Hey guys! Sorry it's been so long between this update and the last, been SUUUUUUPER busy with C/wk and so on, but I promise to try and upload the next chapters a lot speedier, hope you enjoy reading Thank you.
The road seemed never-ending, and though he was sure that the heat had a part to contribute in that, Buck knew that it was the anticipation of their destination that was mainly causing this feeling. He and Chris were travelling longer and faster than they usually would have for such a distant journey, but Buck knew that Chris was eager to make pace today of all days. He glanced over towards his companion. Chris was wearing the stony expression that was so commonplace upon his face, and had been for the past few years now, and Buck wondered about what was running through his mind. Many times he found himself questioning what was going on in Chris' head when he held this expression, often Buck pondered whether Chris thought about Sarah and Adam in those quiet moments. He knew that the memories of this past life with his wife and son still haunted Chris, or at least they had done last year. Recently he had supposed that Chris' mind was fixed upon thoughts of Ella, and how best to extract his revenge on the woman. Looking ahead, he noticed a familiar rocky pass that indicated they were gaining on the town of Red Fork. Normally he wouldn't have been able to pick up so well on a detail of a journey that he had only taken once, but the route they had to take seemed to be imprinted on Buck's mind like a cattle brand. An uncomfortable sensation rushed through Buck, chilling all the way down his spine, he had been aware of a similar feeling creeping over him slowly since they had left Four Corners, but it was growing the closer they got to Red Fork. It shocked him to remember that it had only been this morning that he and Chris had begun their travels, it felt like days now. Eager to shake off the discomfort that had arisen within him, Buck cleared his throat,
"Reckon tha' Inez is gonna be missin' me mighty bad," he jested aloud, waking Chris from his thoughtful trance.
"Missin' the tab ya'd be runnin' up on the bar more like it," it had been meant to come out in more of a jokey tone, but there was a definite grumble to Chris' words. Buck chose to ignore this, he knew his friend wasn't angry at the conversation, it wasn't that Chris hated to talk at all, it was more that his mind was somewhere else most of the time.
"Any thought ta' what ya' gonna do after this pard?"
Chris turned to face Buck, a look of mild confusion on his face,
"When we find her? I haven' decided yet. Doubt she'll come easily, or fight fair…" his voice trailed off as his thoughts flooded through his brain about which would be the best way to approach Ella when they found her. After discovering the extent of crooks that Ella had on hire, no doubt she'd be well protected and difficult to get to, but that wouldn't matter for Chris. Not this time. He'd take out every last one of them, or die trying. Again Buck's voice cut into his train of thoughts,
"Tha's not wha' I meant Chris." Noticing the quizzical look on Chris' face, Buck carried on, "After all o' this. After Ella is outta tha' picture. You musta' had some thoughts 'bout life after an' wha' you want?" Buck sucked in a depth breath before quietly adding the last part, "Or who ya' want…"
Chris stared down the rein in his hands, his grip tightened unconsciously, his knuckles turning white. Buck's words struck him deeper than he had expected, and he was determined to not let this become visible. He thought of how he had felt after Cletus Fowler had died, he hadn't been relieved as such, it had been hard to adjust to the idea of not hunting for his wife's killer after doing so for so long, but he had begun to think about the future. And Mary had been the first one he'd thought of, however whenever they had seemed to be getting anywhere, something had always come between them. And then of course had come Ella. She had re-awoken old feelings from when they had both been young and so much more carefree. He'd began to feel that he could leave that chapter of his life behind him, never forgotten but maybe it was time to start again, up until the point that he'd discovered that not only was the killer of Adam and Sarah still alive, but that very woman he'd been planning on building a new life with. Left broken, with the foundations of his world well and truly collapsed, any hope he had felt of moving on had been shattered in an instant. He swallowed the lump that was forming in his throat at the thought of all that had been so cruelly snatched away from him, this time he wouldn't be so complacent and foolish as to plan a new life before making sure the deed was done. Turning to face Buck, making sure to retain the cool expression on his face,
"Can' afford to think past that Buck," and when his moustached friend replied with a silent nod, he muttered to himself under his breath, "can' afford to think past that…"