Faith stood at the window of the marshal's office watching Jimmy walk away and absently rubbing her belly. She nearly jumped out of her skin when Teaspoon spoke.

"Was the fearless act for me or for Hickok?" he asked easily and without accusation. She had done a great job of looking happy to be left with a near stranger after all that she had been through but Teaspoon wasn't buying it and he was pretty sure Jimmy hadn't either.

She turned to him and felt terrible for the hurt in the older man's eyes. She had heard stories galore from Jimmy about what Teaspoon Hunter had been to him and to the others. He was a good man and here she was causing him pain after all he'd done for the man she loved.

"I don't want to be frightened of you," she said quietly, "I know there's no reason to fear you. I can't help it though. I'm scared all the time."

Teaspoon could see the emotion fighting to come to the surface and being forcibly pushed down by the woman in front of him. Jimmy was right; she was a lot like Emma.

"You got every right in the world to be scared," he said, "You got a lot to lose and someone intent on taking it all from you."

"But that someone isn't you," she replied, "You don't deserve me acting like this. You're too kind."

"While you're here you're trusting me to keep you safe," he explained, "I'm good and I'm fast but you don't know that. You know he is and you know he'd lay down his own life to save yours. Jimmy don't want to trust no one else with your safety right now either. I can't say as I blame him too much."

A smile ghosted across her face beginning at the corners of her mouth and moving toward her eyes which sparkled for a moment before it was gone and she said distantly, "He said he would duel God Himself to protect us."

Teaspoon puffed out his chest enough that it was a wonder the buttons stayed on his shirt.

"I don't doubt that he would at that."

He looked up as a sob suddenly escaped the woman in front of him. He saw her hand fly to her mouth to stifle it and knew it came as much a surprise to her as to him. She thought she had put her feelings away tightly enough and she hadn't. Frightened or not, it was not in Teaspoon Hunter's make up to leave a woman standing alone and crying. He placed an arm gently on her shoulders and pulled her a little tighter to him and then walked the both of them to his desk where they could lean.

Faith wanted to run and hide her feelings away but Teaspoon was so comforting. His care of her was all she could have dreamed to have gotten from her father but that he was incapable of giving. She turned her face into the man's shirt and let the tears overtake her. She would have liked to say that she didn't know where the tears came from but she knew only too well. That dream still haunted her. She could often even feel the weight of him in her arms as the life poured from his body and she just couldn't bear it. Her worst fear as she had travelled to him wasn't that he would put her out. She had been alone before. What scared her most was that he might not even be alive when she reached where he had been. When Buck had offered to get him, she was so relieved and it was only then the thought occurred to her that he might not want her or their child, that he might be repulsed by what he saw. Now things were as near to perfect as she could have them. Her baby was growing inside of her and had been created of love with a man she loved. She was with this man and he did things like build a cradle for their child. He held her and loved her and told her she was beautiful. And when she wept, there was family there for her. Jenny had made her a treasured gift without ever having set eyes on her and then had soothed her as she cried. Buck had carried her to the doctor without even knowing who she was. She was just some battered woman who was expecting a child and had no people to meet her stage but he stood by her side and refused to leave her until he could help her. And now here she was with a man she would have been proud to call father holding her tightly and stroking her hair spewing comforting words that told her things would be alright and that she wasn't alone and needn't fear. Her worries fell away for a while as she let his words wash over her. Somehow she could believe him for a little while.

"There, there," Teaspoon said patting her on the back once her tears had subsided. "I don't rightly know what I said but I sure didn't mean to upset you."

Teaspoon fished in his pocket and pulled out a handkerchief folded into a precise rectangle. He handed it to her so that she could dry her eyes.

Faith leaned back against the desk and her shoulders slumped as she dabbed at her eyes and under her nose.

"Oh, it's not you, Teaspoon," she said, "Not really. I just get so scared when he talks like that. I can't lose him. I don't want him to ever die saving me. I'd rather die."

"Now you can't really mean that," Teaspoon said gently and he was not prepared for the reaction that brought.

"How could you possibly know what I mean?" she spat at him, "What do you really know about me? No one ever really loved me before Aaron and then he left and he died and even though he came back, the Aaron that loved me died and I thought I could get by because I still had my Adam. My sweet little Adam who gave me hugs and brought me handfuls of wilted flowers and left muddy handprints on my skirts. He loved me and I still had him. Until I didn't. Was it so very much to ask that one person love me and stay with me? Jimmy loved me like no one else had, even Aaron and then he left too."

Teaspoon opened his mouth to say something in his boy's defense but closed it again when she raised her hand.

