Summary: Dia and Ruby draw a unexpected co-conspirator into their 'keep Nico" planning.

Five Days Before The Arrival

Dr. Nishikino stared at the photo on her desk. Carefully taken by her daughter, Maki, Maki was in the center of grandchildren the Nishikinos had never expected, frontier orphans Ruby and Dia. Today was Ruby's birthday and Dr. Nishikino had plans to call later, after she stopped by the hospital. But her plans were not the ones that mattered today. The phone rang, jarring her out of reminisces about Maki's early birthdays.

"Dr. Nishikino here."

"Grandmama!"

"Dia?" Dr. Nishikino couldn't keep her voice level, "Is something wrong? Where's your Mama?"

"You haven't wished Ruby a happy birthday yet."

Dr. Nishikino glanced at her desk clock, "It's 8:30 in the morning, Dia."

"Ruby's had breakfast already. Nico made her favorite."

"All right, I'll wish Ruby a happy birthday. Did your Mama get a cook?"

"No."

"Then who's Nico?"

"Ruby and I found a cowpuncher dying at Hanayo's ranch and Mama stopped her bleeding and pulled a bullet out and now she wants to go get shot again and Mama's mad sad but won't tell Nico about it. Ruby just finds her sighing or playing the piano and then Ruby worries about Mama and Nico and cries."

Dia rarely paused for breath.

"Someone has to fix Mama. Here's Ruby."

And then before Dr. Nishikino could arrange all the words that had flowed out of Dia's mouth into something that made sense, she heard Ruby's soft, "Hi!"

"Hi Ruby. Happy Birthday! I sent your Mama some presents to give you."

Ruby wasn't really much of a talker. Dr. Nishikino wondered if she could get any more information that might explain what her daughter's household current situation is.

"Nico's baking birthday pie."

"What kind of pie?"

"Sweet potato."

"That's your favorite."

"Why won't Mama make Nico stay?" Start of sniffles. Maki had brought the girls to San Francisco once. Ruby was very easy to upset.

"Please don't worry, Ruby." Dr. Nishikino sighed. Being more than a day away with responsibilities and her only regular informants small children "Let me talk to Dia. We'll figure out how I can help."

"Promise?" Ruby said that sharply.

"Yes, Ruby, I promise."

"Okay."

And then there was Dia.

"Do you and Ruby want me to talk to your Mama, Dia?"

Dr. Nishikino heard some movement. DIa was shaking her head. Or nodding. Which was it?

"Should I talk to Maki?"

"No."

"What do you want me to do, Dia?"

"We want Nico to stay. But Mama says she has to go see her family."

"That's a good thing, Dia."

"Ruby will miss her."

DIa will miss her stayed unsaid.

"I miss you, Dia, and Ruby too, and we manage."

"Nico almost died. We saw." Dia's voice was a whisper, "Mama always looks sad now when Nico talks about leaving."

What was this person, this Nico like? A woman. A…cowpuncher. Someone who nearly died from a bullet wound but recovered enough to make Ruby a sweet potato birthday pie. Dr. Nishikino flipped open her calendar. She and Maki had had their disagreements, even very recently, but the thought of Maki, sullen again, and tantruming, like her teenage years, with two scared, sad children in the house, twisted at Dr. Nishikino in a way she'd forgotten children could pull on emotions. She glanced at the photo again. Even with their own children, they're never really fully separate.

Decision made, Dr. Nishikino recruited a co-conspirator, "Dia, I need your help."

###

Three Days Before The Arrival

Knock on the door. Patient? Maki stepped out of her office, to open the door and greet the visitor. Western Union courier.

"Telegram, Dr. Nishikino."

"Thanks, Ira." She reached into her pocket for a nickel, giving him a brief smile but distracted by curiosity. It was a quick read.

"I will be arriving by train on Thursday. Please have someone meet me. Love, Mama. P.S. Dia said there was a new member of your household so I thought it was time for a visit."

"Dia!" Maki's voice reverberated through the house. Nico poked her head out of the kitchen, Dia came tearing downstairs, Ruby following behind.

"Don't run on the stairs, Dia. It sets a bad example for your sister." Nico said automatically.

"I can say that." Maki snapped at Nico, then her attention swivelled to Dia, "When did you talk to your grandmother?"

A nervous Ruby stood next to Dia, holding her sister's hand.

"I called your mama for Ruby's birthday." Judgy Dia.

"Where was I?"

"With Nico." Dia preened, a magician pulling roses out of a hat.

Nico snorted, Maki ignored her. "You should have come and told me."

Dia shook her head, "After Ruby told Grandmama about Nico, she told us she wanted to surprise you."

Nico leaned in the kitchen doorway, curious about the frozen look on Maki's face.

"When you go with Nico, Grandmama can watch us and take over your patients."

Nico doubled over with laughter. Maki whirled, nostrils wide. "This is not any of your business."

"It is if you think you're coming with Nico, because you're not."

"Mama has to go." Ruby's pout was as stubborn as the set of her jaw.

Nico sighed, tucked the dishtowel into her denim waistband, and walked over to kneel in front of both girls, wrapping them in a huge hug.

"Your Mama needs to stay here. With you. Nico will be fine. Nico wants to keep your Mama safe too."

