Thanks for sticking with me...I know I may be getting a bit carried away on this story. :) And thanks so much everyone (Kathy, Colleen, guests) for taking the time to comment. Ask and ye shall receive, Colleen...hints below but will be even more in the next chapter.

Ezra backed further into the forest, making sure himself and his horse were well hidden. The eldest member of the gang climbed down and approached Wiles. "Real sorry to see that you lied to us, George." He then slapped the man hard across the face, but Wiles didn't go down. His head immediately turned back and focused on the woman standing amongst the men.

"Laura, are you ok?" George found it odd that she too had a rifle.

"I would have been better if we didn't need to come clean up your mess, honey."

Chris was only standing a few feet away from Wiles. He looked up at the woman speaking then the large man next to Wiley. "And who exactly would WE be?"

The leader's age was hard to judge: likely somewhere between 45 and 55, and he was extremely tall. Wiles was as tall as Buck, who was the seven's tallest member, and this man was at least a couple of inches taller than him.

"I'm offended Larabee," the man leered at Chris, "you mean you don't remember me."

Chris glanced at Buck and Vin for any suggestions but both just shrugged, indicating they didn't know any more than he did. Larabee closed his eyes against the pounding in his head for a second, then opened them and said, "no, I'm sorry to say that I don't."

The man approached Chris and put his right arm around Larabee's shoulders. He then used his left hand to pull a small item out of his coat pocket. He squeezed Chris' shoulders tight as he held the item up to his face and asked, "do you recognize this?" It was an eye patch.

"Spikes."

"That's right."

"His brother?"

"Right again," the man said. "Name's Tom."

Chris pulled away from the man's grip. "Tommy Spikes. Sure, I remember you now. So all of this is because of me and Bob's fight at the rail-splitting contest?" Chris shook his head and looked at Wiles. "I don't get it."

The man got right up in Chris' face once again. "You ruined his life, Larabee, and you made a mess of my whole family. Bob was never the same after losin' his eye. He got mean, was always in trouble, and then I'll be damned if it wasn't you who ended up puttin' him in the grave."

"Wait a minute now, we just put him in jail," Buck interrupted.

"For murder…he was convicted, and they hung my little brother 17 days ago." Tom turned abruptly and looked at Wiles. "So, George…you with us or not?"

"How? Why?" was all Wiles could think to say.

"Bob's got a big family, George. I'm his older brother, and the other two men over there are his younger brother Dave and cousin Fred. The boys are our sons, including Bob's son Brent. Laura you always knew as Laura Washburn, but that was her name from a previous marriage. Laura is Bob's younger sister, a twin in fact of Dave."

"So Laura's life was never in danger?" George had never known Tom Spikes was his wife's brother. He didn't even know that she had a brother at all.

"Nah, we wouldn't hurt our dear ol' sis, but you can imagine our surprise when we found out who you were friends with. Small world, ain't it?" Tom smiled and looked at Vin and Buck. "So again George….you with us or you plannin' to die with these fellers?"

Wiles shot an apologetic look to the three peacekeepers.

"Here," Tom handed his rifle to the ex-soldier, "if you're with us, then shoot Tanner." Tom had met with Bob before his trial, so he knew the names of the Magnificent Seven members and what they looked like. He also knew that George wouldn't shoot the tracker. Hell, he didn't want anybody shooting the prisoners, but he wanted to see how Wiles would react.

Larabee was not as confident that someone wasn't going to shoot his friend, so he immediately plowed into Tom Spikes. The big man wasn't expecting it, and the two of them toppled to the ground. The majority of the 9 gang members above kept their guns trained on Buck and Vin, so they could do nothing except watch. One or two had a gun on the Larabee/Spikes melee as well, without really knowing what to do. They couldn't get a clean shot, and they had been instructed not to shoot Larabee or the other members of the seven anyway.

Chris and Tom fought close-quarters on the ground with knees and fists flying. A hard elbow from Spikes caught Chris in the temple, and the gunslinger saw stars. Sheer determination somehow finally allowed Larabee to get the upper-hand, despite being outsized by nearly half a foot and seventy pounds. The blond pulled his Colt, hauled Spikes to his feet, positioned the tall man in front of his own body, and held the pistol to Tom's head.

