It had been such a calm morning. The gang was getting on their feet again and things seemed to be looking up. Even Miss Grimshaw had been in better spirits, or maybe she was satisfied with the laundry being completed so early in the day, since Charlotte had lent a hand.

There had been some sewing for the girls to do. There was always sewing, but even that task had made everything seem...normal.

The only thing Tilly had been missing was her best friend. Since she knew Mary-Beth moved on to better circumstances, she couldn't feel too bad for her absence.

But everything went wrong in an instant. They didn't even have time to grieve over Hosea before Milton's voice boldly rang through the clearing, announcing his intention to kill or capture them all.

"Tilly, we can't stay here," Abigail said to her where a few of them had taken cover behind one of the canopied wagons.

As the bullets started flying, Abigail, Mr. Pearson and Jack broke from cover and took off. Tilly made to follow, but gunfire splintered wood off the wagon close to her and she ducked back in fear. The others went on without her and she found herself stuck in place.

She wasn't sure how long she remained in a crouch, hidden from sight, but eventually Grimshaw came upon her, her hands full of shotgun.

"What are you doing on the ground?" Grimshaw clamped Tilly's wrist and dragged her to her feet. "Get a move on, girl!"

Grimshaw's shrill command was enough to snap her from her fear and listen to direction.

"We'll make for them caves," Grimshaw told her. "There's a way out through there."

Grimshaw continued to fire back at the Pinkertons, furiously reloading her shotgun over and over, shells spilling to the ground. Tilly didn't watch to see if she made contact every time, but stayed at her back as they inched closer to the cave entrance.

As far as she could tell, the boys were holding off the Pinkertons well until another wave of them came in and Dutch yelled, "Let's go!"

Miss Grimshaw had been so focused on the firing on the fringe of camp that she missed the enemy at her side. Tilly dropped down beside Grimshaw when she collapsed to the ground, shocked to see the blood flowing from her chest. She looked up and stared into the eyes of Miss Grimshaw's killer and knew for a certainty she would be executed next.

Then bullets from the agents clipped the dirt beside her and she instinctively took cover for herself again. She made it, checking herself for any wounds even though she would have felt them if she'd been hit. She didn't know how she was going to survive through all this shooting.

Tilly hesitated behind the wagon for too long to make an escape with the others. She just couldn't catch her breath, still in shock at witnessing Miss Grimshaw's sudden and unexpected death. However, the gunfire in camp ceased abruptly and she knew for certain everyone else had to be gone. She could only hear shooting in the surrounding trees, where her friends were being chased.

When Tilly finally risked leaving cover after everyone else had fled, she took one step and was tackled to the ground by a Pinkerton she hadn't noticed in time.

She tried to lift her head, but the agent forcibly shoved her head down again, into the dirt. "I've got one of 'em!"

In her direct line of vision was poor Miss Grimshaw's body, her wide, lifeless eyes staring into the sky. Tilly cried, "Please! Someone! Help!"

"Shut it!"

With her cheek pressedpainfully in the ground, she whimpered. True panic took hold when the man holding her down didn't ease up. She struggled uselessly against him and when that failed, she screamed.

"Settle down, you stupid girl. Do what we say and we won't hurt you. All we want is to talk."

This was immediately countered when another agent ordered, "Tie her up and we'll deal with her once we've rounded up the others."

Two gunshots cracked sharp in the air and the man's grip on her abruptly slackened. Tilly looked back to see blood seeping over his chest. Tilly scrambled away from him as he collapsed to the ground and she found her feet again.

It was Javier who ran up to her, who'd saved her. He grabbed her arm. "Come on! We need to catch up to Dutch."

Tilly nodded numbly. She stuck close to him as they cut across the camp, heading in the direction of the river. Two Pinkertons sprung in front of them, coming up the hill and blocking their path. Javier cursed and pushed her behind Arthur's wagon.

Hearing the commotion, more Pinkertons were returning to the area. "Mierda! There's too many."

"Th-the cave," Tilly stuttered out, since that was where Miss Grimshaw had been leading her.

Javier dealt with one of the two agents who were closest to them before they raced to the entrance of the cave. Tilly followed hastily and not running as carefully as she should. As Javier leapt over a crate smoothly, Tilly attempted and failed to imitate the same movement. She skinned her shin on one of the corners and gasped at the pain.

Javier paused when she cried out and came back, noticing where she laid her hand. "Can you put weight on it?"

She set her foot down, but she couldn't tell if the ankle was sprained or not. At the thundering of shoes on flat rock echoing in the cavern behind them, Tilly assured quickly, "Yes."

