Jimmy waited for Faith's breathing to slow and for her to relax fully against him before he spoke.

"Now what was that dream about?"

"Please don't ask that," she begged, "I don't want to think about it anymore."

"Sweetheart, as much as I enjoyed what just happened—and I enjoyed it a whole awful lot," he began, "I have a feeling that wasn't about how irresistibly handsome I am."

"Please don't," she whispered as her first tears fell hot on his chest.

"Faith, I love you. You're safe with me. You can tell me anything. Whatever it was, you're still scared and that won't change by keeping it to yourself."

Reluctantly Faith told him of her dream. When she came to the part where she was sitting in the road holding him as the life left his body, he could barely make out her words through her tears. Jimmy held her tighter then and right up to where she woke grasping for him in the darkness and finding only a cold empty space.

"It's okay now," he cooed to her between planting soft kisses on her head. "I'm here."

He knew his words might calm her in the short term but her nightmare was of a very real and possible threat. Her fear was completely rational. He searched for a real comfort for her, something he could say that she could believe in. It came to him sudden. It was a frightening thought but the more he pondered it, the more he realized it was what he truly wanted and what he had been searching for to restore his own spirit. He took a breath and thought a bit to make sure he wasn't making a decision he'd come to regret. He closed his eyes and pictured his options and that only further crystallized this in his mind as the right thing to do.

"Let's get up and get dressed," he said, "I have an errand to run in town and I'd really like it if you'd come with me."

Faith looked at him puzzled, tears still clinging to her eyelashes. But she got up and dressed before pinning her hair up. She was going as much to not have to let him out of her sight as because he had asked her to. The fear of that dream still gripped her. She hadn't known that much about him but the talk in the town but it didn't take her long at all to understand the danger inherent in his life and when he was out of her sight, anything could happen and she couldn't lose someone else. She just couldn't.

Jimmy went out and readied the wagon and once Faith was all set, he helped her onto it and drove toward town.

"I'm sorry," Faith said when they were about halfway to town and Jimmy turned and looked at her in question.

"With your methods of rousing a man from sleep, what on earth do you have to be sorry for?"

"I've somehow upset you," she answered, "It was the dream, wasn't it? I shouldn't have told you."

"The dream was awful upsetting but that's not your fault. It really only upset me because I don't want to be the one causing you fear. I scared you when we first met and I swore to myself I wouldn't ever again. I aim to keep that promise."

"I don't understand. Ho-"

"You will," he said cutting her question off. There was nothing he could say to her perhaps that would calm her fears but there were things he could do and those actions would speak far louder.

Once in town, Jimmy pulled the wagon up in front of the mayor's office. He climbed down and then lifted Faith out of the wagon as well.

"Come on," he said gently holding a hand to her, "I've got something to say to the mayor that I'd like for you to hear."

They had to wait a few minutes in the outer office for the mayor to see them but soon were ushered into his office. Mayor Hastings gestured to a couple of chairs but Jimmy just shook his head. There was silence for a moment before Mayor Hastings spoke up.

"What can the mayor's office do for you today Marshal Hickok?"

"You can stop calling me 'marshal' for one thing," Jimmy replied placing the metal star on the desk in front of him, "And you can accept my resignation effective right this minute."

"You can't just quit, Mr. Hickok."

"I can and I did," Jimmy said with finality, "Pete'll do a fine job of keeping peace around here."

With that Jimmy put an arm around Faith's shoulders and led her out of the office and onto the street. Mayor Hastings was still trying to argue the point but his words were for his own benefit only.

"That felt good," Jimmy said.

"Why did you do that?" Faith asked, "Was it because of me? You shouldn't have done that just because of me."

"Yes, I should," he told her, "I promise I'll explain it to you but not right now."

Jimmy led her down the street and to the hotel and nodded at the desk clerk as he passed on his way up the stairs.

"Unless you turn back pretty quickly your reputation is probably pretty much gone," Jimmy said and Faith realized that he had long before released her hand. She saw the apologetic look in his eyes.

"Why's that?" she asked as he stopped in front of a room and fished a key out of his pocket.

"This is my room," he explained, "Women usually are only here for one reason."

"Oh," Faith said looking down.

"I'm just getting my things and checking out," he said, "You don't have to come in. You could wait in the lobby and no one would think ill of you then."

"You'll need help," Faith replied shaking her head. She wasn't sure exactly what was happening but it was big. A part of her was frightened at how sad he seemed to be when he spoke to her as if he was sorry for things he couldn't or wouldn't put words to. Somehow it seemed even more important to not leave him. Besides she was interested in seeing where he had lived. There was still so much she did not know about him.

