AN- AHHHHH! I havent updated in soooooo long! I'm so ashamed, but ive been cheating on you guys, with my own story *gasp* it belongs to me and everything! Anyway I have also had a bit of writers block, trying to decide how to speed up the process of getting Griff out of jail. I would really not like to have to go on for five more chapters with him still in jail. I hope that this ch. will speed things up a bit.

The Wardens Office

The warden was busy writing a letter to the governor about the prisoners demands when Calhoun and Joe returned.

"Never mind that, Plank's running it now. He's in for robbery but he's a killer."

"Would Cooper let him take over like that?" Candy asked the guard.

"Not when he had a breath left in his body. He want to meet with you," he said, looking at the warden.

"He wants to kill me. They have knives in there, and people who can throw 'em"

"He said fifteen minutes, or they start killing hostages."

The Guard Room

Johnny Plank was sitting at the table with Mr. Cartwright and one of his 'friends'.

"Accordin to your fine gold watch, they got eight minutes to show."

Just then Griff walked through the door, "anyone want coffee? There was some on the back of the stove, thought I would offer."

"Kid, Cooper's friend, you wouldn't have any ideas of tryin to get even?" Plank shifted in his chair.

"Cooper's dead, he's not the only friend I've lost in here. A man's gotta take care of himself, I just want to stay alive, and I want to get outa these walls"

Plank still didn't trust him, "If you're lucky, you might make it. Now how about the coffee."

Griff turned away in disgust and grabbed two cups, "Hey, I gotta extra cup, alright if he has some?"

Plank rolled his eyes, "Alright, Pour. Might give him some muscle."

The Wardens Office

"…if the prisoners were in the hellbox, the blast wouldn't reach em, but we need someone inside to make sure that they are in there when we blow the door open."

"They didn't see me," offered Candy, "Plank said he would use a hostage as a shield, why couldn't the warden use a prisoner as a shield."

"That might work, but not in those clothes," the sheriff spoke up.

"Well then get me some other clothes."

"There's one other thing we need: a diversion." Joe said.

"How 'bout a riot in cell block 1" the sheriff pointed at a room in the model prison.

"Yes, and I think I know how to get them to do it." Calhoun offered.

"Alright, then let's go," Candy stood.

"Now wait a minute, the prisoners don't trust anybody. We need something more convincing than a change of clothes."

"I know of something, but you sure won't enjoy it."

"What is it?"

Calhoun walked over to a cupboard and pulled a whip from it, "Hizer's favorite persuader."

oOo

Candy gingerly tucked the front of a ratty old shirt into a pair of just as bad looking pants.

"Alright, let's go over the plan once more, there'll be a riot in cell block 1, you'll hear two shots, start counting from there, thirty seconds after, I blow this door open, got it." Joe looked concernedly at the state of his friend.

Calhoun, the sheriff, Joe, and the warden all shuffled to the guard room door, inside, one of Plank's cronies yelled out, "They're comin, and they got a con with em too." Plank tipped his chair over in his haste to get up.

"Cartwright on your feet," he said, brandishing a kitchen knife. "try anything and you're dead!"

Candy unlocked the guard door and swiftly jumped back, Plank came barreling out, pushing Ben in front of him. "Alright, we want twelve horses, six for the hostages, six rifles, six handguns, and they better be loaded. Blankets, grub, ammo, no guards on the walls or in the towers."

"I got it." The warden said shakily.

"Good, you have two hours."

"Two hours! I can't…"

"TWO HOURS! Get movin." Plank turned and shoved Cartwright back into the guard room, and as the door closed, Candy darted inside. He fell to the floor and rolled over on his back as Plank brandished the knife at him, "Who are you, what are you doin?"

Candy assumed the role of the frightened convict, "please please please, don't stick me with that thing, please. T-they p-pulled me out of- of cell block one t-to be a target for the Warden. Please, I heard you're getting out of here, take me with you."

Plank's friend was not so sure, "He's probably a plant."

Ben Cartwright's eyes were wide, and they darted from Candy to Johnny, praying silently that Candy would not be killed.

"You don't look like a con, or smell like one." Plank stepped forward.

"Really, look at this." He took off his shirt, exposing the horrid stripes from the whip.

"He still could be a plant."

Candy shook his head furiously and was about to retort, when Griff stepped from the doorway, where many of the cons were watching. He crouched down next to the man, "Is your name Candy." Candy's jaw dropped a little as he looked at the young man, his eyes narrowed, then widened as he recognized the boy. "Candy."

Ben looked worried as Candy responded, "yeah, yeah, that's right."

"You know him kid?" Plank asked.

"Yeah, in Billings Montana*… we served time together, he was in cell block one when I come in."

Candy breathed a sigh of relief. Griff helped him stand up, and the three men looked at the cuts on his back.

"Hizer stripes," Plank's friend said, "No doubt about that."

"Yeah, and they'll get blood poisonin in them if we don't clean em out." Johnny rolled his eyes at Griff's statement.

"Keep an eye on him, and the door." He told his friend, then he left.

*I will explain the back story to all of that in later chapters.

AN- GUESS WHAT GUYS! Only one more chapter till Griff gets out! He will most likely leave the prison in the next chapter and finally meet his sister in the next! CANT WAIT!

Reviews:

Questfan- thank you so much! I too am looking forward to their first meeting in four years.

AureaD- don't worry it will, Im finally on the move here

Romirola- whoever doesn't love Griff has some serious problems!