Ethan woke for the third day straight, the fingers he broke still bandaged, face still bruised but healing. Miss Grimshaw didn't put pressure on him at least, so that was something. He could tell she wanted to order him around though. He sat on the edge of his cot, rubbing his eyes, trying to wake up. He'd been sleeping a lot more than he normally did, probably because he got knocked around during the brawl. After he climbed his way out of bed, brushed his teeth and pulled on his shoes - which wasn't an easy task, he left his tent and made his way toward the cauldron. It was lunch time, but he could use a cup of coffee first.

"Hey Ethan." Tilly greeted from under the tree.

"Hey."

He walked to the cauldron, which was bubbling with some kind of mystery stew. Abigail offered him a cup of coffee, which he happily accepted. It was hard to grip anything lately, so any help was appreciated.

"How's your hand?"

He heaved a sigh. "Still hurts some, but I reckon it's healing."

She smiled. "Jack says you look like a lobster."

"I look like something."

"Well I'll see you around. Try not to get into any trouble - you're good for that." She winked.

He shook his head and turned, headed back for his tent, when Tilly caught his attention. She was knitting underneath the tree, a little tense as Micah ogled her from the food wagon. He couldn't just ignore that, so he walked over and sat down at the table. Micah turned away.

"So you saw that?"

"I see a lot."

She huffed and stood. "Good. He's such a creep."

Well he had to agree with her there, Micah was a creep. A dangerous snake that always went unnoticed until it was too late.

"How's your hand?"

"Hurts still, but I guess it's healing."

"It is, but it's gonna take some time."

"Yeah well in the meantime, I'm out of commission for a while." He sipped his coffee.

She shrugged. "That's ok. There's plenty of people to go around."

"Yeah but...if I didn't get angry and break my fingers, I'd be out there helping."

"What more can you do, Ethan?"

"I can hunt...or I could."

"So you'll do it when you heal."

He heaved a sigh. "I could do it now if I wasn't so stupid."

She placed her yarn down on the table." What's wrong?"

"I feel...foolish."

"Why?"

He stared down at his cup of black coffee, steaming hot. "You should've seen me...I went off on a few locals and I've never done that before. I don't even know who that was."

"People get crazy like that when they're in danger."

"I know, but–" He shook his head. "I wasn't in danger...my Pa was."

Tilly offered a smile. "It's cause you love him."

"I do."

"Does he know?"

"I think so."

She shook her head. "Well, have you told him?"

He shrugged, bringing his cup up to his lips. "We don't really talk about things like that."

"You men are all alike–" She scoffed. "Hiding behind your emotions and for what? To act out in violence?"

"You make it seem like violence is all we know."

She leaned in close. "Look around, Ethan."

He took a good hard look around camp, and what he found was startling. They were all products of violence; him, his Pa, Dutch, Hosea, John, Jack, Abby, Karen, Mary-Beth...even Tilly. He frowned and looked down at his cup of coffee.

"Look...I'm not one for telling people what they should and shouldn't do, but I definitely think you need to talk to your Pa about the way you're feeling. All you got is each other, so why hide from each other?"

"You're right."

"Well I don't go around telling too many people that, but–"

He snorted. "Yeah yeah."

She smiled. "I'm serious, Ethan. You need to talk to your Pa."

"I know. I will when I see him."

"He's down by the water with Jack, he should be back soon."

He raised a brow. "That was an awfully fast assessment."

She giggled. As he stood from the table, cup of coffee in hand, he turned back to Tilly, remembering something he meant to ask her days before.

"Oh yeah...who was that man in town the other day?"

Her face suddenly fell and she slammed her knitting down on the table. She began wringing her fingers together, as if they were an old dish rag.

"He...He was a friend."

"Some friend."

"Well I never said he was nice."

Ethan nodded. "Yeah, you didn't have to."

She began collecting her yarn. "I gotta do my chores or Miss Grimshaw'll have my head."

"Good idea."

She stood up from the table. "I'll talk to you later. Good luck with your Pa."

"Ethan Morgan!"

