When he woke the next morning, Jimmy was alone in the bed. He got up, dressed quickly and went to find Faith which turned out to be an easy task as she was only in the kitchen.

"Did you sleep well?" she asked and he jumped having believed her to be unaware of his presence. As she spoke, she turned and her face was held in that expression he equated with Emma. It was a face that all but dared a person to figure the feelings of the wearer.

"Better than I have in a long time," he answered honestly, "You?"

"Not as well as I'd anticipated," she frowned. It wasn't a sad or angry frown but one of confusion.

Jimmy was confused as well; he would have thought her sleep would have been sound indeed. He looked everywhere but at Faith because he just didn't know what else to say to her. Luckily she didn't seem to be looking to him for answers.

She dished breakfast and poured coffee in silence and spoke little while they ate. Finishing the meal, Jimmy excused himself to get back to the work on the fence he'd started the day before. He was making progress and feeling the welcome change of physical labor and fresh air. He really had been spending too much time around poker tables in saloons and he was sure it was to the detriment of his health.

"I didn't expect you to stay."

Jimmy jumped as Faith, for the second time that morning startled him with her words.

"Pardon?" he asked looking to where she sat on a blanket with her knitting. From the looks of her, she had been sitting there watching him for a bit before she spoke.

"I was surprised you were still here this morning," she replied.

"I said I'd stay."

"You did," she agreed, "But I feared things may have gotten awkward between us," she offered timidly.

"Awkward? I can think of lots of ways to describe what happened between us but awkward ain't one of them."

"I meant after," she clarified and her will put a stop to the blush that tried to overtake her cheeks.

He smiled in understanding. Bill might not have a reputation for cruelty to women but he didn't have any sort of reputation for sticking around long or getting entangled with real feelings. Maybe it was time to make some alterations to the great legend; or, at the very least to make this woman see the true differences between Bill and James.

"If anything," he said clearly, meeting her eyes, wanting no mistake of his meaning, "That made me want to stay. I wanted to make sure you were alright. I don't think I could leave any woman crying but especially not one I'm beginning to care for."

She mulled over his words for a while and he went back to work. Jimmy was beginning to wear that same confused frown Faith had been sporting most of the morning. It had been a while since he'd cared for a woman like this and even longer since that feeling had come to him so quickly. He'd never been able to quite understand how you could meet a hundred people and they could pass through your life like water through your fingers and then there would be one person who could turn your head and heart in nearly the same motion.

Faith was the one to break the pensive silence between them.

"You're beginning to care for me?" she asked as if she had only then just realized those words had been spoken.

"I think if I'm not careful, I could fall in love with you."

"Would that be such a bad thing?" she asked looking worried.

"I wouldn't be opposed at all," he said easily, "I won't speak for you though."

She grew quiet once again and Jimmy finished the fence. He went to ready his horse for the ride back to town.

"Don't worry," he told her gently, "I'll be sure to tell any of the busybodies in town that I slept in the barn."

"Do you really have to go?" she implored of him.

"I do. I am the marshal after all," he said with a slight smile, "But I happened to notice that step on your porch was getting weak. I couldn't let that go; you could fall right through and who knows how long it would be before someone found you. I'm duty bound to see to your safety, you know. I guess I'll have to just be back tomorrow to fix that."

Faith smiled and allowed a small laugh her eyes sparkling at him. She looked away for a moment and then returned her eyes to him with a wicked gleam in them.

"Maybe you'd like to come by for some supper and sleep in the barn again," she said emphasizing the word 'barn', "That way you could start first thing tomorrow."

He pulled her to him and captured her lips with his. When he broke the kiss he whispered in her ear.

"I guess I'll just see you tonight then."

Jimmy got back to town to deal with the most excruciatingly long day in his memory. He found himself fighting disdain for nearly every soul he encountered. He managed to keep his head about him enough in a poker game to not do too badly and then went to his room alone to the evident disappointment of quite a few females.

'Let them be disappointed,' he thought, 'They want someone who don't even exist.'

