Nathan wished that Buck and Vin were here. Josiah and JD were, but he knew if he took the bandages off and Chris couldn't see, he wasn't sure what would happen. The last twelve hours Chris had been real quiet, to quiet.

"Are you going to take them off?" Chris voice was edged with anger.

"You know sometimes it takes longer then a couple days---"

"Nathan, if you don't take 'em off, I'm going too." There was no edge to the anger now, it was all anger.

Nathan finished taking the last three wraps off and carefully held the eye pads in place with one hand. He handed Josiah the wrapping and then place a hand at each pad. "Now don't open your eyes tell I say so. The room is dark. We have one lamp lit so the light is real low." He carefully pulled the pads away. "Don't open them until I get the salve off. He took a clean towel that Josiah handed him and very gently wiped the thick salve off. Then reaching over he took the oil lamp and shined it in front of Chris face. "Don't open your eyes but, can you see any light through the lids of your eyes?"

"No." Chris word was sharp.

Nathan pulled the light away and set the lamp behind Chris. "Ok. Open them." He watched as Chris slowly blinked, looking around. He didn't have to ask the question, he could tell by the look on Chris face.

He couldn't see.

Nathan sighed. "I told you it was t---"

Chris swung a round house, his fist went behind Nathan's head. The side of his arm caught the side of Nathan's head. It wasn't a forceful blow but it was enough to stagger him sideways. He tried to follow the right handed round house with a left but suddenly those strong arms were surrounding him again and holding him still.

JD had jumped to Nathan's side and kept him from falling to the floor. He helped right the shaken healer and looked at Josiah who had Chris in a bear hug and was talking to him calmly.

"Nathan said it was too early to take the bandages off, it's not his fault that your sight has not returned yet."

"Yeah! Then is it your God's?" Chris spit the words out, he continued to struggle. "I'm blind... I can't see." He tried to jerk his head back and hit Josiah in the head.

Josiah ducked his head into Chris shoulder and squeezed the hold he had on Chris just a little bit more.

Nathan stepped toward them. "Calm down Chris, calm down... You're gonna make it worse." Nathan moved to stand in front of Chris and Josiah.

Chris felt the breath go out of him as Josiah drew his arms tighter. When he was almost gasping for breath, he quit struggling.

"All right now." Nathan, nodded for Josiah to ease his hold. "Just calm down." Nathan looked at Chris for a second. "I told you it was too soon to take the bandages off." He nodded for Josiah to release his hold on Chris. "There is still a lot of swelling around your eye. I'm gonna put the salve back on and bandage your eyes again and we will wait a couple more days.

"I'll be blind then too!" Chris moved a little ways from Josiah but didn't strike out.

"You don't know that Chris." Josiah reached a hand out and gently laid it on Chris' shoulder. "Let time heal."

Chris shrugged the hand off his shoulder but remained quiet. "All right, a couple more days." He took a couple steps. "But I want to be left alone, I don't need no babysitter." He spat the words out.

"All right, we can do that." Nathan looked at JD and then Josiah, with a shrug of his shoulder. "But you got to promise you'll leave the bandages on and you won't leave the room."

Chris closed his blind eyes for a long minute, then turned and looked toward where he thought Nathan was standing. "I'm blind Nathan, why would I leave...?"

X7X7X7 X7X77XX7 X7X7X7

Ezra pulled his horse to a stop as Vin did. He watched as Vin stiffly reached back into his saddlebag and pulled the telescope back out. Ezra saw Vin put the glass to his eye and looked toward the black rocks that were growing larger as they drew nearer.

He had noticed that Vin had slowed their pace going toward the rocks. And several times he had drawn up to look, watch and then moved on.

"Still just the buzzards..." Vin's soft Texas accent broke the silence.

"Maybe who ever it is, is alive?"

The tracker shrugged a shoulder. Studying the rocks, he was close enough now that details in the boulders were clear and had there been movement he could see it. He saw nothing but the buzzards slowly circling the same spot, slowly making their way down toward the ground.

"Vin..."

Ezra's tone of voice brought immediate attention.

Vin looked over at Ezra and saw him looking back over his shoulder in the direction they had come from. There was a trail of dust, coming their way. Vin moved the black a little so he wouldn't have to twist at the waist and brought the glass up. He studied the rider for a long minute and then smiled. "It's Buck."

They sat their horses as the rider drew near, realizing that Buck was running his horse. Neither said what they each were thinking, something was wrong, Chris was dead...

Buck drew his weary horse to a halt. There was lather on the horse's neck and sides and both he and his rider were breathing hard.

Vin looked at the hard used horse and felt his stomach take a twist. His expression never changed, still that same look. "Chris alright?"

Ezra found himself holding his breath as Buck slowly answered.

"Yeah, he's alive."

There was something in the tone that told them there was more.

Ezra's patience was thin, he wished for a hot bath, clean cloths and a good brandy. "Can you expound on your tone Mr. Wilmington?"

Vin saw the look on Buck's face and commented. "What else is wrong?"

Buck's brown eyes looked at both of them. "He's blind!"

They sat there stunned.

