"You might've changed your name, but you sure ain't no different than before we split. Why can't you just walk away from idiots? Your Ma always told us that turning the other cheek is sometimes for the best."

The Kid turned to Heyes with a snarl in his voice, "And look where that got 'em, dead, and us sent to hell pretendin' to be an orphanage. I ain't never gonna let anyone push me around again." He paused then added. "Not even you. And if we're talkin' 'bout not changin' I think you're even bossier than you was and I never figured that was possible." The Kid had learnt to shoot best he could in order to be able to stand up for both himself and Heyes when they were all each other had. That fierce determination not to be a victim had only strengthened in the time he'd spent out in his own. Now they were back together, it just meant he was back to protecting more than just him. So he wasn't going to let Heyes stop him from doing what he thought was needed to make sure they both stayed safe.

They were yelling at each other, both trying very hard not to turn this into a brawl but to Heyes the odds were shortening on it staying that way, but that belief still didn't stop him shouting in reply. "I ain't bossy you just don't never listen.

A hammering on the door broke into their fight and the Kid shook his head and turned his back on Heyes, flinging it open to be confronted by the very angry desk clerk who hissed at them. "It's after midnight and you're keeping everyone awake! If you don't tone it down I will throw the two of you out."

The Kid glared at Heyes who shrugged and smiled apologetically at the man, which just annoyed the Kid more and he looked between them as he said. "Don't need to do that, as I'm leavin' anyway!"

With that he pushed past the fuming man and stomped down the stairs out into the street. It was three weeks since they'd found each other, after nearly eighteen months apart, and things weren't going well. They had been having similar arguments, with about the same frequency as before they'd gone their separate ways, so something had to give.

The Kid aware of someone watching him from above swirled round and saw Heyes looking down at him, his face worried and as he noticed the Kid had seen him he shrugged a little helplessly and turned away.

The Kid strode away, still angry and walking quickly, guided by the light of the full moon found himself coming up on the small cemetery, lit by gas lamps his eyes fell on a beautifully kept grave with a fresh bunch of red roses laid in front of it.

Markham

Robert John

Clara Louise

Never parted even in death

The Kid turned at the sound of footsteps and a middle aged woman wearing black came up behind him, slowing in startlement when she saw him. "Don't worry Ma'am, I don't mean you no harm." With that he tipped his hat and made to walk away but a delicate hand on his forearm stopped him. "You're one of the young men from the hotel aren't you?"

The Kid felt a little embarrassed, suddenly recognising the woman as one of the other guests and realising his and Heyes' argument had likely woken her and maybe driven her out here into the dark, said softly. "Sorry we disturbed you Ma'am."

Her worn face broke into a small smile which didn't quite reach her eyes as she said. "Oh son, I rarely sleep. I was already planning on coming out for a walk before I heard you arguing."

"Still I'm sorry we should a been more respectful."

The woman didn't answer him directly and merely asked. "The other young man, he your brother?"

The Kid shook his head and said. "Cousin." Then not sure why, he added softly. "We used be as close as brothers, but we don't seem to do nothing but argue now."

Her smile turned sad and her eyes glistened as she looked over at the grave.. "Ahh, son, take it from me, find a way of working it out between you. Me and Robbie were all each other had, we had a falling out, he fell for some saloon girl and married her. I was so mad at him and we fought and went our separate ways. I found him again, but only when he was so sick, that he didn't know I was there. The sickness had already taken their baby girl and poor sweet Clara died just weeks after Robbie, broken hearted. I never got to tell him I was wrong. The only thing left for me to do was bring them both home. I remembered Robbie telling me just before they wed that Clara loved red roses, so I come here most every weekend to sit and talk and tell them I'm sorry." She laid her hand back on his arm and said firmly. "Don't be like me, son. Sort it out between you, before you've nothing left but regrets."

With that she walked over to the grave, laid a kiss to her fingers and lightly stroked the marble headstone with a "See you next week." The words were said softly but carried easily over to the Kid in the silence of the night. She gave him a final glance and a small smile before hurrying away, her face already streaked with tears.

The Kid watched her go and suddenly found himself swamped by memory. He and Hannibal fishing, swimming, getting into trouble together. He remembered seemingly endless summer days of more laughter than tears when they were still part of a family. His mind then moved reluctantly forward to that dreadful day, when they'd surveyed the wreckage of their lives, crying with helpless grief, but still managing to find strength in each other. Taking a deep breath to regain some control, he allowed his mind to drift onward to their miserable three years at Valpo. Having each other to rely on had been about the only thing that had kept them both sane and mostly in in one piece. The Kid easily remembered with a wince of pain how the early days of simply surviving after they'd run away from that hellhole hadn't really been that much better. He'd kept them alive by developing and honing his skill with a gun, and Heyes had kept them hopeful and resilient with a seemingly boundless positivity, and schemes and dreams woven by his silver tongue.The Kid now a few years older realised just how hard that must have been for him at times and appreciated it far more than he had at the time.

He quickly found his cheeks heating slightly as his memory moved onto the sheer stupidity of the argument that had led to them splitting up. He looked down at his fist remembering how he'd flattened his friend before storming away, ignoring his cousin's shouted pleas for them to just talk about it.

The loneliness of life out on his own was a still painfully fresh memory. Nothing had been easy and everything bad that happened had seemed so much worse because he had no one to talk to, grumble at or just laugh with. As the memories faded, the Kid was left with a tight throat, itchy eyes and a new determination not to walk away this time. As his Ma and Pa had often said, usually after one of their frequent fiery discussions had ended in a kiss and them heading upstairs together, family was worth fighting for, even if it meant sometimes saying sorry when you weren't sure you were the one at fault. He knew with certainty that Heyes wouldn't leave him, and so in order to make sure they didn't end up being miserable and angry all the time, they needed to learn to compromise. The Kid figured that would take work, but a final glance at the lonely red roses on the grave convinced him it would be worth it. He didn't want either of them to live with the sort of aching grief that he was sure another separation would bring them.

Taking another deep breath he started to walk back to the hotel just as the dawn chorus began to chirp around him. Listening to the cheerful sound of a new day beginning, he smiled at the appropriateness of it.