As he readied, his heart swelled at the thought of Faith who was so ready to reject Wild Bill but welcomed Jimmy to her arms, her bed. He hadn't even thought that Jimmy still existed and he was happy to find him once again. He wondered though if she'd always long for that silhouette to come over the horizon to her and worried he'd never be all she wanted or needed. And that was a worry that was definitely foreign, both to Jimmy and Bill.

Arriving at the Lassiter place, he saw to the only one who actually would be sleeping in the barn that night, his horse. He then climbed the steps to the porch, taking care on the middle one as he'd not been fabricating the need for its repair. As he approached the door, he saw it open and for a moment, as he took in her smiling face, he let himself fantasize about a life where he'd come home from a day's work to that beautiful face. It was far from the life he had or any he'd allowed in his imagining since he wasn't sure when. He was starting to entertain thoughts of a life like that.

"You came," she said surprised.

"I make it a rule to never pass up a home-cooked meal with a beautiful woman."

Faith blushed at the compliment and gestured for him to come inside. He noticed as he entered the home that Adam's toys had been picked up.

That uncomfortable silence made itself at home while they ate.

"Faith," he began, unsure, "Did I do something wrong?"

"No," she answered quickly, a little too quickly it seemed, "Why would you ask that?"

"I just keep feeling like you're upset. I know last night brought up some powerful feelings and memories and I know you aren't ready to deal with all of them," he spoke without eye contact for even if he'd been able to raise his eyes to hers, she was looking past him to the wall behind, "You seem unsettled being alone with me. Do you think I have some expectations of you?"

"Don't you?"

"Well, the invitation was to sleep in the barn," he said in an attempt at levity that he knew was doomed before it left his mouth, "I just want to be near you."

"Everyone knows you never go to bed alone," she said bitterly.

"Maybe not," he replied allowing the insult go to Bill where it belonged, "But I sleep that way; when I sleep, that is. Those women are me trying to not be lonely. It don't work."

She turned her furrowed brow to him.

"Sometimes you can be lonelier with someone there. I told you this morning, I care for you. I'm fairly certain I'm falling in love with you. That's not just something I say. You're right, there's no shortage of women and I'm here anyway. I could have had a warm body in my bed to do with as I pleased without the ride out here."

"So why are you here?"

He sighed and closed his eyes a moment to collect the words to explain.

"When you opened the door, I had a vision of a life I used to dream of. I thought I'd lost that dream. If you kicked me out now and told me to never come back, finding out that dream was still alive somewhere would be worth the ride out here."

"Why me though?"

"At first I thought it was just because you weren't trying to catch my eye," he began, "Most women in town do. They look away as if they're trying to be embarrassed when I look back to them but then I think that might be part of the game some women like to play."

He paused to sip his coffee.

"There was that expression you get that's like Emma. It's like you're challenging me to figure out what you're thinking. And you were frightened of me and I have to admit that was upsetting and a challenge in itself to show you I'm no one for a woman to fear. But you still spoke to me even though you were wary; that kind of strength is irresistible. And you're beautiful, which certainly doesn't hurt," he looked down at his plate and then quietly added, "You called out my name, not his."

"What was that last part?" she asked.

"When we made love, it was my name you called out; not Bill's."

"You hate him don't you?" she asked as if trying to believe it.

"More and more every day, it seems."

Yeah...obviously not the real James Hickok speaking there...he did more than anyone else to perpetuate the myth. But he was such a romantic at times I wonder if occasionally he wanted to be someone else or if he even saw a difference between James and Bill. Interesting to note, his own wife called him James. I don't think many did. Anyway...trying to get to some feelings here and I have no idea where this story is going. But after the night they shared, starting to feel better about trying to talk to him again. So, I love you all for reading and would love to know what you think as we go along...is it holding your attention? Do you like Faith? I'm trying to think what really lurked beneath the stoic exterior of a frontier woman who had been through things like she had. Certainly keeps the Mary Sue at bay...I think. she comes too naturally flawed and fractured to be too good to be true. So...yeah...let me know what you think...okay?-J