." Gil pulled him back away from Nic and Jim began sobbing once again and slumped down to the floor next to Heather's body.

Jim ran his hand over her splayed hair. "I loved her so much."

"I know." Gil's heart sunk for his friend. He turned back to Nic and approached him. "Hey." He smacked Nic across the face as his head hung.

Nic jumped at the contact and lifted his head. His eyes were already swelling as well as his lip. He glanced down at Jim still mourning over Heather. "What?"

Gil went behind the chair and cut the rope. He pulled Nic to his feet and took him outside. They stopped at the small smoker house and Gil pulled a small pail of water from inside. "Wash your face off."

Nic paused before accepting the offer. "You gonna kill me?"

"Haven't decided yet."

"That's fair." Nic splashed the warm water on his acing face.

Gil sighed. "If it were up to me, you'd be dead already.

"So kill me."

"I'm not that man anymore." Gil glanced back towards the cabin. "You're all Jim has left. He's a good friend, and I couldn't take the one thing a man has left because of my selfishness." He watched as Nic cleaned all of the blood from his face. "I remember when she was pregnant with you. All she talked about was hoping Jim would return. He never did, so when she had you she felt it would be better for you to be raised in a more stable environment."

Nic scoffed. "Yeah, cause you know Tom's a real good influence."

Gil's mouth went slack. "Tom…Tom Braun?"

"Yeah, why?"

Panic began to sink in and Gil's eyes scoured the surrounding tree line. "You were followed."

Nic shook his head. "I told him…"

"Doesn't matter." Gil quickly interrupted. "Tom's the worst man I've ever met when it comes to holding a grudge. No one crosses him and lives. He would've had you followed." He glanced back to Nic. "I'm going to give you two choices; you're either in or you're out."

With a groan Nic straightened out clearly understanding what Gil was offering. "I'm in."


Well that reunion kinda sounded like my family getting together. Just bloodshed tho, no deaths.

TDCSI