"So what exactly is there here that you need ta' show me that I can't see for myself?"

Vin turned round in shock at the voice in his ear, almost spilling his drink over in the process. He had been waiting in the saloon whilst Amy was getting ready, and had decided to grab a drink before she arrived, he had felt he would be needing it today. Amy was standing directly in front of him, any closer and she'd have been stood on his feet. He noticed that she'd tied her long pale flaming hair into a loose side plait, hanging carelessly over her shoulder, but this seemed to be the only difference in her appearance. She was still dressed in Nathan's old clothes, a pair of baggy brown trousers and a black shirt that he was sure if she hadn't had tucked it away into the trousers would swamp her. The indignant look on her face, reminded Vin that she was waiting for a reply still.

"Nothin' like bein' shown around by a local, eh?" he grinned at her, trying to dispel the awkward feeling looming over them both. At his response Amy gave a small snort,

"A local? Please, I've seen some o' the locals here, you ain't a local,"

"I live here…" Vin could hear the strained tone in his voice, but Amy cut him off,

"Just because you live here, for now…don't make you a local."

Vin opened his mouth to argue back, but something in Amy's expression made him stop. There seemed to be a flash of sadness in amongst the blue of her eyes, but it was gone as quick as it came, and once again the frustrated look reappeared.

"Let's just get this over with, shall we?" she muttered turning on heel and marching out of the saloon.

"I do believe it appears that you have yourself a day full of joy with the pleasurable company of the dear Ms. Duke, Mr Tanner."

Vin could hear the grin in Ezra's voice before he turned to face him. Grabbing his hat from the bar, and giving it a quick wipe he smiled back at his friend,

"Couldn't think o' anythin' more fun Ez…" he raised his eyebrows, trailing off as he placed the hat back onto his head, and followed the path that Amy had taken only moments ago. He had expected her to have disappeared somewhere, and that it would take him the better part of his little tour to find her again, but instead she was leaning against one of the wooden bars forming the entrance to the bar. As she saw the doors swing open, she turned her head to watch Vin approach her, still smiling away. Annoyance ran through her like a river, she didn't need a babysitter, especially not one who was going to be grinning like a Cheshire cat and pretending to be her friend all day. Groaning, she pushed her hands against the post behind her until she was standing upright,

"Ready, when you are, tour guide."

Vin chose to ignore the bitterness in Amy's voice,

"Don't worry, I'll be as quick as I can," he carried on walking past her as he spoke the words, biting down on the insides of his mouth again, this time to stop himself from cursing Chris for asking him this favour. After he had walked down the saloon steps, he walked into the middle of the dusty street and turned to face her,

"You've already seen 'Standish Tavern' and o' course the 'Gem Hotel', so I figure we'll just take a stroll down the road, an' you see anythin' that interests ya, I'll tell you bout it…okay?" The question at the end came out as a thinly veiled ultimatum, but from the look on Amy's face, he could tell she understood the silent deal he was proposing. He watched as she took a moment, cocking her head to one side slightly, mulling it over.

"Fine," she finally answered, strolling down the steps towards him. As she reached him, she brought one finger in front of his face in a warning gesture, "but you better not be one o' those talkative kinda folk." She retracted her finger, stuffing her hands into the pockets of Nathan's trousers, switching her body away from Vin's direction to face down the street.

"Don't worry I'm definitely not…" he couldn't help grinning for real as he added the next part, "but compared ta' Chris, ya' might find me a chatterbox."

"I hate the idea of goin' back ta' that place," Buck growled. The comment wasn't quite loud enough to have been aimed at anybody, but was still loud enough to be more than just a muttering to himself under his breath. Chris looked over to his friend,

"You think I like it anymore than you do?"

Buck shook his head,

"I didn' mean it like that Chris, I just…"

Chris cut him off mid-sentence, "I know ya' didn't Buck. I didn' ask you to come though, you could just turn around an' …."

This time it was Buck's turn to interrupt his companion, "I ain't leaving you ta' do this alone Chris," a serious look filled his usually playful face, "if ya' hadn' had let me come along, I'd have just followed ya' anyway pard." He tried to smile at Chris, attempting to lighten the mood of their trip, they hadn't even reached their destination yet, and already the gloomy mood of what may lay ahead for them was hanging over them. It had been a few days ago that Chris had confided in Buck that he planned to go and find Ella, or at least any information that he could about where she might be. The conversation was still vivid in his mind, playing back over the last few nights when he had tried to sleep.

"You know what you said to me the other night"'

Chris had approached him as he was leaving the saloon, it was obvious to Buck that Chris had been waiting there for quite some time, waiting until he had separated from the others.

"You're gonna have ta' refresh my memory on tha' one Chris"'

His reply had been light-hearted, but something about Chris' mannerisms had worried him about how serious this conversation was going to be. Even for him usual self, Chris looked particularly concerned and stony faced.

"About Ella…'Whatever you wanna do I'll be at your side. If ya' wanna find her, I'll be the first one saddled up and ready to ride out.'…."

"I remember…"

Buck remembered how his breath had caught slightly in his throat as he had replied, and his stomach turn with a growing hunch about here Chris was headed with this.

"This is me letting you know. I ride out dawn tomorrow. I don' mind if you've changed your mind, I'm just lettin' you know."

"Not a chance in hell you're riding out without me!"

He had almost yelled the words at his old friend. He doubted that Chris had expected any other answer from him, but he knew that he felt as though he was burdening Buck with his troubles. He couldn't help but wonder to himself just when Chris would realise that a trouble of his, meant it was a trouble of Buck's as well. Particularly when it came to Ella: the woman who had so cruelly and coldly snatched the lives of Sarah and Adam. It felt like ice water had replaced his blood when he thought of Chris' son, the closest Buck had ever gotten to a son of his own. He had felt important in that boy's life, his 'Fun Uncle Buck', and had grown to love him more than he had anyone before. He looked carefully at Chris,

"Know this seems a silly question, but you sure about this Chris?"

"I'm sure."

It hadn't even taken him a second to respond, and the coldness in his tone issued the sign to Buck that the conversation was over. He had watched Chris storm off, and that was it, the decision had been made. The right decision, he kept hoping to himself.