Javier snatched her hand and pulled her along the rest of the way, delving deeper, past wrecked wagons, broken barrels and debris littering the ground. She could hardly see in the dim lighting and ended up sending a glass bottle clattering across the rocks.

She stumbled, but Javier held her hand tightly and didn't let her fall. At the bottom of the cave, they found a ray of silken light beaming from the ceiling, shining on a ladder. They didn't hesitate as they rushed up the rocks to reach it.

They started to ascend the ladder, the bright sunlight clouding over as they climbed. Tilly followed Javier up, concentrating on the rungs. She ignored the throbbing beginning in her ankle. When she emerged from the top, Javier reached out his hand and hauled her up the rest of the way.

"Don't let go," Javier said, and they started their run down the treacherous hill towards the road.

Gunshots could be heard in the distance now that they were outside again. Tilly hoped it wasn't another of the gang being shot down. Somehow, her and Javier reached the road without tumbling down to greater injury, aside from Tilly's already hurt ankle. More, and darker clouds moved in and the raindrops began landing on her skin.

On their left, a horseman was riding towards them. With his free hand, Javier whipped out his gun and shot before Tilly could make out the man's identity.

Javier abandoned her side to grab the reins and gained control of the horse as the agent slid off. He shoved a foot in the stirrup and hopped in the saddle without hesitation.

"Andale!" Javier snapped and held out a hand. She moved to grab it and he pulled her up and behind him. She clutched his waist just before he clicked his heels in and the horse took off.

Across the river, they raced, up the hill, through the trees, higher and higher, towards the mountains. It was so fast, she wasn't sure if they were still being pursued and they nearly collided with a pair of horsemen on the path coming their way.

The two men reined their horses in and, unexpectedly, Tilly recognized who they were: Lenny and John. Javier slowed and they shortened the distance between each other.

John frowned at them, clearly perplexed at their appearance. "What the hell happened to you two?"

Lenny, not yet understanding the seriousness of their situation, joked, "Don't tell me Hosea's sent you on some random errands too?"

"Hosea's dead," Tilly blurted, tears springing to her eyes uncontrollably.

Lenny's cheeky grin fell. "What?"

"There's Pinkertons," Javier explained shortly. "We need to hide in case they're still following. Is there somewhere close?"

John suggested, "There's a hunting loft back over the ridge. Might have to take care of the hunter that lives there, but it's close."

"Let's go."

John and Lenny maneuvered their horses to head back the direction they came. The trail narrowed and the rain started to fall harder. Tilly pressed her cheek into Javier's back, facing away from the cliff's edge on the one side.

By the time they reached the cabin, the rain was pelting her skin relentlessly. While Javier and Lenny hitched the horses, Tilly followed John up to the cabin. With a raised palm, he silently indicated for her to wait. Then he burst through the door without knocking, his gun out as he searched the place.

"All clear!" John eventually called out and Tilly quickly made her way in to be free from the cold and rain.

Javier and Lenny ran in next, shutting the door as thunder rumbled across the sky. As they did so, Tilly had a look around the room. It was set up as if the hunter who owned it had only just stepped out the door. The room was warm from the heated stove in the center of the floor. Cans of vegetables were lined up on the shelf, a locked cage stood in the corner filled with rifles, furs were piled up in a nook behind a ladder, and a detailed map was pinned to the wall.

John removed his hat and shook the water from his coat. "Now can one of you explain what the hell is going on? You're being chased by Pinkertons?"

"They attacked camp," Javier said bitterly.

Tilly moved to the lone bed in the room and sat heavily on the edge. It took the weight off her foot and she sighed in relief. However, now that the pain was no longer distracting her, her mind dwelled on all they'd been through. It'd all happened so fast. Hosea, gone. Miss Grimshaw, gone. She covered her face with one hand and repressed a rising sob.

"Are you okay, Tilly?"

Lenny's voice pulled her back and she got a hold of herself. She looked up and noticed his eyes were focused on her arm, where splattered blood had dried resiliently on her skin despite the rain's best attempt to rinse it away. But, she wasn't injured. It was Miss Grimshaw's blood.

"I'm fine. It's my ankle I hurt." She stretched her leg and slowly rotated it, wincing when she felt pain. "Ain't broken, at least. Just tender."

John asked, anger entering his tone, "How the hell did they get the jump on the lot of you?"

"We were ambushed," Javier responded, matching John's aggression. "Milton brought an army."

"And they killed Hosea?"

Javier started to nod at the same time as Tilly answered, "No."

Javier looked to her and she realized he hadn't been present when Hosea had collapsed. He'd been on guard duty.