He glanced over his shoulder. "Hey, uncle Dutch."

He plucked the cigar from his lips. "I need you to do me a favor, son."

"Sure what is it?"

Dutch rounded the table. "Go to Blackwater and see what Trelawny and the boys are up to."

"Is it safe?"

"For you, yes. For me, no."

Ethan nodded. "I'll head out in a few, should I ask my Pa to come with me?"

"No, no. Taking your Pa will only draw more attention to yourselves. Go alone. You'll get more done."

"Alright."

Ethan downed the rest of his coffee, then walked the cup over to the bucket of sudsy water. He didn't think it was fair to leave his dirty dishes for the others, like Micah and Sean did. He tipped his hat to Miss Grimshaw and Tilly, before leaving to saddle up Gray.

"Hey, where you goin?" Arthur asked.

"Out to Blackwater, get an update from the boys about Sean, Dutch's orders."

He smirked. "Well good luck with that."

"Oh, can you saddle up Gray for me. I forgot something."

"Yeah sure."

As Arthur walked to Gray, Ethan walked back to his tent. He slung his carbine repeater over his shoulder, then grabbed the fountain pen off the trunk. He figured Mary-Beth could use it now and when he got back from Blackwater, she could tell him all the things she wrote. He stepped out and saw his Pa saddling Gray, but giving him a pat down first to make sure he was fit for travel. He was always very conscious about the horses and their health. As a kid, his pa used to make believe he could talk to and understand horses, now Ethan was beginning to think it might be true.

As he walked over to Mary-Beth's tent, he was relieved to see she wasn't around. If she was there, it might make the situation more embarrassing than it had to be. And thankfully, no one else was around to see him. After leaving the pen on her pillow, he quickly left and walked over to Gray. Arthur was just finishing up when he arrived. He offered the horse a few sugar cubes, much like he always did. Gray appreciated it, Ethan did not.

"Thanks, now he'll be ready to run."

"Heh–" He scratched the side of his face. "Well he's fit to travel, so let 'em run a bit. It'll be good for him."

"Good for him, bad for me."

Arthur patted his back. "I taught you to ride, you should be fine."

"Yeah."

"Be careful though, it's rough out there."

"I know."

Arthur turned back around. "And if you can, bring the little shit back in one piece."

"What if I just bring him back?"

"Whatever's easiest, just as long as he's back."

Ethan holstered the carbine repeater, then hoisted himself up in the saddle. The morning was still chilly and the grass was still wet with dew. He inhaled sharply, letting his lungs fill, then exhaled. It felt more than good. He tipped his hat to Abigail, then trotted out of camp, not wanting to kick up too much dust. Gray was happy to be out and about and Ethan was too, he'd spent too much time in camp taking it easy. He was very aware of the three fingers he'd broken and while they might not hurt anymore, they were still healing and somewhat tender. Another painful reminder that he let his anger get the best of him.

Maybe it was naive of him to hope Tilly could help, and maybe a tad selfish that he expected it. He was so lost and needed the guidance, but no one, aside from his father, knew him well enough. And he would go to Arthur, but fear was very much present. Sure he would know what it was like and would probably have words to ease his worries, however, getting the courage to express himself emotionally...that was the problem. He and his Pa shared a lot of the same qualities and shared a lot with each other, but they were hardly on the same page when it came to their emotions.

He'd heard many stories of his father's temper, even saw it first hand a few times. He'd also heard many stories of his father's kindness, but it was on the rare occasion he witnessed it. The majority of the time, he was a closed book, shut off from the rest of the world.

"Woah." He pulled back on the reins.

Ethan slowed before the Blackwater sign, feeling all kinds of emotions - nostalgia mainly and a little caution. He knew there was a good chance no one would recognize him, but there was always a chance. He did look a lot like his Pa and he was wanted dead or alive. He knew that if he sat and thought about it long enough, he'd think his way right out of going. If he just kept his hat on and didn't kick up too much dust he'd be just fine. So with some hesitation, he urged Gray into a trot and crossed the border into Blackwater. The air felt thicker with tension and humidity. The saying was true; crossing a line really does make a difference.

