"You got any jobs going?"

Kid felt himself flush as the foreman, William Clark looked at him critically, sniffing a bit at what he saw. "How old are you boy?"

The Kid stiffened and snapped. "Sixteen! I ain't done ranch work before. But I'm used to hard graft, so don't think I ain't!" He would have preferred not having to do any ranch work now, but it was either ranch work, or the mines, and working on a ranch, had seemed like the safer option, and he was getting desperate, because he was close to flat broke. He did his best tn to hide that desperation from the man though.

William looked at him critically, and the Kid shifted slightly under his gaze,uncomfortably reminded of Kansas City, but then man's expression quickly softened, and he nodded. "Well all right, son, as we're so short handed, with a lot of the hands being away driving cattle with the boss, you're hired." He paused then asked almost as an afterthought. " What's your name boy?"

The Kid grinned at him, relaxed now and said easily."Jed Curry, but you might as well call me Kid, as I know you want to."

William gave him a grin, noticing the emphasis on the first letter, making it sound like a name. "All right, Kid, get yourself down to the bunkhouse, Gabe, my deputy, will get you sorted. You better hand me your gun, Boss don't want hands wearing weapons, as it can get messy pretty quick."

Kid stiffened, reluctant to hand over what he saw as his best protection, and replied with some frustration. "I gotta practice every day!"

William stared at him, but then shrugged. "All right, you get up an hour before you start work, and you can get your weapon from my office. But as soon as ya done, you bring it back, or you're outta here. Clear?"

The Kid nodded, still a little reluctant, but he knew it was the best offer he was likely to get, because The Double T Ranch was the only place left for him, at least round here, so he handed his colt over, and turned to head to the building that the foreman was waving towards

When he arrived at the bunkhouse, he faced some curious looks from the other man, he gave them a nod and said evenly. "Foreman says to speak to Gabe..."

He was waved towards a dark haired man, who was sat on one of the bunks, carefully stitching a harness.

He cleared his throat and the man looked up at him and he spoke quickly."Foreman says you'll sort me out with a bunk, and tell me what I gotta know. I'm one of the new hands."

Gabe stopped his sewing, gave him a quick look over, then grinned, as he said. "You look kinda scrawny, you done much ranch work?" But his smile was warm as he added quickly, when he saw Kid stiffen in offence. "Now don't get all bent outta shape. I'm just asking... It don't matter much to me, because so long as you're willing to listen, and don't do nothing dumb, we'll have you up to speed in no time."

Kid relaxed, and answered honestly."Grew up on a farm, but its bin a while..."

ASJ

"You know, Kid, you ain't half bad at this. You've a good eye. Soon you can move on to roping animals."

Gabe nodded approvingly as Kid managed to swing his lariat to land comfortably on a fence post on his first go. "Now Billy, at the Kid's grin he shook his head, and said. "don't go calling him that mind, less you want the worst jobs for a week or two, he says you're due to work on the outer edges of the ranch next week, so I better show ya how to recognise cougar tracks, as I've put in too much time teaching ya, for you to get killed by some angry cat..."

The older man's warmth, and patience, coupled with his rough affection, had eased some of the sting of loneliness that had only grown in the four months that Jed had been away from San Francisco, and out on his own.

Though he'd liked Soapy, he certainly wasn't having any regrets about leaving the con game behind, but Heyes and the ocean were a different matter. The novelty of making his own decisions had worn off quickly. And once the dust of city living had been burnt off, and he'd finally been able to breathe properly again, he'd started to wonder whether he'd made a mistake in telling Heyes he wanted to go out on his own. But because he just knew what Heyes' reaction would be, if he went to find him early, he kept plugging on. And now here at the Running T he hoped he'd found a place to be content, until it was time to find Heyes, and move on together. Even if Heyes continued to be a part of Soapy's group, he could always find other work in San Francisco, so they could stick together.

ASJ

"You got any kin, son?"

Gabe turned to him as they repaired fences together. Kid considered not answering then decided there was no reason not to, really, and said. "I got a cousin, we travelled together for a while, but then we figured we should do our own thing for a year or so." He paused then added. "Meeting back up with him in a few months, in San Francisco." Eleven months, three days, not that he was counting of course.

Gabe eyed him and said. "You miss him. "

It wasn't a question, and the Kid shrugged. Not bothering to deny it as he replied. "I do, but eighteen months is what we agreed, and eighteen months it'll stay. "

Gabe shook his head. "You're a stubborn cuss, Kid, that's for sure, so I ain't gonna argue with you."

ASJ

It was a Saturday afternoon, and work was finished for the hands until Monday. The Kid wasted no time in collecting his weapon and weekly wage, because he had lots of plans on how to spend it, a trip to town, with a bath, a steak dinner, a woman, several drinks of whisky, and if it'd stretch to it, a hand or four of poker.

As he headed back to the bunkhouse, to change into something a little less dusty, and do his best to freshen up, before getting properly clean in town, he heard someone call out to him. "Hey, Kid, hold up, I'll come into town with you."

He turned as Gabe jogged up to him a broad grin on his face, the Kid smiled back at him as he added. "It's Lulu's birthday, and I been saving up, so I'm gonna treat her to a real special time. I talked her boss into giving her the night off." He patted his jeans in some satisfaction at the satisfying rattle of money.