"Hosea..." She swallowed. "He started coughing something awful. And then, he stopped breathin'."

"His lungs," Lenny said grimly. "I noticed he ain't been doing too well for awhile. Especially after that explosion in Saint Denis."

John asked with insistence, "What about the others? Did they get out?"

Since they all knew who he was most concerned about, Tilly said, "I saw Abigail and Jack get away."

"You see anyone else, Tilly?" Lenny asked gently.

"Just that..." Her eyes filled up again. "Miss Grimshaw's gone too."

The group fell silent as the gravity of the situation was fully realized by all of them. They'd lost at least two friends, maybe more, if the others who ran weren't as lucky. Milton had been on the hunt tonight and they'd been sitting ducks.

"We have to find Dutch," Javier announced with unwavering conviction.

"I need to find Abigail and Jack," John retorted.

Javier glared. "You would choose them over family loyalty?"

"They are my family. You got a problem with that, Javier?"

"Only that we used to be brothers, but you don't seem to see any of us that way anymore, do you?"

"What the hell's that supposed to mean?"

"Stop fighting!" Tilly yelled. "This ain't the time to be turnin' on each other."

"Tilly's right," Lenny put in reasonably. "Right now, we can't go nowhere. It's best we wait out the storm."

"As soon as it clears, I'm going after Abigail and Jack," John reiterated with a set jaw. "If they weren't on a horse, they ain't gonna get as far as you two."

Dread curdled Tilly's stomach as she realized he was right. Even on horseback, her and Javier had been pursued relentlessly.

She bit her lip with worry. "They can't be far from camp."

Javier persisted, "Once we reunite with Dutch, he can make the call."

"Soon as the rain lets up, we'll decide what to do," Lenny repeated before the two got into it again. "It won't do us no good to get shot down like Miss Grimshaw."

"It wasn't Pinkertons who killed Miss Grimshaw either," Tilly spoke up, her voice trembling, as she recalled the cold, heartless eyes of her murderer. "It was Micah."

"Are you sure?" Javier questioned sharply.

"I looked into his evil eyes and I saw his sneer and the barrel of his gun pointed my way." Tilly shivered at the memory. "So, yeah, I'm real sure."

"Why would Micah kill Grimshaw?" Javier asked.

John scoffed. "That crazy bastard? Doesn't surprise me any."

Lenny nodded in agreement. "Sounds about right to me."

"She pissed him off right before them Pinkertons attacked," Tilly told them quietly. "He musta seen an opportunity."

He'd been making loose accusations against Charlotte, implying she had the most reason to turn one of them in for a reward. Miss Grimshaw hadn't been in the mood to listen to his spite and put him in his place. At the cost of her life, it seemed.

Javier insisted, "All the more reason to find Dutch first and warn him."

The three broke into a disagreement again as the storm continued to rumble over the cabin. Weary, and burdened with a heavy heart from all that had transpired today, Tilly crawled further into the bed. She laid her head on the pillow and fell asleep in minutes.

XXXXXXXXX

Hours later, Tilly awoke to silence and darkness, except for the fire crackling orange in the stove. She sat up and tenderly tested her ankle. There was some slight discomfort. Luckily, it wasn't swollen, and putting weight on it didn't hurt. She released a sigh of relief and then had a look around the darkened room.

John and Lenny had spread a couple of bedrolls on the floor on each side of the stove. They must have come to an agreement to stay or the thunderstorm had worsened and forced them to wait.

Tilly walked slowly and carefully to add a log to the stove in order to maintain the warm temperature of the room. As she wondered if Javier had already left, she heard creaking boards over her head. She moved to the ladder and craned her neck, her gaze following up. She imagined it must lead to a lookout, this being a hunter's cabin.

Maybe she should leave him alone to think, but instead she found herself climbing the ladder. She'd seen him follow Dutch and Bill out of camp before that Pinkerton had grabbed her. Javier had gotten away freely, but he'd come back for her. Now that she had some space to think, and having heard Javier express multiple times that they needed to return to Dutch, she wondered if he regretted coming back for her.

At the top, Javier leaned against the ledge, elbows resting as he smoked a cigarette. He glanced briefly in her direction as she emerged from the top and clambered onto the platform. She brushed off her skirt and then joined his side.

At the view from this height, Tilly's breath caught. She wasn't much for admiring the countryside, but there was no denying the scenery in front of her as anything less than beautiful. Mist wandered idly through the mountains, the sky remained gray, and rain continued to fall down steadily. By all accounts, it should be gloomy, but there was something peaceful about it, especially after the night they'd had.

She commented, "Boy, when it rains, it pours around here, don't it?"