"I can keep myself safe." Maki huffed.

Nico shook her head, "Why do you think your Mama has to go?"

Dia's eyes glittered with an evangelical fervor, "To bring you back."

"Nico will come back. Nico might get her own place, but Nico will come back."

"You won't promise." Ruby whispered.

Nico glanced up at Maki, who frowned.

"What are we going to do with these two, Doctor Mama?"

"I don't know." Maki fell into the couch, head in hands. "And Mama's coming."

"Well, a family of hungry stomachs won't help anybody." Nico stood, taking Ruby's hand, "Help Nico finish making supper, Ruby."

"What are we having?" Maki and Dia asked.

"Like mother, like daughter," Nico chuckled. "Cowpuncher spaghetti, with bacon and extra tomato and cheddar."

Ruby pulled on Nico's hand, whispering as Nico leaned down. "Mama loves tomatoes."

"Nico knows." Nico winked. Ruby giggled.

###

The Arrival

Maki was at the station, pacing, her face a storm of emotions. She and her mother talked a couple of times a month usually. After the telegram, Maki had tried to pick up the phone and call, but her nerve crumbled before the operator could ask the number.

"Maki!" A hail loud enough to be heard over a train engine.

Nozomi. Maki cursed. She didn't know what Nozomi bribed the telegraph clerks with, money, goods, meals, but the store and saloon owner knew all the important news in town as fast as it arrived.

"Waiting for someone?" Nozomi blinked, her face an innocent mask.

"My mother." Maki gritted out.

"Hanayo waiting at home with the girls?"

Maki nearly bit through her lip. She wanted to talk privately to her mother so she'd left the girls at home. She glanced at the sky, clouds drifting in the color of gunsmoke, ominously building to a darker gray. Mood.

"I was worried about the rain." Maki chuckled, "Dia's as reliable as me for a half an hour at a time."

Nozomi grinned, "She is very serious. They could almost be your own children, the way they look and act."

Maki shrugged. She never made a response to those comments. Ruby and Dia were her children, biology be damned. She would do anything for them. Which meant she understood better why her own mother was showing up here, in Otonizaka Falls, concerned, after Ruby and Dia's update on the new and seemingly temporary member of the household.

Nozomi looked past Maki and whistled, "You're going to age well if your mother is any indication."

Maki whirled to see her mother, followed by a porter, striding confidently toward them.

"Go home to Eli." Maki hissed.

"Dr. Nishikino," Nozomi slid around Maki, holding her hand out, "Maki's told me so much about you."

"Oh, are you Nico?" Dr. Nishikino glanced over Nozomi, face giving no clues as to thoughts, then shaking the offered hand.

"Oh, no, no, Nico's at home with your grandchildren." Nozomi giggled at Maki, "Or so I guess. I'm a very good guesser."

Of course, Nozomi knew. Umi? Right now, it was time to seize the conversation. "Mother, meet Nozomi Tojo, owner of the General Store and the Queen of Cups saloon."

"Welcome to Otonokizaka Falls, Dr. Nishikino. Stop by if you need anything." Nozomi stepped back, hands folded in front of her. "We all rely on your daughter."

"Nice to meet you, Miss Tojo. I am sure I will see you again during my stay."

"Well, I would look forward to that but I am about to head out of town with my partner."

That was a surprise to Maki.

"Where are you and Eli going?"

Nozomi didn't even bother to glance around for eavesdroppers, "Same place your house guest is. Didn't Umi tell you?"

Maki glared at Nozomi, the sheriff's office, and her mother before stomping off carrying luggage. A mutter of "no one tells me anything" drifted back.

"I had better keep up with her."

"Tell Dia and Ruby, I'll leave some candy for them." Nozomi waved, gathered her skirt in the other hand, and jumped down from the platform.

###

"Grandmama!" Dia opened the door.

"Piggli!" Ruby rushed to hug Dr. Nishikino, who held the tiny redhead close. Her full attention was caught by a tiny woman leaning in the doorway of the kitchen, checkered shirt tucked into denim pants, kerchief tied around her head, keeping her hair out of her eyes.

"Howdy." A wave of a dishcloth.

"Nico, this is my mother. Mama, may I present Yazawa Nico."

"My pleasure, Miss Yazawa."

"Call me Nico. Everyone else does." A brilliant smile, "It's friendly."

"Nico."

Dia stepped to Nico's side, protective. "Nico's been making brownies for you. I helped."

"There's coffee too." Nico's glance turned to Maki, glittering ruby eyes amused, watching relief race across the redhead's face.

Maki dropped her mother's luggage, "Oh thank the gods. Too many people talking. I'm not awake enough for that."

"Station busy?"

"Friend." On days like today, Nozomi by herself was too many people talking.

"And your mother."

Maki grunted, heading into the kitchen, attention only for the elixir of life awaiting her.

Nico shrugged, an apology, "Maki's too used to coffee and quiet in the morning. Care to join us…her?" A very hasty switch from a shared kitchen to one where Nico was a visitor. Now Dr. Nishikino was even more curious about the relationship between her daughter and this compact "cowpuncher".

A/N: Had to wrestle with who was actually going to ride to Honoka's rescue. Turns out no one wanted to stay home