Chapter 17

Buck sat with J.D. on the other end of town. From where they perched, they could see Vin and Chris exchanging dialogue. Buck knew it probably had something to do with the Manning girls; he saw the look in Chris's eyes when he'd checked on Mary earlier. He knew that his oldest friend fought a lot of painful memories when he looked at the pretty news lady, and realized that Chris wanted to show her he moved on from his past; that he wanted her. Buck hoped it would really happen, and soon. Lord knew he'd been waiting for him to realize how much Mary meant to him.

J.D. sighed heavily, wishing the fighting would start already. After all the fights he'd been in since coming to Four Corners, Buck thought he would realize they weren't as much fun as the boy once thought. He turned his attention to the younger man, whose hand twitched in anticipation.

"Kid, you gotta relax. We've got a few days before anything happens." To emphasize his point, Buck relaxed against the wall behind him and tilted his hat over his eyes.

J.D. turned toward his mentor, cursing in his head. "But shouldn't we make the first move? Shouldn't we head toward them? Why put us all through this anxiousness?"

Buck took his turn to sigh. "Because, kid, we know our territory better than we know theirs. It's smarter to wait for them to come to us. We'll better secure Isabelle if we're all in town watchin her, as opposed to just one of us."

"Yeah, but they already beat us on our territory," J.D. pointed out, referring to the night they'd kidnapped Belle. "If they got her once, they can again."

Buck nodded, acknowledging J.D.'s statement. "But not all of us watched out for her. We took turns watching the roads, but not all Seven of us participated in a watch at the same time. She's better protected now that we're working together." He never thought he'd have to explain the logic of the plan so outright, but J.D. sometimes forgot himself when a fight was brewing, like the day he walked into the bar, gun drawn…the day Belle showed up in town.

The girl caused little damage to an already wild town; compared to some of their exploits, this event was a piece of cake. But, being so dear to them, this incident tried them all. Buck liked Belle, regardless of the little time he'd spent with her alone. He knew Ezra was infatuated with her; knew Chris understood her on his silent, observant level and respected her; knew Josiah let her confide in him, renewing once again his faith in the Lord's mystery gifts; and knew most definitely that she tamed Vin's wild heart. A girl who accomplished all that in the span of a week? Well, he considered her to be very special, and he'd stop at nothing to protect her young life.

J.D., quiet, lost himself in his thoughts while all of this crossed Buck's mind. He looked up at the older man, breaking the silence once again. "She's pretty special, isn't she?"

Buck nodded, smiling at the young cowboy as it finally dawned on J.D. why all the precautions taken were necessary. "Not just to Vin, either. To all of us. It's like she knows us, like she's been here all along, watchin'." Buck realized Mary's letters described them all so well that Belle could be friendly without forcing to get to know them all. It had been a nice change from the usual idle chitchat they had to make with newcomers who were sticking around.

J.D.'s face turned to stone, seriousness for his job finally taking hold of him. He turned and pointed his shot gun toward the horizon, past the church, and looked down his sight. If Connelly's comin, he thought to himself, his new respect for the situation flowing through him, he'll have to get through me to get to Belle. She's one of us now, and I'll be damned if I'm gonna let him take her.

Buck returned to his nap-like pose, proud of his young protégé for finally understanding the situation. Realizing he would eventually have to take over for J.D. to get some rest, he got comfortable so he could get some shut-eye.

Meanwhile, in the clinic, Nathan tended to Mary's wound. It looked much better, having begun to heal nicely all things considered. Mary stayed awake most of the time now, worry constantly covering her features. He did his best to reassure her, but some things just can't be taken off a woman's mind. He dressed the wound and smiled down at her.

"Looks like you'll be out of here soon, ma'am." He threw some dirty rags into a nearby bin. "You'll be home safe with your boy in a couple of days."

Mary forced a smile and slowly turned to her side to get a more comfortable position. "That's wonderful." Yes, she worried about Billy's safety, but she knew both Belle and Chris wouldn't let him get hurt. No, her thoughts geared more toward her sister. She knew Belle regretted the hasty bargain with Connelly more than ever; that she felt responsible for her sister's gunshot wound. Mary didn't want her sister to worry about her when there was so much else for her to focus on. Like her nephew. And the man she loved. But she knew, in her heart, Belle would always blame herself.

Mary's thoughts flipped to Chris. He stayed by her side all night and hesitated over leaving her. She wanted him to stay, but knew it would be better for everyone concerned if he helped the other Seven protect her sister. And while she worried over him, in her mind she knew he'd be just fine. Brave and strong, he'd return to her safe and sound. She smiled warmly at the memory of him by her bedside. She thought she'd never love again after Steven, but the outlaw-turned-lawman called to her heart in a way she never expected. She said a silent prayer for her loved ones and watched Nathan load a shotgun and watch out the window for any sign of trouble.

Belle held tightly to Billy as he trembled in her arms. He was petrified. The thought of someone breaking into the house sent him into a tizzy. She smiled tightly at Ezra, who looked out the front curtain carefully every few minutes. He smiled back.

Ezra couldn't believe what he had done. Showing up drunk to protect the woman he loved had been a very bad idea. Thankfully, Belle made her coffee so strong, it had helped immensely in sobering him up. Now, his muscles were tightly drawn and he was on edge. His only thought: to protect Belle and Billy. As he watched her, he saw how tired and wary she looked. Her skin looked pale and gaunt; it amazed him how much older than eighteen she looked. There was an awful beauty in her terror; especially when the light caught the wild fear in her eyes.

I know I'm your last line of defense, my darlin', but I will not let him lay a hand on you again, Ezra vowed in his head, returning his attention once more to the window, the tension barely registering in his mind as his finger rested on the trigger.

A/N: This chapter was just a tension filler…in the show, you don't really get to see a lot of the preparation or desperation between all the characters. Plus, I hadn't written some of the Seven in a while, so I thought I could add some more perspectives…Chapter 18 will have Connelly's arrival in town! YAY! Be ready! Xo, ~Nelli~