"Don't," she said, "I know. I get it. He thought it was the right thing and I know I could have made him stay but I didn't. But don't you see, I can't bear it if he leaves again and the reason won't matter. I can't do that anymore. I can't keep losing everyone I love, everyone who loves me. I can't."

Teaspoon sat on the edge of the desk next to her as if the wind had been knocked from him. He thought for a moment and then spoke again.

"Then I guess we're all going to have to make sure it don't happen. We kept him alive before when someone else didn't want him to be. We can do it again. Can't we, Buck?"

Buck didn't even get rattled that the old man knew he was there without seeming to look toward the doorway. He'd gotten used to such things over time and he'd worry more if Teaspoon had been unaware of him.

"Of course," Buck said smiling, "He's a pain in the backside but I kind of like having him around again."

"I hate what that means we have to talk about now," Teaspoon said bracing himself for another over emotional tirade from Faith.

"Aaron," Faith said with no feeling whatsoever, "What do you need to know?"

"Anything that's going to help us know him if he comes to town," Buck said not sure if he should touch her or not but finally opting to rest a hand on her shoulder.

"You'll recognize him from the scars on his face and the eye patch," she said coldly, "He's pretty hard to miss. And he lost whatever he once knew of subtlety as well. He'll ask for me and he'll ask for Jimmy and he'll tell anyone wondering his version of the story."

"Does he have any skill with a gun?" Teaspoon asked.

"I don't think so," she said, "Good enough with a rifle to keep us in meat even after he came back. He carries a pistol now but I never saw him fire it so I can't tell you how good he is."

"Have you seen Jimmy fire a gun?" Buck wondered.

"Sure, haven't you? He taught me."

"Only Jimmy would teach his, his…" Buck was at a loss for how to refer to Faith.

"Fiancée," she finished for him, "We were planning to get married even then but I know you almost said woman and I'm not ashamed of anything we've been to each other. And you're right, not many men would teach their women to shoot. He's not like many other men I've met."

Buck smiled. Faith wasn't at all like he thought she was on first meeting. She was strong and had spunk. She was more perfect for Hickok than he at first had thought. While he lamented that Ike could not still be among them raising a family alongside all of them he was pleased at how they all had somehow found someone to put up with them so they could become family men.

"Teaspoon," Faith said getting the marshal's attention, "Jimmy said you'd been looking into my official marital status. Am I a married woman or not?"

"It just happens that I do have an answer for you but I thought I would wait until Jimmy was back and tell you both together. What did he have to do anyway?"

"I don't know," she answered, "He was being sort of secretive about it."

She saw the looks exchanged by Teaspoon and Buck.

"What?" Faith asked them, "I'm sure he'll tell me later where he was. I trust him to. Wait, I can trust him, can't I?"

Teaspoon realized where her mind was going and that he and Buck were at fault and pulled her into a hug.

"Of course you can trust Hickok," Teaspoon soothed, "That boy's loyal as the day is long. Whatever he's up to is probably some nice surprise for you. Me and Buck was just thinking to ourselves that Jimmy found himself a pretty exceptional woman is all."

"Yeah," agreed Buck trying to help Teaspoon out, "You say how he's not like other men. You're not like most women either. You're better for him."

She looked skeptically at them but then decided to extend a small amount of trust to them. They knew Jimmy better than she did and maybe they knew exactly where he was and who he was with and what he was doing. She would trust for now that he would tell her where he'd been but she would keep her eyes open and make sure it rang true. She hated the thought that maybe Aaron was right and he would never be fully hers even though she would never love another.

Teaspoon feared what seeds he might have planted into her head and hoped Hickok would get there soon before she started fretting and crying again. He hated to see a woman cry and he especially hated when he was the cause of it. And he never meant for her to think Jimmy was off doing anything bad just that it was odd that a woman wouldn't hound a man to find out what he was up to. Thankfully he didn't have to wait too long for the door to the office to swing open and in walked Jimmy with Rachel on his arm.

"I've delivered your lady to you safe and sound, Teaspoon," Jimmy said before Faith was on him. Her arms flew around him and she clung tightly as if for her own life because she knew her own fate was wrapped in his and always would be. "Are you alright, sweetheart?"

His arms wound around her as he asked the question. She seemed to be trembling and he was nearly certain she was fighting off tears. He felt her nod against his chest.

"I'm better now you're here," she whispered.

"I shouldn't've left you," he said nearly wanting to kick himself. It was too soon to leave her even in the care of someone he trusted as much as he did Teaspoon and Buck. "I'm sorry."

Instead of answering she just held him tighter for a short while and then released him albeit reluctantly. Jimmy kept his arm tight around her shoulders.

"Are you ready to go home then?" he asked.

"I think Teaspoon had some news for us," she replied with a small shake of her head.