Larabee yelled out, "looks like the Spikes' clan's got a tough decision to make. Do you really wanna lose another brother or cousin or uncle? Throw down your weapons, and we'll let him go…we'll let all of you go. There's no harm done yet. If bullets start flyin' and folks start dyin' then there won't be any turnin' back."

Chris had his eyes completely focused on the 8 men and 1 woman in front of him. He didn't notice the movement to his side until he felt the unmistakable sensation of a pistol barrel in the small of his back.

"Give me the gun, Chris." Wiley had chosen a side.

Larabee did as instructed.

Tom turned with a look of pure hate in his eyes. "Give me that." He grabbed Larabee's Colt from Wiles, cocked it, and pointed it right at Chris' forehead.

"Oh Jesus," Buck said quietly enough that only Vin heard him. Vin understood the sentiment completely.

Suddenly Tom un-cocked the gun and smashed it across the side of Chris' face instead. "You better be thankful that we want this to look like an accident, Larabee." But Larabee didn't hear a word he said; the blond was out cold on the ground.

Ezra couldn't make out anything that was being said from his vantage point across the creek, but he had seen enough to know that these were likely Bob Spikes' kin, and somehow George Wiles was now an enemy of the seven once again. He saw Larabee go down at the hands of the large, elder man, and then the full crowd descended on the camp. Tanner, Wilmington, and the unconscious Chris were tied to a tree about 50 yards from the campfire.

Standish was debating what to do. It would take about 7 hours to ride back to Four Corners, get help and ride back. That would likely be the smartest thing to do, but would his three associates still be alive when they got back? If he chose to stay, how in the world could he take on 11 armed folks by himself?

The younger brother Dave asked, "so now what's the plan, Tom?"

"I don't know. It would be best if we made it look like these three met with an unfortunate accident. Did you lie to the folks in town the same as you lied to us, George? Did you tell their friends that they burned up in a fire?"

George shook his head. "That's what we told everyone in Four Corners...but the rest of the seven know they're still alive."

"Well, I guess we'll have to let 'em know different, and we'll just stick to the original plan then."

Laura questioned, "we're gonna burn 'em alive?"

"I ain't figured out the details yet. I just didn't want 'em to have obvious bullet holes…..we might be nice and knock 'em out first."

"How considerate of ya," Vin said to Buck, and Chris began to stir.

Chris knew he had drunk a lot the night before, but this hangover sure was a doozy. He was having a hard time moving his arms, and it took a full minute before he realized that was because they were tied behind his back.

"You alive, Chris?" Buck asked.

"Sure hurts a lot if I'm dead," Chris coughed and closed his eyes in an attempt to make the world stop spinning. "What goin' on?"

"Sounds like they're favorin' death by fire once again," Buck answered.

"Wonderful," Chris noticed that Vin hadn't said anything yet, "you guys all right?"

"Yeah, we're ok." Buck again.

Chris turned to look at the Texan, and Vin just gave him a small, crooked grin. Larabee figured Tanner was pissed that he and Buck had been duped by Wiles twice now, and he had to admit that Vin had every right to be angry.

JD sank into a chair in the saloon and rubbed his stubbled face. It had been a horrible day, and he was now convinced that they had made a mistake about telling the town folks that three of the seven were dead. He and Josiah were supposed to help Mary Travis and Nettie Wells plan a memorial service tomorrow…for three men who were camped a few hours away. The seven's youngest member had come to the saloon at this late hour to get some supper and to ask Ezra if he could help with the funeral as well…..but where the heck was Ezra?

JD had just seen Nathan head out on patrol, so it wasn't Standish's shift. They didn't have any prisoners at the jail. The Bostonian hauled his tired body out of his seat and made his way to the boarding house to see if Ezra was there. It looked like supper was going to have to wait another hour or two.

Vin was quietly working at the ropes binding his wrists when Tom Spikes approached the three men, holding a kettle of what Tanner assumed was beans or stew from supper. It was about 8PM…..nearly dark. "You boys hungry?" the big man asked with a snarl on his face.

Tanner and Larabee just glared at Spikes, but Buck replied, "sure, I could eat…..but that's gonna be tough with our hands tied behind our back."