As Gray crested the hill, Ethan slowed him down and looked around. It was pretty desolate, aside from a few farms scattered about, even a few of those telephone poles. It made it look new and awful. Ethan wasn't a fan of moving forward - yet another thing he had in common with his Pa. He was cautious and cagey like a wild animal, unsure if he would be recognized or not. Even Gray seemed on edge as he trotted down the road. Maybe it was stupid to be this on edge, considering he wasn't there when it happened - his Pa wasn't even there, but somehow his name came up and he became a public enemy.

And as he grew closer to Blackwater, his fears worsened. He wasn't sure why, but he felt very exposed. He wished for this to be over with, so he could get back to camp. He didn't feel safe alone and on the other side of the border. He didn't necessarily feel safe in camp either, but at least they were heavily guarded. He turned Gray off the beaten path and rode toward the cliffs, where he knew they would be. He wished it was dusk, so he could be shrouded in darkness or have some semblance of cover. But he was here already, so there was no turning back - he could see their makeshift camp up ahead.

He slowed Gray down to a halt and slid off, walking him to the nearby tree, where his friends were. He snorted happily and so did the others. Ethan patted Gray's neck and walked around him, crouching low as he walked in between some brush.

"How many?" he whispered.

"A lot - uniforms everywhere." Charles replied.

"You see Sean?"

"No, not yet."

Ethan laid flat on his belly and crawled next to Charles.

"Dammit, Trelawny." Javier cursed.

"Where is that Irish bastard?" Ethan whispered. "Here, gimme."

Charles handed him the binoculars. "I don't quite know. Trelawny's out looking for him."

He rolled his eyes. "Probably out having a grand old time."

"Blackwater is crawling with Pinkertons–" Javier explained. "Pictures of Dutch and Hosea are everywhere."

"We've still got a lot of money sittin' in that town." Ethan reminded.

"And that's where it's gonna remain, for now."

Ethan held up the binoculars and began scanning the cobblestone streets of Blackwater. It looked like a military encampment. And it was funny to him, because they pulled out all the stops for a couple of bank robbers.

"I wonder why they haven't hanged him yet?"

"He's bait," Charles replied as a matter of fact. "Or they want to try him publicly."

"Gentlemen?"

All three turned as Trelawny walked, hunched over, towards them.

"Sean is being moved up the Upper Montana...then to a prison out West."

"Damn..."

"We can't break him out of federal prison." Charles stated.

Ethan nodded. "It's now or never."

"We can't just leave him."

"We won't–" Ethan assured. "We don't leave anyone behind."

"Ike Skelding's boys are moving him to a camp nearby, before handing him over to the Government."

Ethan heaved a sigh. "I guess it's now." He turned to Charles. "Head up the North side, and we'll head up the other side of the valley and meet up with you, that way we have them in either direction."

He turned to Javier and Josiah. "You two...c'mon. Let's go see."

Ethan, Josiah and Javier were trotting their horses along the cliff side, following the steamboat going up stream. Charles was hopefully already around, so they wouldn't have to wait long or go off in search of him.

"Look, they've stopped–" Josiah announced. "We need to take a closer look."

"I got it."

He pulled out his binoculars and zeroed in on the steamboat. It was an eerie looking thing; all black and no windows.

"So who are these bounty hunters?" Javier asked.

"I don't know too much about Ike Skelding's boys...my Pa might. I didn't think to ask, because I didn't know they would be handling him," He shrugged. "He did mention them in passing once, says they're a big crew...wild too."

"That looks like Sean to me."

Ethan nodded, zeroing in on the little red headed bastard, who was fighting against his captors and restraints.

"Yep, that's him."

"They're givin' him a decent ass kicking." Javier commented.

"Probably deserves it a little."

Josiah chuckled.

"They're taking him up the canyon now." Javier announced.

Ethan followed the binoculars up the canyon, up the ridge and saw Charles waving. He felt relieved they had some cover...almost like eyes from above.