Javier took a drag of his cigarette and then told her, "You should be resting. We have a lot to do when day breaks."

"Do we even know where we're going?" she asked.

Javier stubbed out his cigarette in a tin. "Lenny says there's a safe place for us to make camp. It's where Hosea wanted us to go, an area called Moonstone. It's our best bet to meet up with Dutch. It's supposed to have room enough for our wagons...but I guess that part doesn't matter anymore."

It was then Tilly realized they'd lost everything except what they carried on their person. All of their possessions were lost to the Pinkertons, including some of their horses. But it could have been worse. She could be in custody right now, being brutally interrogated by Milton for any information on the others.

For several minutes, she didn't say anything. She stood beside Javier, both in silence. Their gazes focused on the mountains in the distance. What she wanted to say to Javier, she didn't know how to put into words. Javier had saved her life.

She said softly, "Thank you for coming back for me, Javier."

Javier shifted and muttered, "It was nothing."

"It was something to me." She hugged herself, tears springing to her eyes unbidden. "When Anthony Foreman took me back near Shady Belle, I told myself I'd never let fear paralyze me like that again. But then Miss Grimshaw fell right in front of me and I hid. And I couldn't move for the longest time."

Javier was watching her, wisps of smoke curling up from the remains of his crushed cigarette.

She brushed a hand along her cheek to wipe the tears, but winced when she pressed on the bruised skin. "I know you'd prefer to be at Dutch's side right now, but if you'd kept runnin', I don't know if I'd be alive."

Javier frowned, as if what she'd said reminded him of something. He ran a hand through his dark hair, upsetting the neatness of the sections in front that weren't tied back.

"Do you think lately Dutch has..." he trailed off.

"Has what?" she asked curiously when he didn't finish the question.

Javier shifted, his brows furrowing deeply, as if he regretted saying even that much. "I love Dutch. I owe him everything. He accepted me into this gang with open arms, but lately..." He met her eyes, an unexpected vulnerability there as he urged her to understand. "Something's wrong, Tilly."

Her eyes widened, surprised to hear Javier thinking such a thing, let alone willing to say it out loud.

"Never mind," he said hastily as he faced her. "Forget I said anything."

She pursed her lips, wanting to know what exactly was on his mind, but she only answered with, "Alright."

Javier's eyes flicked to her cheek and he must have noticed a mark left behind from the Pinkerton. He lifted his hand and skimmed a finger over the bruise on her face. Her breath hitched at the contact as her cheeks warmed at his light touch.

"That hurt?" he murmured.

"No. Not really."

Her chest tightened and her heart began thudding harder, but she'd come to recognize the feeling. The other day when Javier had dropped light kisses on her skin, she'd nearly swooned in his arms. It'd happened before that too, when they'd been avoiding Pinkertons in Saint Denis and he'd pinned her to a wall, his body covering her protectively. It was a warm, safe feeling she now associated with Javier's nearness.

"Why did you come back for me, Javier?"

His brows jutted upwards as if her question surprised him. "You're my friend."

He said it so simply, as if it were obvious, and disappointment filled her rather than relief.

"Just a friend?" she breathed, startled at her own bold question. What was she thinking?

A feral interest lit his eyes and he moved closer to her, wordless. He caught her chin lightly between his thumb and finger, his movement slow, deliberate as if he expected her to take back her sudden brazenness.

She trembled slightly as he lowered his face towards hers. He paused just before her lips, their breath mingling together. Whether he did it to give her another chance to back out or was purposefully torturing her with the anticipation, she didn't know. But, she was done wondering what it would feel like to kiss Javier.

She tilted forward and pressed her mouth into his, closing the space between them. Javier moved his mouth over hers, languid and sensual. She returned the kiss with leisure, delighting in the warmth of his lips.

Javier made a low, pleased hum in his throat and she blushed at the noise, heat flooding from her cheeks down to her stomach.

"Tilly? Javier?" Lenny interrupted abruptly from the room below. "You both up there?"

They broke off the kiss at the same time, Tilly's eyes widening at the possibility of being observed. Javier quirked a questioning eyebrow at her, offering her the option to continue or give away their location.

He was, of course, being ridiculous. They couldn't carry on with this craziness. This wasn't the time to be developing complicated emotions. In fact, now that they'd separated, she lowered her eyes shyly.

Javier tipped her chin with one finger, forcing her to meet his eyes again. He told her seriously, "Do not feel regret over this, Tilly." He strode to the opening and called down, "Sí, Lenny. We are both here."

"Rain's stopped. You ready to leave?"

"We will be right down." Javier approached her again, lifted her hand and kissed her knuckles. "It was a pleasure, cariña."