"Oh yeah," Spikes grinned, "that's too bad. Guess you'll just have to open up!" Tom tossed the pot of boiling hot water across the legs of the three prisoners. The scalding liquid soaked into their pants, and there wasn't anything they could do to stop the burning of the skin underneath.

All three kicked and moved their legs to try and cool down the scorched area of their knees and thighs. Buck screamed profanities….and anything else that came to mind, while Tanner and Larabee suffered in silence.

Vin could feel the blisters forming on his legs, as his pants slowly cooled to a bearable temperature. Chris was sitting beside him, wondering if he had any skin left to blister. Larabee had watched the reactions of the rest of the Spikes clan after Tom doused them with the boiling water. A few had laughed – the older of the men….brother, cousin. George Wiles had not been able to hide his shock, as his mouth dropped open. His wife, Laura, had closed her eyes and turned away, as had a couple of the younger boys. Chris hoped they could count on at least a few of the clan to either help them or run instead of fight…..when the time came.

"Josiah," JD yelled as he entered the church, "you here?"

The big ex-preacher emerged from the back, but JD didn't give him time to speak.

"I can't find Ezra anywhere. I looked in the saloon, his room, the jail…..he's gone."

"I'm sure there's a reasonable explanation, son," Josiah put on his jacket, "let's go take another look."

Sanchez suggested they check the livery, and sure enough – Chaucer was missing as well.

"I think we should go find Yosemite," Josiah suggested, "maybe he saw Ezra ride out."

The long-haired man opened the door to his room after the first knock, and saw the two peacekeepers' questioning stare. "What can I do for you, Josiah….JD?"

Nathan was riding back into town just as Josiah and JD came down from Yosemite's room. The livery keeper had told them about Standish leaving town earlier that day and of the stranger he followed.

"Nathan," Josiah greeted the dark-skinned healer, "board your horse and get some sleep. We're riding out first thing in the morning."

"What's going on?"

JD answered, "Ezra rode off earlier chasin' some guy who was apparently chasin' after Wiles."

"Ezra?" Nathan did not think that sounded like something the southerner would do….especially without telling the others.

JD shrugged his shoulder and said, "maybe he didn't have time to tell us…..or we were tied up with all of the womenfolk."

"Alright," Nathan walked his horse toward the stable, "I'll pack up some supplies and meet you here at dawn."

Ezra had heard Wilmington's screams, and he could see shadows moving in and out of the campfire….but it was wearing on his nerves not to know what was actually going on across the river. Should he try to sneak in under the cover of darkness and free his friends? Should he wait until Tanner, Larabee, and/or Wilmington made the first move? He laid his bedroll on the ground and sat down. Sleep was unlikely to come tonight. He needed to keep watch, and he would not be allowed the luxuries of a campfire or a hot meal.

Rest was not likely for the three Spikes' prisoners either. Their legs still felt like they were on fire, and Chris' head and ribs kept reminding him of earlier altercations.

If they tried to talk to each other at all, they were threatened with bodily harm. Tom Spikes was not about to allow them to make any sort of escape plan.

From what Vin could over-hear, it sounded like the plan was to move them somewhere tomorrow to finish them off. Two of the group, Spikes' cousin and his boy, had ridden out earlier in the afternoon. Tanner presumed this was to find or prepare a good location to burn their bodies. He didn't intend to stick around and find out; the Texan continued to work to loosen his bonds.

Chris had overheard the same conversations and knew that Vin was working to free himself, just as he was trying to do. The ropes were thin and tied tightly, so Larabee wasn't sure he was accomplishing much besides cutting bleeding channels into his wrists.

Buck was having a hard time concentrating on anything except the pain in his thighs and right knee. Burns hurt like nothing else; hell, he would have preferred being shot. OK, maybe that wasn't true, but the thought of jumping into the cool water of the stream to lessen the pain was all he could think about.

Finally Chris couldn't stand the silence any longer. "How you boys doin'?"

Vin hadn't said anything for hours, but he finally turned bloodshot blue eyes to Larabee, "Feel a bit like a rare-cooked steak, but I'm hangin' in there."

"Hell, I'm at least cooked medium-well over here," Buck groaned.

Chris shook his head. Only his men would be joking at a time like this. He kept his voice low when he asked, "anybody makin' any progress?"

