Buck was sitting in the marshal's office with his feet propped upon the desk. It was another slow day in a string of slow days. He was grateful that here was nothing to do as deputy of course. With the job there was an understanding that most of the work was unpleasant and would involve people at some of their worst moments. Still Buck did not like to be bored. It was times like this he longed for the old Pony Express days. He and the others worked hard but he always felt clearer and stronger in both body and mind when he worked that hard. There were some days he thought to quit, to turn in the badge and find something else to do. For a few reasons, he could not do that right then though. First of all he had no other way of supporting himself in mind right then and even though he'd gained an amount of acceptance in Rock Creek, it was still a world where the deck was largely stacked against him. The second reason really was inextricably tied to the first and that was Jenny. While a man on his own could quit a job and float around with only a thought of his own comfort, a man with a wife had other considerations. And a man with a newly expecting wife had even more. He did grant the thought that both he and Jenny knew how to live with little reliance on money but he still was trying to forge a relationship with his father-in-law. Sure if it was just the two of them they would just do whatever they wanted but he understood the importance of family and he wanted Jenny to have the chance at it with whatever family she had left. He also did not want to leave his own family. He knew he had no blood relation left in the world, or at least none that would have him, but he had family all the same. They were almost more precious because they were a family that chose to be part of him. They didn't have to, they could have turned on him like everyone else and they didn't. They defended him, they took care of him and most of all, they loved him even at the times when he wasn't so lovable. Not all of them were still here, but most were. In fact since Jimmy had wandered in some six months before, only Cody was missing and he wrote everyone often and had stories in magazines as well. It was almost like he was still there to annoy them daily. Kid and Lou weren't far out of town with their little family and he saw them frequently though not as frequently as he saw Teaspoon and Rachel. Those two were getting close enough that he half expected a wedding to take place soon.

His impending fatherhood brought even more reasons to not leave his post without a solid plan that would keep him close. He had no idea how to be a father at all but he knew Teaspoon did and he felt that he would need to rely heavily on the old marshal when the time came. Besides, Mr. Tompkins had come so far in his acceptance of Jenny and of Buck as well. The man deserved the fresh start a grandchild would bring.

More important even than being around family or making his new father-in-law happy with the decision to let him marry Jenny was Teaspoon himself. Teaspoon was still a little ways off from being an old man really but he was no spring chicken either. He was slowing down and Buck found more and more of the work of being marshal fell on him as Teaspoon just couldn't do it anymore. He had sort of hoped when Hickok came back those months ago that he would want to help Teaspoon out and that would leave Buck to finding some other means of supporting himself and Jenny. Jimmy seemed to have no interest in being a lawman anymore. Buck even cornered him one day thinking Jimmy wasn't pursuing it because he didn't want to put his friend out of work. Buck assured Jimmy that he'd leave the job happily but Jimmy just shook his head and said maybe someday farther down the road he'd think about it but he had no desire to go that route with his life anymore. Buck had tried to press him for a reason but like so many things about his time away from them, Jimmy would not speak of his reasons. Buck left it be knowing there was some real hurt there and just hoped his friend would come to him to talk at some point.

He already felt like he'd come a long way at re-establishing his friendship with Hickok in these last few months. He could still remember the look on Jimmy's face that day when Buck came walking into Teaspoon's office. He had tried to act nonchalant but Buck could see the fear that maybe he'd come looking for something that wasn't there anymore. Nothing could have been further from the truth. They had all missed him and having him back felt good and right. In fact, while there had been days when they felt much older than they were for the way they talked about the 'old days', there were also times when those years fell away and it was just like they were still those wild and free kids, as wild and free as either of them had ever really been able to be, at any rate.

As Buck was lamenting how little he had to do he heard something that might relieve him of that boredom for at least a little bit. The stage was rolling in and that was at least something. He stood and wandered out in front of the office to see what or who might be coming. It wasn't much for excitement but it was better than half dozing at the desk. Only one passenger emerged from the stage and she immediately piqued Buck's curiosity.

He didn't recognize her at all and that seemed odd since she was big with child and a woman in that condition wasn't often one to travel alone where she didn't know people. Buck continued to watch as the driver dropped her single bag from the top of the stage. He looked closer to the boardwalk where she stood and confirmed there was no one waiting for her and then saw her eyes dart around as if unsure of where to go or what to do next.

