Stars hung over the campsite, almost close enough to touch. Vin sat with his back against a good sized tree, far enough away from the meager campfire not to be visible in its flickering light. He felt a little better being out on his own, away from the town, but not as good as he needed to feel. Something sat behind his eyes, a heavy feeling of - want- was the closest description. The loneliness and fear of his childhood crept up to him in the dark but he shrugged those off. It happened, he survived, it was over. What he couldn't shrug off was the overwhelming sense of unfairness that found him no matter where he was. He'd been a good little kid, he remembered his Ma saying so, telling somebody, some neighbor or friend or somebody.

"He's such a good boy. I've never had a moment's trouble with him...he's an angel..."

So how come he got the life he did?

He scrubbed his eyes with his hands and took a deep breath of chilly air. He willed himself to feel stable despite the images that flashed in his head like shuffling a deck of cards. Nothing to be done about it now. It happened, it was over.

It wasn't fair.

He didn't feel uncomfortable, sitting out here in the darkness. He pitied people, even some of his own friends, who always sought the comfort of a room and a bed when they turned in at night. Beds were for when you were sick, or dying. A man ought to be able to sleep out on the trail every night for a year if he had to, if he wanted to. Vin felt pride in the fact that he could go longer than any of them without seeking shelter indoors, no matter what the weather. He was strong.

He had to be.

No - he pushed that ache away. He chose to be strong. There was a difference. Like he chose to be friends with the others. It wasn't that he needed friends. He could have friends or not. The fact that they watched his back was nice, but he'd survived enough times without it.

He'd had to.

And it wasn't fair.

M7*M7*M7

Morning found Vin gazing at the sky, gauging the storm clouds that were pushing in over the horizon. Wasn't going to be long before the downpour; he'd have to find a more sheltered site to wait it out. He shook out his blanket and noticed that it was so thin, he could see daylight through it in spots. He'd have to think about getting a new one. He rolled up his bedding and tied it behind his saddle, and off to his right he became aware of someone calling.

He tensed, his concentration focused on picking up the sound, his hand resting lightly on his sidearm. It was a boy's voice, calling in desperation.

"DANIEL! WHERE ARE YOU? ANSWER ME!" Vin moved in that direction and shortly came upon a familiar face.

"Will?" One of the O'Brien's "old-fashioned" kids, the oldest, if Vin remembered right. He seemed relieved and grateful to see Vin.

"What's going on?"

"Daniel's gone. Don't know where. He was out playing, now can't find him nowhere." The boy was distressed. Vin's face obviously registered that he didn't know which one Daniel was and Will held his hand out low, to approximate the height.

JD Junior.

"We all split up..." Will went on. "I come this way, I took him down to the creek here coupla times, where its real deep, 'n you can see the crawfish...thought maybe he come this way again." He gestured in the direction he was headed. "Mr. Tanner - you help me find him? You help me find my brother? He's too little to be out on his own. He could get hurt, anything could happen to him. I gotta find him."

"...'course I'll help. Creek's not too far, show me the place..."

More relief flooded the boy's face and they headed off quickly. Soon they could hear the rolling water, and soon after that the wide creek came into view. Sure enough, there in the middle, on a large rock, barefooted, soaked to the knees, crouched down looking intently into the deep pool of water, stood JD Junior. Daniel.

Before Vin could caution the boy at his elbow not to startle the kid, Will yelled "DANIEL!" and the tiny kid flinched, lost his footing, and went down into the pool he'd been lately admiring. A few long strides would've brought Vin to the rescue, but Will ran in ahead of him, grabbed his little brother roughly and hauled him to the shore in his arms.

"What you been told?" Will was chastising him even as he set him on the ground and knelt down to be eye level. Daniel babbled something in his usual way. "So? You know you got to ask me first." Vin was startled to realize that Will actually seemed to understand the strange language. Daniel pouted and said something else. "No, I don't think so mister." And Daniel began to cry, more from fear of being punished than anything else, and Will grabbed him up in his arms and held him tight. His was relief was evident.

"Don't you ever go scaring me like that again Daniel." He held his brother close on his shoulder and shushed his crying. "You're mine to look out for and I don't want you gettin' hurt."

Vin turned and walked away from the little scene. The back of his throat hurt suddenly, his hands were cold, and something must've got into his eyes. "I'll get my horse." He said, by way of explanation. Rain started to spatter around him on the ground. "Take y'all home."