"Nathan says he could get his sight back, but he's got to be quiet and still." Buck reached down and fiddled with a string on his saddle.

Vin focused back in on Buck's lathered horse. They needed to be moving so the horse wouldn't cool down too quick and stiffen up or get sick. He turned the strip faced black and headed for the rocks and the darkening target that lay at the foot of the North rocks, hearing the other two follow.

They rode slowly in silence.

They were still well out of rifle range when Vin pulled up. He reached into the saddle bags and pulled the glass out. They could see by the naked eye that there were two lumps on the ground at the foot of the black rocks. Putting the glass to his eye he brought the dark forms into closer focus. It was a horse and a body, about ten feet apart. Both looked very dead. He raised the glass up and scouted the dark volcanic rocks. There was still no other sign of anyone, but the buzzards had not come down. He looked back at the dead horse and rider and then handed the glass to Ezra.

"I think we'll camp here." He stepped off his horse and moved over toward a small group of black boulders that ran parallel to the hills.

"Why don't we go ahead and ride---" Buck looked at Ezra, seeing him following Vin's lead. He looked sullenly at Vin.

Vin didn't look at him. "Because I don't want to be another target for someone..." Vin moved to a small Palo Verde tree and tied the black to it, then started to unsaddle, he heard Ezra clear his voice, very softly but firmly. Vin didn't say a word, he took his beadroll, turned and walked over into the shade of the rocks and very carefully lay down and stretch out, pulling his hat down low. "We'll wait until dark and then move in; just a sliver of a moon tonight." He felt tired and wore clean through. A little rest would do him good. He heard Ezra dismount, heard the sounds of unsaddling and then he was slowly slipping off to sleep He felt the exhaustion slipping into his mind as he allowed his body to accept it.

X7X7X7 X7X7X7X7 X7X7X7

JD stood outside Chris' door and hesitated for the twentieth time. His hands wrapped around a whiskey bottle. Chris had told him to go get one, telling JD that if JD didn't get it, he'd find a way to go get one. He knocked on the door and started to open it.

The door was jerked open. Chris stood in the doorway. "JD?"

"Yeah." JD knew he was doing something wrong.

Chris thrust his had out. "Give it to me!"

JD hesitated just slightly

"JD!" Chris voice was a snarl.

JD handed it to him. "Chris I---" The door was slammed in his face. JD stood there for a long moment. He knew he should go get Nathan but Nathan was wore out, he'd gotten little sleep. He stood there staring at the door, wondering what to do.

"Mr. Dunne?"

JD jumped sideways, his hand starting for his gun. But the gun remained holstered. There was a woman standing in front of him, she wore a vail like a widow would, as if mourning someone.

JD's startled expression turned to puzzlement "Ma'am…do I know---."

The Veiled figure closed the distance and with lightning speed and a practiced skill her hand snaked out and the lead sap connected with the side of his head. "I am sorry Mr. Dunne, I came to see Mr. Larabee..." She watched him drop unconscious to the floor in a heap.

She had to hurry. She had taken the room next to Chris'. She quickly went to it, opened the door and then came back for JD. Grabbing him by the arm she hauled him into her room, shutting the door. She needed to tie and gag JD and slip into Chris's room with the drugs. She needed the drugs in him to control him. This stuff would make a mad dog do what she wanted.

Quickly she bound and gagged JD. Making sure that his ties were good ones. Then she took and pulled the cover off the bed and rolled him up in it. She reached into the purse that held the sap and pulled out the drugs. This was a mixture; it was used on the water front to shanghai sailors, that is where she had learned how to use it.

She listened at her door before opening it, then quickly went to into the hall and to Chris' door. She listened at the door and, with as little noise as she could she turned the knob and opened the door. There was no sound. Easing her head into the room she saw Chris sitting in the corner of the room. She could see that he had half the bottle gone. Good, this was going to be easier then she had hoped. Moving on cat feet she crossed the room, taking the small bottle of liquid in her hand she poured it into the open top of the whiskey bottle.

He moved from his slumped position, the two bandages on around his head had his hair kind of sticking out in all direction. He had removed his shirt and was bare chested, he was also bare footed. His head moved back and forth. "Who's there…?" It came out a little slurred. "JD… that you?" He moved his head twisting it slight, as if he were trying to hear better. He pulled the bottle from the table and drew another long drink from it.

She stood perfectly still.

He drew another long drink from the bottle and then tried to set it back on the table. It took him two tries "Who….who's…" He ran his free hand over his mouth. His mouth tasted like he had put something bitter in it. The left hand slipped from the bottle. He tried to move and felt himself falling forward.

She moved to keep him in the chair. "Come my love, we have a long ride ahead of us." She kissed him on the cheek and moved him to his bare feet. He was like putty in her hands. "Yes, that's it, lean on me…I am the one who loves you, I will protect you…" Her soft voice purred.

Somewhere Chris' mind was screaming at him, he could hear it. But, he couldn't do anything it was trying to tell him to do. It was like he was outside his body, yelling, screaming, and cursing telling himself to fight, get away from this woman. But his body just would not respond. He was like a lamb being led to the slaughter; the body followed what she told him to do.