With nothing else pressing to do that day, Buck thought the best service he could provide was to see if he could assist this woman in any way. She looked quite tired from her journey. Perhaps he could go and find her people for her or at least carry her bag to the hotel where she could get some rest. He had just neared her enough to ponder asking her name and if he could help her when she turned to him. There was a brief flicker of recognition in her eyes when she saw him and then she swooned and wilted right there. Buck caught her before she could fall completely to the ground. For a moment he panicked but then looked up and saw the doc's office right across the street. Buck lifted her into his arms and carried her across.

"Who do you have there, Buck?" the doctor asked as Buck maneuvered the women through the door.

"Don't know," Buck answered quickly relating the story of the mystery woman's arrival in town as he laid her on a bed for the doctor to examine.

Buck stood nervously in the doorway feeling oddly protective until he was shooed out.

The woman woke and looked around trying to figure where she was. Terror struck her as her mind tried and failed to reconstruct her last remembered moments.

"Well, look who's awake," a man said upon entering the room observing the woman skittering to a far corner of the bed she was on.

"You don't need to be frightened," the man said in a soothing tone, "My name is Dr. Braden."

"Where am I? What happened?"

"You're in my office in Rock Creek," he replied, "And it appears that in your travels you weren't eating or drinking enough to sustain your condition. I suspect you might not have been sleeping either. You fainted."

"Rock Creek?" she asked looking hopeful. Dr. Braden nodded. "I need to find Marshal Hunter. Please, it's very important."

"I'm afraid the marshal is out of town. He's due back soon but the best I can do right now is fetch you his deputy. That's who brought you here. He's been plenty worried for you anyway. Hasn't even gone home to his pretty little wife yet. I'd better let him know you're awake. I'll go and get him. You rest a bit and there's water and a sandwich for you. You need to get something into your body."

The woman sat stunned as she watched the man leave the room. She did not remember making it to Rock Creek but she had and that was a good thing. It bothered her though that she remembered so little and had lost consciousness. She had no way of knowing if she'd been followed and if she had, losing this time was a bad thing.

Buck had been sitting outside the woman's door for hours. He'd left only to fetch her some food and water for when she woke. Jenny had stopped in worried for him and he told her that he needed to make sure this stranger was going to be alright before he could come home. He knew when she woke he'd probably have to go find her people for her. Doc said the baby was moving around and that she was probably just exhausted and maybe hungry too. Buck was grateful that Doc thought the baby was probably fine. Before she had fainted the woman had been reflexively rubbing her belly in a loving gesture. If she had woken to bad news about the baby there might not be much consoling her.

As he sat and waited he thought about this woman and why he felt such a need to protect her. He had never seen her before. He tried to tell himself it was just that she was alone and he was concerned for her. It was his job after all but this feeling of protection was more than just duty. He couldn't get out of his mind that although he did not know her, she sure looked like she knew him. The look wasn't just recognition, it was relief. There had been fear in her eyes like an animal searching for refuge from a predator. Yet when she saw him—and it wasn't his badge because she looked right at his face—she looked relieved like she knew she was safe and whatever might be chasing her wouldn't be able to get her now.

Buck looked up expectantly as Doc Braden came out of the room.

"She's awake," the doc said and Buck breathed a sigh of relief. "Skittish thing, she asked for Teaspoon. Told her the best I could do was his deputy. She seemed maybe she'd be okay with that."

"If she's not," Buck offered, "He'll be in later tonight."

Buck entered the room to find her in the far corner of the bed with her knees as close to her chest as she could with her swollen belly. He could see she'd been tearing little bits of the sandwich to eat almost like a mouse.

"Ma'am, I'm sorry Teaspoon's not here," Buck began feeling uneasy as her eyes studied him intently, "He'll be back in a bit but, if I'm not overstepping, it looks like you might be in a tough place right now. I'd like to help if I can."

"Buck?" she asked, "Buck Cross, that's your name, right?"

"Have we met?"

"No, but I think we have a well, a friend in common," she said almost desperate with hope.

"Who would this friend be?"

"I don't know if you've even seen him," she said with despair starting to creep into her voice, "He said he was coming this way but either way I know he'd tell me to trust you."

"Who is he?"

"James Hickok."

"Jimmy? You came here looking for Jimmy?"

"Yes," she said looking down, "Has he been through here?"