"There's Charles on the other side," He turned to Josiah. "Let's go."

They urged the horses to follow along the cliff, careful to stay a couple of feet away so that they didn't get spooked.

"What about the other two down there?" Javier reminded.

Josiah held up a finger. "I've got an idea, follow me."

They trotted down the small beaten path, a road or trail from days gone by. They were careful not to kick up too much dust or make too much noise, anything to avoid being caught. Ethan was slightly concerned by what Josiah had planned, but he's made it thus far, so he must've been doing something right. Ethan believed he was even smarter than Dutch. He would never say so though, maybe to his father, but never to Dutch himself...not even to Hosea. They dismounted and walked over to a very large boulder, crouching just behind it. Josiah slid off his horse, fixed his bowler hat and holstered his pistol, concealed by his jacket.

"We should do this quietly if we can."

Josiah nodded. "Just leave it to me, Gentlemen. I'll create a distraction, then you both come in and do the dirty on them."

"Alright." They both agreed.

He crouched low and rounded the bend of boulders, moving fast but slow at the same time. Ethan and Javier hid behind some brush, near the horses, watching and waiting with baited breath.

"We need to get closer."

Javier and Ethan slipped into the chilly river, still crouching, and hiding behind anything that gave them an ounce of cover. They could hear Josiah call out to the two men, feening his best, hoping to give them an opportunity. Ethan could feel his heart thudding in his chest, and he tasted the fear and desperation on the back of his tongue. As the lie became more extravagant, they drew closer, still crouching low, knives out. And as Josiah moved in front of them, still pleading his case, they broke dry ground. They were careful on their toes, so that they didn't make a sound.

And just as Josiah was in hysterics, Ethan came up and stabbed the man in the neck, Javier threw a knife, stilling the man on his feet. He jumped him, pulling him down to the ground, where he broke his neck. Ethan wasn't sure at first, until he heard the sickening crunch.

"A pleasure as always Gentlemen, I think you have it from here."

Just as Josiah scurried away, the shooting began. Javier and Ethan darted behind some large boulders, both on opposite sides of the canyon. One would peer around and shoot, then the other and so on. It became a chore to aim, shoot and actually hit something, when they were trying to protect themselves, but they managed and soon the two were two no more. Ethan and Javier moved up the canyon, dodging bullets and raining rocks. The echo of a rifle was heard in the distance, and they both knew it was Charles. He was making it easier for them to get through without being seen, without being shot at.

They were running low on ammo, so every shot had to count. They moved a little further up the canyon and were instantly targeted by several wild boys. They shot at them, threw things, presumably knives and bottles, making it that much harder to survive this. Ethan peered around and shot, nabbing two with one bullet - even better, he thought. Javier peered around and shot twice, nabbing two as well. They both rounded the boulders, aimed and fired. Tan coats were being picked off and dropping like flies. They had help of course, thanks to Charles. And even though he was helping them, it seemed like a never ending parade of men. They were coming out of every corner and crevice of the canyon, much like locusts.

"Got six more tan coats!" Javier yelled.

Javier did a hail Mary and ran towards the gunfire. Ethan yelled and began shooting at the six, before they could target Javier. Ethan ran towards Javier, popping off a few more rounds and watching as the assailants fell from the cliffs above them.

"Are you fucking crazy!?"

Javier chuckled. "I might be, let's go!"

They ran off to the right, up a steep valley in between the canyon. Ethan was waning and so was his ammo, but he wouldn't rest until they got Sean back. He just hoped their ammo held out long enough.

"Hey, two more ahead!"

As they crested the hill, two tan coats appeared. Ethan had one in his sights as he foolishly reloaded his pistol. He popped off a round and watched him fall to the ground. Javier took the other down, then kicked his head for good measure. He quickly reloaded as they made it to the top of the canyon, where Charles was stationed. He flew out from his hiding place on the ridge, rifle slung over his shoulder.

"Their camp is up this way!"