Jimmy sighed heavily walking into the room. He had hoped that she would take the offer to wait downstairs and looking around, he wished he had insisted. He visibly cringed as she picked up the unfinished bottle of whiskey from the night before.

"You want me to pack this up too?" she asked without a trace of judgment.

"I don't expect I'll be needing it."

"Oh you might just," she said with a smirk at him, "Aaron used to say that I could drive a man to drink."

Faith looked down quickly, "I mean, unless you-well, if you are-" she stammered not really knowing what was going to happen after they collected his belongings. She wanted so desperately to think that this was all so he could come and be with her but a man like James Butler Hickok settling down on a farm was a little farfetched even for her romantic imaginings. She fought the tears down and concentrated on keeping her breathing even.

"If I'm what?"

"If you're staying," she said knowing that she had just asked a question she was more terrified than anything else of finding the answer to. He only said he wouldn't frighten her anymore, he didn't say he would move in and be with her.

Jimmy looked in her eyes for a trace of emotion and it was there but so buried that if he hadn't known Emma and therefore been trained to look for such things, he would have missed it and seen only her stoic eyes. But it was there, the desperate pleading for him to say he was staying with her.

"Of course I'm staying," he said softly, "I'm sorry I didn't make that clear. I'm out of practice at being with someone and caring about them. I guess I was never all that good at it to begin with."

Faith wasn't quite sure what to say at that and Jimmy once again offered that she could wait downstairs. He was once again met with a shake of her head and those eyes that dared him to search her feelings. Another time or place and he would have but right then all he cared about was getting his things and getting the hell out. He set to tossing clothes in a bag hurriedly. The sooner this was done, the sooner he could leave this place that seemed to mock him for the time he'd wasted in loneliness seeking out cheap and empty substitutes for real human connections.

Faith stood in the room with her arms at her sides and tried to watch Jimmy but her eyes were continually drawn to the one place she noticed he could not bring himself to look: the bed. She wondered who had been beside him, under him, maybe even, she thought as her insides began to flutter, atop him in that bed. Had they all been loose women or had some of the supposed upstanding ladies of town made their way to that mattress? Had they possibly even been here on a Saturday night and then in a pew next to her Sunday morning with their husbands none the wiser? Would any of the women clucking their tongues at her right now be women who had shared that bed? And for those who had seen her head up the stairs with this man, what did they imagine was happening right now?

The very thought of the things—the torrid, passionate things—others might imagine made her weak at the knees. She crossed the room unnoticed. So wrapped up in what he was doing was he that had she been skipping rope on the nightstand with her hair on fire that would have gone unnoticed as well. In fact, so unaware of her was he that when her arms encircled him from behind he actually jumped. She pressed her face into his back taking in his rugged scent feeling the heat spread through her body.

Jimmy turned in her arms to face her.

"I'll be done soon," he said trying to turn back to his packing but she held him tight.

"Kiss me," Faith said in reply although the one seemed to have little to do with the other.

"Faith, I need to get back to this so we can go," he insisted not wanting to keep her in this sad little room with its desolate memories any longer.

"Kiss me," she said again holding him even tighter.

Jimmy acquiesced and leaned to kiss her lightly but that was not what Faith had in mind. Her hands quickly went behind his head, tangling in his long hair and pulling him tighter to her. Her mouth opened begging him to deepen the kiss.

Everything in Jimmy wanted to protest. This was an ugly room where ugly shallow things happened. Everything he had with Faith was beautiful and didn't belong in a place like this. There were too many ghosts here, too much anger and fear and sadness. Too many nights with women whose names he'd never remember even if he'd been told them and more often than not he hadn't. He wanted to tell her that her love for him was too good for this place but she was kissing and trailing her tongue down his neck and he seemed to forget his objections. In fact he was starting to see this was just a room and it was not the things that had happened in it. It was not in itself good or bad but a place where good things as well as bad could happen.