"Not just through here," Buck told her, "He moved back. He's been living here got to be six months now. I could get him for you."

Her eyes darted around the room suddenly frightened.

"If you'd rather wait until Doc clears you to go to him, that's alright too but I no one's going to hurt you here."

The woman thought on this. She was suddenly apprehensive about seeing him. It had been a very long time and to come to him now in her current predicament, well, he might be upset with her. She had the thought that she felt safe with Buck here as well and if he left to go get Jimmy then she would be alone and scared again.

"I don't know," she said and Buck started to understand some of her fears.

"No one knows you're here but me and the doc. He ain't letting anyone in and I don't even know your name. You'll be safe and I know Jimmy pretty well. He'd never turn away a friend in need. I'll be back soon. You should eat more, get some water too. Doc'll let you go once you get some strength back."

She nodded and once the door was closed behind Buck she hugged a pillow to her and cried into it.

Buck rode hard to Jimmy's place which really wasn't that far out of town. It wasn't anything yet but a house and barn with a little land. It might someday be a nice little farm or small ranch but so far Jimmy hadn't quite figured out what to do with it. For the time being he seemed content in fixing up the house. It had needed a lot of work and to that point Jimmy at least had gotten a new roof on the place.

When Buck rode up, Jimmy was just fixing one of the steps to the porch. Jimmy looked up confused at how fast Buck was coming in.

"Is the town on fire or something, Buck?" Jimmy asked only half joking. Buck was one of the calmest people he knew and if he was riding hard like that there was a reason for it.

"I need you to come into town with me."

Jimmy's curiosity was piqued by the words and worried expression of his friend but he also understood the urgency and that stopping to ask a lot of questions was not going to be received well. He headed for the barn to saddle his horse when Buck came up behind him.

"You'd be better off with the buckboard, I expect," Buck told him.

"Are you going to explain any of this?" Jimmy asked as he hitched up the horse, "I don't like walking blind into things."

Buck sighed and looked at the sky a moment before speaking.

"I'll try but I don't really understand it myself."

Buck recounted the day as best he could from the stage coming in and the mysterious woman getting off and then fainting right up until she asked for Jimmy.

"No one thought to ask her name?" Jimmy asked climbing onto the buckboard.

"She's terrified, Jimmy," Buck answered, "She only trusts me because you must've told her about me and even then she's not trusting me a whole lot."

"I don't talk about my family to too many people," Jimmy said, "She say what she's scared of?"

"No I wouldn't expect her to tell me either," Buck replied, "She acts like someone's chasing her and looks like maybe whoever it is caught her once before. It's faded a little but she's got what's left of a black eye. Doc's pretty sure she hasn't eaten or slept in close to a week."

"You said she's expecting?"

"Pretty big too," Buck said nodding.

They had been riding as they talked and now found themselves in front of Doc Braden's office.

"Go on," Buck said, "I'll be right behind you."

Jimmy could feel knots forming in his stomach as he searched his brain for which chapter of his life this woman might be from. He didn't recall talking about his family here with many people but there had been times when he drank far too much and he would have no idea what he might or might not have said. He knew even at his lowest and most lost he'd never been cruel to women. He figured that this woman was probably some girl trying to get out of the life. That must be it. Now he only had to hope she really didn't have some lowlife on her tail.

Nodding as he passed the doc, Jimmy reached and slowly turned the knob. The woman was sitting with her knees up and her face buried in a pillow she had across her knees.

"Ma'am?" Jimmy offered cautiously, "Buck said you was asking for me."

The woman stiffened and then looked up warily.

"Jimmy?" she asked through the tears that her fears had renewed. Had it been too long? Would he turn her away? Would he find her disgusting now? Was this Jimmy or had Wild Bill made a comeback?

He studied her tear stained features and could not believe the sight before him. He was afraid to talk thinking that this was some sort of mirage and if he spoke she would vanish. He blinked and yet she was still there. How often he had dreamed of this very moment only not like this, not at all like this. She wasn't supposed to be hurt or frightened. She wasn't supposed to be looking over her shoulder. But perhaps he needed to let go of shoulds and supposed tos and just be glad that she was here at all. He swallowed and took a breath hoping his voice would work at all and then opened his mouth.

"Faith?"

Can I get a SQUEE? I mean obviously everything is not hunky dory since she's got a black eye and is all scared and stuff. But Faith is there. Is anyone else happy?-J