All three began running towards the camp, crossing over a beaten path and crouching once across. They weren't sure how many more there would be and if there were more, it was likely that they would be hiding.

"I'll take the left side, Charles. You take the right, okay?"

"I guess."

When they found the camp, they weren't exactly hiding. They were out in the open and ready for them. As soon as they crested the hill, they began firing. Ethan dove behind a wagon, carbine repeater in hands, firing off a few rounds. He was dangerously low on ammo and considered letting Javier and Charles take over, to conserve until it was absolutely needed.

"Goddamn Army of these bastards! How much was Sean's bounty?"

"Maybe we should turn him in ourselves!" Charles suggested.

Ethan slid down the hill. "Yeah there's still time!"

He ran over and hid behind a pile of logs, reloading the last of his rounds. He was sweating bullets as much as he was shooting them. He peered around the corner, aimed and fired. He prayed that he hit someone and not his own, because he didn't have enough room for mistakes. Charles and Javier were across camp, hiding behind a wagon, shooting some tan coats behind him.

"Let's push forward!" Charles encouraged.

The three of them moved forward, using everything in their arsenal to eliminate the threat. Ethan was going to murder Sean when they got back to camp or at least give him a proper beating. "On top of the tower!"

Ethan ducked behind a small wagon, laying low, peering around the wheel. He aimed for the man and fired. He tumbled off into a pile of dust and broken pieces of wood. He ran over to another log pile and dove behind it, next to Javier. Charles announced another assailant coming from the trees. He and Ethan ran simultaneously toward the same wood pile, only the tan coat tripped and fell. Ethan used this to his advantage, popping off a round that sent a bullet straight in his head. As they ran towards Sean, who was hanging upside down on a tree, they were met with more gunfire from the ridge above camp.

Ethan fired off another round, probably his last, and watched the man tumble off to the ground below. "I'm outta fucking bullets!"

"Here!" Javier tossed him a cattleman revolver.

"More coming down the hill!" Charles warned.

All three took cover behind some more logs, letting them get closer, before taking them out. It was easier than running the risk of wasting ammo shooting at nothing. They finally had enough and stood up, risking it all - popping off rounds and rounds of ammo they didn't have. And between the three, they managed to drop a few more tan coats, before they ran out of ammo. Ethan had more back with Gray as he was sure Javier and Charles did with their mounts.

"They're turning away!"

"Go get Sean."

Ethan passed back the borrowed revolver and jogged over to Sean, who was writhing upside down from his confines.

"Hey! What're you all doin'? Let me down!"

"Stay still."

He unsheathed his knife and began sawing at the rope around his ankles. And when the ropes finally gave way, Sean fell to the ground with a strained cry.

"Fuck." He slowly stood, rubbing his back.

"Does it hurt?"

He guffawed. "Ya know, you're a lot dumber than you look."

"I was being an asshole...kinda like you."

"I'm an asshole?"

"Yeah," He waved his hand around the camp. "Need I say more?"

"Eh...technicalities."

"We should get going," Charles announced. "All that noise...the law will be sniffing around here before long."

"What...I don't get a hug first?" Sean asked.

Ethan turned around. "A hug? You're just lucky I didn't let you rot from that tree."

"I don't believe you."

"Well I'm not my father, but I do take after him–" He turned to Charles and Javier. "Get him outta here."

"You're a good man just like your Pa, Etan Morgan! Young whippersnapper. I admire you."

He rolled his eyes. "Please shut up."

"C'mon Sean." Charles said, grabbing his arm.

He turned. "Thank fuck you're nice to me."

"Be careful, there's patrols everywhere." He warned.

Javier turned, as he holstered his gun. "What about you?"

"I'm gonna see what's worth taking."

"What do I tell your dad?"

"Don't tell him anything, I'll be there."

He nodded. "Alright. Be safe, kid."

As Javier rode off with Charles, Ethan did a quick sweep of the camp, taking as much ammo as possible. He didn't waste time, he mounted Gray and took off, hoping to catch up with the others before they got too far ahead. Though he was sure with Sean in tow, they were already half way back to camp.