It was for the best they'd been interrupted, Tilly thought as they descended down the ladder. Javier was known as the camp womanizer. She'd only be setting herself up for hurt if she thought he wanted anything more than to fool around. Somehow, that reasoning didn't put her off from wanting to try again.

However, they didn't have time anymore or the privacy. When they reached the bottom, John was already halfway out the door, fully decided on what he intended to do. Javier and Lenny attempted once more to convince him to travel to Moonstone Pond and hopefully regroup with the others, but John couldn't be swayed to join them. He seemed certain his family was in trouble somewhere else.

He was set on finding Abigail and Jack with a ferocity Tilly was somewhat envious of not being on the receiving end. Some day, she hoped to have a man of her own who would fight to get her back in the same manner.

John left them without a backward glance. Before abandoning the loft, Tilly was in charge of collecting the canned food since they wouldn't have provisions ready at their new camp. She packed while Lenny and Javier rummaged the cellar of its ammunition.

She rode with Javier again, but this time they were cautious with the paths they took, listening carefully for Pinkertons and expecting them to turn up in hordes around every corner.

Somehow, they were spit out of the woods north of Emerald Ranch, but didn't spot a single agent. Yet, for some reason, instead of avoiding people, the boys led their horses towards the ranch.

"I thought you said we were headed to Moonstone Pond," Tilly pointed out. "Looks to me like we're headed for the train station."

"We are," Javier said in a tone that brokered no argument, "And you're getting on the train, Tilly."

"What?"

Javier didn't answer her straight away as they reached the train platform. He dismounted and hitched the horse while Lenny capered straight for the clerk at the window. Since Lenny avoided eye contact with her, she suspected a conspiracy, that they'd spoken of plans they had for her without her knowledge.

She allowed Javier to assist her down, but stood in front of him, crossed her arms and demanded, "What is going on here?"

Javier told her, "If what you said is right, we're headed for a fight."

"So you mean to leave me here?"

"Yes."

"But what about Miss Grimshaw? Dutch needs to know what Micah did. He killed her, Javier. I need to tell him."

"I don't think you should tell him anything."

She bristled. "Excuse me. If you think I'm gonna let that bastard—"

"I know." He dropped his hands on her shoulders, which effectively halted her speech in an instant. "I didn't mean Dutch shouldn't know. But if Micah saw you, you're in danger if you return with us."

"But where am I takin' a train to?"

"Find Mary-Beth in Saint Denis. Stay with her until this blows over."

He was speaking more sense than she cared to admit. They all knew how crazy Micah was and if she threatened his status with Dutch, she might be next on his hit list.

"You go now or you could die like Grimshaw," he continued, not knowing she'd already been convinced.

He was being perfectly sound, but she hadn't expected Javier to be the one to encourage her to split from the group. He'd always been about keeping everyone together. In their last conversation, he'd been upset some of the others had wanted to separate. However, things had changed since then, and they'd been forced to adapt.

"What will you do?" Tilly asked him.

Javier stood straighter, casting his gaze towards the road. "Dutch needs to know what Micah did and that Hosea suspected him of worse, if he doesn't already know."

"You confronting Micah sounds just as dangerous as me showin' up."

He shrugged. "It is what it is. Do you have money for the city?"

"Some," she said, realizing that this was it. He really was going to leave her here. She impulsively stepped forward and hugged him. "You be careful, Javier."

She wanted to linger in his arms, a protective shield from whatever came next, but she stepped back from him. "I better not read in the papers you let those damn Pinkertons catch you."

He quirked a wry smile. "I promise, you haven't seen the last of me, cielito."

As she was just as likely to see him on a wanted poster as in person again, she smiled. "I should hope not."

Lenny rejoined them and handed her a ticket. "Train should be here in about an hour, Miss Jackson, according to the clerk."

Tilly warned, "You boys take care of each other, you hear? Don't let Micah get you against yourselves."

"Yes, Tilly," they answered together and she hoped they wouldn't turn into fools the minute they left her company.

Tilly sat on one of the benches and watched Javier and Lenny mount up and ride across the grasslands, on their way to their next fight. When she couldn't see them anymore, she looked down at the ticket and nervousness rose. She was alone now.

Karen used to go on about wanting independence from the men in the gang, but if her and the other ladies at camp wanted to survive, they needed to rely on those same men.

And yet, Mary-Beth had found opportunity on her own. Perhaps, their dreams of wealth and comfort weren't so far from reality as they seemed sometimes.

It'll all work out, Tilly assured herself silently, as the whistle of the train bellowed from down the tracks. It had to.