"Nah," sighed Buck.

"Some," Vin gave them a little hope.

"Ain't sure I'm doin' much myself," Chris said honestly.

"Shut up over there!" one of the guards on night duty, Spikes' younger brother Dave, yelled out.

"Kiss my ass!" Chris yelled back….frustration getting the better of him.

Dave approached and leered at the three captives. "What'd you just say to me?"

Green eyes slowly lifted as their owner replied, "I said…..kiss my ass."

The butt of a rifle pounded hard and heavy into Larabee's burned left thigh, and he felt a large blister (or two) burst and ooze into his black pants.

"You Bastard!" Chris screamed out in pain. "You're dead! We'll get out of here, and we will kill you all!"

"Chris," Buck tried to calm the man before more damage was done to his friend.

But Larabee continued, "hope Bob was worth it…..cause you're goin' to hell right along with him!"

"Chris," Buck attempted one more time, "that's enough."

Dave Spikes whacked Larabee on the side of the head with the rifle. "You better listen to yer friend there Blondie, or you'll be the one whose dead. I won't wait 'til tomorrow; I'll take you out right now. "

Chris didn't hear his threats; the blow to the head had knocked him out cold.

"Damnit!" Buck slammed his boots on the ground. Why couldn't Larabee keep his mouth shut? Now they would have to wait for Chris to gain consciousness…even if Vin did get his hands free. Better to have three men to take on the gang than only two.

Ezra could hear yelling from the campsite, as he lay on the ground staring up at the starry sky. He knew that likely didn't bode well for his friends. It had mostly been Larabee's voice he had heard, and now there was silence again. That led to a sinking feeling in Standish's gut. Were his friends still going to be alive to rescue come tomorrow morning?

Dawn was just cresting over the eastern horizon. Chris was awake and ashamed of his actions the night before, but his friends didn't say anything else about it. Buck had asked him if he was all right. He had answered that he was fine, and that was the end of it.

Both Buck and Chris thought their ears were playing tricks on them when Vin whispered, "I'm free."

Tanner reached down and grabbed the knife from his boot thinking if Ezra were here he would say, "thank heavens for amateur captors." They had only searched for and confiscated their firearms.

With as little movement as possible, Vin cut the ropes binding Chris' wrists and handed the knife to Larabee. He then cut Buck's bindings and handed the knife back to Tanner.

The current guards were two of the younger men, Bob's son and one of his cousins. No one else had emerged from the cave yet this morning.

Vin yelled out, "Need to see to the call of nature over here."

"Hold it!" Brent yelled back.

"Been doin' that all night; my bladder's about to burst."

"Ah hell," Brent sighed. "Come on Scott. You keep your gun on the breed while I until 'im."

As soon as the two guards were within striking distance, Chris and Vin pounced. Vin plowed into Brent, and Larabee took down Scott. Buck was slower getting to his feet, so he kept an eye out for other members of the Spikes' clan.

Chris and Vin easily out-fought the two young men and got their rifles and pistols. As soon as Buck finished hog-tying the two unconscious boys and Larabee handed off one of the rifles, the bullets started flying and all hell broke loose.

Ezra was riding towards the campsite as fast as Chaucer would go. Standish saw Vin go down. Larabee whirled on the shooter and pulled the trigger without a second thought. It stunned him when he realized it was Laura Wiles that he had just shot point-blank in the head. George screamed and ran to his wife's side. Chris never moved as Wiley pulled his pistol and fired it at him.

"Oh my God!" Ezra yelled as he saw Larabee go down a few feet from Vin. Standish pulled his own rifle and shot George Wiles in the chest. Buck was pinned down behind a couple of large rocks, battling with two of the men….."make that one man," thought Ezra as the other fell to Buck's bullet. Two of the youngsters had rescued their fellow cousins tied up earlier and had taken off. They didn't want anything to do with the fighting…..especially after witnessing the deaths of their aunt and uncle.

Ezra was trying to get a good shot off at the other man battling with Wilmington when out of the corner of his eye he saw Tom Spikes step from the cave entrance. Standish quickly turned to aim his weapon at the eldest Spikes. Ezra felt the sharp, intense pain just as he pulled the trigger.