Quickly she checked the hall and saw and heard no-one. Stepping out into the hall she brought him out and locked the door, then they headed down the stairs and toward the back of the hotel, and the buggy she had waiting there.

She got him into the front seat of the wagon and told him to sit there. She untied the horses and then crawled up next to him. For one brief moment she took the pleasure of running her hands over his chest and shoulder, but there would be time for that later. Gathering the reins she clucked to the team and the horses started out into the night.

X7X7X7 X7X7X7X7 X7X7X7

Vin woke in pain. He felt stiff and his side was hurting. He felt tired and hot. Blinking his eyes clear he lifted his hat from his face. He had a blanket over him. The coals from the fire were red ashes and the fire had been small. He moved up on his good side and looked around the camp. The horses were tethered to the tree. Buck was over across from him and Ezra's bed roll was between the two of them and empty.

It took Vin a few seconds to locate him. He was sitting in the collection of rock to the left of the camp, a place he could keep an eye on the trail toward the body and still give the camp coverage.

Vin saw the coffee pot sitting to the side of the fire and with gritted teeth he slowly got up. His side felt stiff and irritated. He felt a little warm for the cool night and his eyes seemed to burn when he blinked. He went to the fire and the coffee pot and very carefully took a cup that was sitting next to the pot and poured him a cup; he looked up and saw Ezra looking toward him. He lifted the pot and saw the dark silhouette nod. He carefully stood and took the pot and his cup over to where Ezra waited.

Vin realized that it was near morning. There was just a tinge of color in the eastern sky and the stars told him it was almost daylight. He had slept a long time. In the starlight he saw Ezra reach out for the coffee pot and fill his cup.

Ezra's voice was soft and low. "If you will look to the spot where the mountain comes down to the ground and over just to the right of there, I think you can see a flicker of fire light." Ezra drank some of the coffee and waited.

Vin moved so he had a clear view and looked. He didn't look directly at where Ezra had spoken of but he let his eyes scan the distance.

There was a flicker of light.

Vin sipped the coffee.

He saw it again. Someone was being careful about their fire, but not careful enough. He had the idea that who ever it was was waiting for them, expecting them to rush to the camp.

He drank down more of the coffee, glanced at Ezra.

"Mr. Wilmington caught a couple rabbits; we split one and left the other one for you." Ezra shifted and came down from the rocks he had been sitting on.

He stood next to Vin, looking out across the desert. "I think it is a trap." Ezra took a drink of his coffee and headed back to their concealed fire, and the food.

Vin stood looking at the occasional flicker of fire. If he were going to draw someone in, it's what he would do. He heard Ezra walk back over to him, handing him a plate. "Ezra I'm really not---"

"It would be in your best interest to eat Mr. Tanner." Ezra moved the plate toward Vin, his voice low but forceful.

Vin looked down at the plate, then at Ezra and then back at the plate. He took the plate. He couldn't see Ezra's eyes but he heard it in his voice.

They stood there as Vin consumed part of the rabbit. He wasn't hungry, but he wasn't going to argue with Ezra. "We need to get going!" pointing with the rabbit haunch in the direction he wanted to take.

Ezra smiled to himself in the darkness. "I shall saddle our horses, if you will wake Mr. Wilmington."

Vin nodded. Turning he went back to where Buck lay and toed him in the foot. "Buck, we need to get going." His voice was soft, noise carried in the desert night air.

Buck threw his blanket back, sat up on an elbow, his voice low. "Damn Vin, I was just about to go upstairs with that new little dark haired gal." That wasn't what he had been dreaming about, but he wasn't about to tell Vin about the nightmare he been in with Chris being burned alive screaming he was blind. Buck ran a hand over his dark hair, took his hat from where it laid and set it on his head as he came to his feet. In the dark he could see Ezra saddling Vin's horse, he didn't say anything and walked over and started saddling his own.

Vin had picked up the coffee pot as he had walked back to the fire. He poured another cup of coffee for Buck, then refilled his own, speaking softly. "Ezra, more coffee?"

"Thank you, but no." Came Ezra's soft response.

"Buck I got you a cup…" Vin spoke this as he scraped up dirt with his boot and covered the small fire. Then he poured the rest of the coffee and grounds over the dirt. This way there would be no smoke and the wet dirt would keep the fire from coming back to life.

They gathered around the small fire ring, Vin handed Buck the coffee he had poured for him, Ezra handed Vin's horse's reins to him then bent and took the coffee pot and packed it in the saddle bag with his cup. He noted that the half eaten rabbit was on top of the fire ring but didn't say anything; at least Vin had eaten half.

"Good morning for a show down." Buck look in the direction of the ever increasing light in the sky.

"We'll have the morning sun at our backs." Vin finished his coffee and put his cup and plate in his saddle bag. He checked his cinch and then stepped back to the other two. "I'm thinkin' that they're going to be a little tired, waiting for us to show all night long, and I'm thinking they don't have a distance rifle. That was a close kill."

Buck finished his coffee. "Well I say lets ride."