His shirt was off him before he'd even realized she had been unbuttoning it and Faith was continuing her trail of kisses down his chest as she lowered herself to her knees in front of him and set to work at his gun belts and then the belt of his trousers and finally the buttons that held them closed. Her kisses took a detour from their due south trail to cover his hip and toward his upper thigh as her hands snaked around and caressed his backside. One hand trailed back around to the front of him and traced over his other hip and thigh and back across his pelvis twirling in the hair above his arousal where he could feel her hot breath ever nearer. Her fingers traveled his length lightly, barely skimming the flesh pulled tight with anticipation. He was aware that his breath was coming faster and more shallow and his pulse was beating in his ears. He could not help the groan that escaped him as her tongue started to follow along behind her fingertips. Nor could he stop the sharp intake of air as the moist heat of her mouth enveloped him. Within her mouth her tongue circled around him before she began to bob her head pulling back so as to nearly release him and then forward relaxing her throat to take the whole of him. Jimmy was awash in sensation. Later he would reflect on his surprise that this woman even knew how to do these things she was doing to him. So often she was timid and shy toward him and all of a sudden she was a wonton creature taking him over. He was not in control of this nor was he truly in control of his own body. She knew what to do to elicit certain responses from him and he was powerless against her. But he was a contented powerless. If this was what it was to relinquish control then he'd gladly do this anytime she wished it. His knees were starting to buckle and he knew he was close but then he felt the air cool on him as Faith pulled away and stood giving him an impish look. She smiled and backed him up to the end of the bed and gave a small shove. She then pulled his boots off followed by his pants which had still been around his ankles.

Jimmy scooted up the bed and lay back wondering what was coming next for he knew well that he was not running this show. The excitement at wondering just what was coming next was far greater even than when he did know. Faith stood at the end of the bed and looked him up and down smiling. Then she slowly removed her dress and stood before him in her undergarments. As many women of her position on a regular day, she wore no corset and few petticoats. The petticoats were the first to go leaving only a simple cotton camisole and her pantaloons. Crossing her arms over herself and grasping the bottom hem of her camisole she raised her arms lifting it from her allowing him the sight of her firm breasts being freed. With a small tug on the drawstring and a twitch of her hips her pantaloons fell to her ankles. She stepped free and then reached up and removed the comb that was holding her hair up. As she shook her head her golden brown hair fell around her shoulders and across her breasts. As she walked toward the bed her breasts swayed and occasionally peeked through her long wavy tresses. Jimmy was mesmerized. She climbed onto the bed and crawled toward him like a cat stalking its prey.

Jimmy could feel the mounting excitement mounting in him greater than he felt before the first time he was ever with a woman. He wanted so badly to reach out for her and pull her to him, to mount her and bring this to its ultimate conclusion but that wasn't what was going to happen. For once in this sad little room he was not in control. This was less about his needs than hers although he was certain his would be met. She had given him enough of a taste already that he had no doubt this would end well for both of them. He could feel her moving up his legs, kissing, licking, her breasts rubbing against him as she worked her way toward his groin.

"Oh my God," he said as he felt her tongue on the soft sack beneath his throbbing erection. It was the last intelligible thing he would say for a while.

He sucked in a sharp breath and then let out a soft moan as her tongue ran its way up the underside of his cock. Faith paused to circle the head with her tongue before continuing up his chest. As she crawled her way up his body, he could feel the wetness between her legs. She began circling her hips, grinding against him as she licked and sucked at his nipples. She continued kissing and licking her way upward until she found his mouth, open and panting. Jimmy was amazed at how forcefully she claimed that mouth. Sure he had done that to women in the past but had never had someone claim him in this way. It was something he could get used to. His senses were under assault. Her mouth working over his, her tongue exploring every crevice of his mouth, her hardened nipples pressing into his chest and her wet heat grinding into his groin. He needed so badly to be inside her. Jimmy's nails raked down her back as she arched up and smiled at him.

"My God I do love you," she said her voice thick with passion.

Then Faith rocked up onto her knees and lifted herself a slightly reaching between her legs to grab his hardened and desperate length. She guided the tip to her slick, wet entrance and lowered herself onto him. Her eyelids fell and her back arched with the ecstasy and she moaned softly. Slowly her hips began to move as her hands groped at his chest. Jimmy ghosted his fingers up her thighs to her hips and urged her to a faster pace. She granted this and he let his hands finish their travels to her breasts which he cradled, caressed and fondled. He could see the flush come over her cheeks as her breath came frantically and her hips gyrated at a torrid pace. Jimmy was hoping that she was close because he would not be able to hold out very much longer. He needn't have worried because mere moments later he felt her walls tighten around him as she cried out, "Oh yes, Jimmy!"

He quickly followed her explosion with a powerful, earth shattering one of his own.

Jimmy couldn't help but smile as she collapsed onto him. That was the one thing that had never before been screamed out in this room.

Yeah...sometimes Jimmy just needs a little Faith.-J