Teaspoon had been looking on grateful that Jimmy had returned finally to take care of her. Women in her condition were emotional and she was especially fragile. He worried for nearly everything out of his mouth and that wasn't typical for him but he just didn't want to make things worse for her or for the baby. But this was his cue to talk and he did have news, news they needed to begin moving forward. He cleared his throat and adjusted his suspenders over his stomach before speaking.

"I talked to a couple lawyers I know and it seems that death certificate was official and all," he began, "You were a widow once that was issued and him coming back can't change that else wise you'd have people who got married believing one of them was a widow and their marriages wouldn't be real and that just ain't right. You aren't the only woman who got the wrong news, you know."

"So she ain't married to him?" Jimmy asked.

"No she ain't," Teaspoon confirmed, "So I guess in the middle of all your baby planning you need to plan a wedding too."

Faith couldn't help herself and left Jimmy's side to rush to Teaspoon and throw her arms around him.

"Thank you!" she exclaimed planting a kiss on his cheek and then more softly added, "And thank you for putting up with my craziness earlier."

Teaspoon was startled at first but then returned her embrace and whispered softly, "That's what family's for."

Faith pulled away from Teaspoon with her eyes shining but her huge smile left no doubt that she was happy and not about to get weepy again. She looked to Jimmy who was smiling just as wide at the knowledge that nothing more stood in the way of him marrying this woman.

"I guess we'd better get home," she said, "I need to be starting supper."

"Not today," he said offering his arm, "Today we are celebrating. I am taking you out to supper."

She happily took his offered arm and the two headed for the door with Faith stopping only to give Buck a small hug goodbye as well and then they were out the door and headed down the boardwalk toward the restaurant.

"I don't think I realized how much that was weighing on my mind until the weight lifted," she observed.

"Well, I know it was weighing on mine," he said honestly, "I really wanted to be married before that baby came. I was a little worried maybe it wouldn't happen. So I guess we need to see about a church or something, right? And you need a dress and all of that. Maybe Rachel can help, or Lou."

"This isn't going to be a big, fancy wedding, Jimmy. It's just not. I outweigh a buffalo right now and I'd just like to keep to a simple ceremony with just family. Maybe just at our house or something."

"I feel bad you don't get a nice church wedding and all," he said.

"I don't," she replied, "I had one of those and it was pretty and all but this will be better because at the end I'll be married to you."

Jimmy wasn't sure how that made things better but she seemed happy with it so he just patted the hand that was on his elbow.

"I still think you should get a new dress at least," he said softly.

"A dress I could only wear another month?" she scoffed, "That just seems silly, Jimmy."

"I'm sure you could take it in or something afterward but even if it is silly, I want you to have one."

Suddenly Jimmy felt both of her hands tight around his elbow pulling him backwards.

"I want to go home now, Jimmy," Faith said and she sounded terrified, "Please let's just turn around and go home."

"Faith, what is it?" Jimmy knew she was emotional and her moods were sort of all over the place but this was different even for her.

"I just want you to take me home," she managed.

Jimmy followed her gaze and saw the man walking toward them with a hard look. He knew it must be him. The eye patch and scarring gave it away.

"There's the whoring little bitch now," he said and Jimmy stiffened for a moment as if to confront him.

"Take me home," Faith said, "Take me home. Take me home. Just please take me home."

Grabbing Faith's arm Jimmy turned and began to walk away. It was what Faith wanted and really they didn't have to think about this man. He had no legal claim to her or the child. He could be left to Teaspoon and Buck.

"So you're Wild Bill?" Aaron Lassiter said malice dripping from his words, "Not quite what I expected. Thought you'd be taller. Didn't figure you a coward either." Jimmy stopped and took a moment to shake off the insult. This wasn't about him. "For sure thought you'd associate with better than that ugly cow."

That did it. It was one insult too many at Faith. She was just beginning to rebuild and Jimmy would not have this sorry excuse for a man causing damage to her again. His jaw flexed as he heard Aaron continue.

"I told you I'd find you, you little whore. I told you I'd kill you and that bastard you're carrying too."

Jimmy took Faith's hand from his arm.

"Said I'd kill him too. Awful considerate of you to make it so easy to get all of you," Aaron continued, "How about it, Wild Bill? Ready to meet your maker?"

"No, Jimmy," Faith pleaded, "Just take me home."

But he couldn't. He couldn't let any of that stand. She'd be furious with him later but he could deal with that. This was something he had to do as a man. He turned slowly and that's when he felt the fist connect under his jaw. He heard Faith scream his name before things went grey and then black.

Hmmm...I thought Aaron was showing up in the next chapter. Guess he had other plans.-J