"Sure Gabe." The Kid paused and grinned. "You ever planning on making an honest woman out of that lady?"

Gabe flushed, then said. "I'd love to Kid, but I won't never be able to give her the life she deserves. It don't bother me none that I ain't the only man in her life...I just want her to be happy with me when we're together."

Kid thought at how the lady's face lit up whenever she saw Gabe, and just how much she talked about him, her face always glowing with happiness. He knew she was more than ready to take what Gabe was offering, if only he'd ask her, and he said with a small laugh. "Ya know Gabe, I'm figuring whatever you got, is exactly what Lulu wants..."

ASJ

The Kid came out of the bath house to see two men facing each other on the square. He was shocked when he realised one of them was Gabe, as he was probably one of the most peaceable men, Kid had met.

He turned at the sound of running feet, to see Lulu come running over to him, her face tear streaked, with a nasty bruise down her right cheek. "Oh,Jed, Gabe came in just as that man was trying to get me to go upstairs with him. I'd already told him politely no, three times, but he got real mean, and hit me, tried to force me." Her hand slipped down to her right breast and rubbed it gently. "He's really strong. Laurie behind the bar tried to stop him, but the man just threatened him with a gun, and hit me again. He started to drag me to the stairs, and everyone else was too scared to say anything. It was then Gabe came to pick me up, and he stepped in to stop him." She started to sob, but forced the words out wringing her hands. "It all got out of hand real quick, and ended up with them deciding to take it outside." She paused then wiped her damp cheeks. "The man's James Bolton... I told Gabe that, even offered to go upstairs with Bolton, to try calm things down, but they...Gabe said no one gets to treat me that way..." She trailed off and began to cry heavily. "You gotta do something, Jed, my Gabe is gonna die..."

The Kid swallowed hard, he recognised the name, he'd heard it often in the last months. The man was a fast draw, deadly accurate, with a nasty temper and had been making his mark by killing his way through the small towns in Wyoming, there was even a whisper that he was the fastest gun most folk had seen in many years.

Many townsfolk had gathered to watch, with money even changing hands, leaving the Kid feeling a little disgusted with them, Lulu touched his arm and said. "Please, Jed...help Gabe. He says you're plenty fast."

But before the Kid could react, Bolton had drawn and a single shot rang out. Jed gasped as Gabe fell, his groan of pain echoing in the strangely quiet street. He began to run towards the square, with Lulu on his heels. They fell to their knees beside Gabe, Jed swallowed hard, and even as he pulled out his bandana to try and staunch the blood pouring out of the nasty wound in Gabe's chest, when he saw blood dribbling out of his friend's mouth, he knew it was hopeless. When he heard Lulu give a whimpered, "Oh, Gabe..no." He knew she'd realised it too, a cold anger clutched at him and he gritted his teeth. Of all men, Gabe was a person who least deserved this end.

Gabe shifted and the Kid looked down at him. The man forced a smile, that was more a grimace, and focussed on Lulu, managing to gasp out, spitting frothy blood as he did so. "Sorry, love you." Then with a ragged groan he was gone.

"Gabe, no, Gabe..." As Lulu sobbed, the Kid heard Bolton laugh and he stood, swirling round to face him. The man was grinning, holding his weapon loosely in his hand. "Well, he sure ain't gonna add to my reputation. Man drew slow as molasses."

Kid stunned by the man's lack of feeling, felt anger flood him and he yelled, fighting the urge to shoot him. "What kinda man are you? Don't you care even a little bit?" He paused and took a deep breath, desperate to calm down, as he was so angry he was shaking. In a calmer voice, though his hands were still clenched in anger, he said. "You didn't need to kill him!"

Bolton's eyes narrowed. "A man has to do what he has to. Can't let disrespect like that go..."

Kid shook his head disgusted at the man, and said firmly. "He was just standing up for his girl, like a man oughta. There was no need to kill him."

"You know who I am?" Bolton was staring at him now, with still a hint of a smirk on his lips.

Kid met his gaze firmly, he refused to let the man have the satisfaction of knowing he'd heard of him, and forced himself to ignore the whisper of anxiety that was running through him, at just who he was challenging. But after enduring Valparaiso, and with what he'd learnt from months of cons, he'd become very good at covering his real feelings, so managed to say calmly. "I know what you are! A damned coward!"

Bolton looked surprised, probably at how unintimidated he seemed, but then his eyes narrowed in anger, and he said loudly. "You'll be joining your friend in the dust, if you don't back down boy!"

Kid glanced back at his dead friend, and Lulu holding his body sobbing, and knew there was no way he could walk away, so he merely repeated himself, putting more calm into his tone then he was feeling. "You're a coward. You knew you were faster then my friend, there wasn't no need to kill him! You're just a small man, trying to prove you ain't."

ASJ

Bolton was furious at the upstart boy, blasting him in front of so many people, and his hand twitched to his gun. But then he felt the sheriff's eyes watching him, and knew if he shot the child now, he'd likely end up in jail, or maybe even worse, and neither of those outcomes were in his plans today, or ever. So he took a deep steadying breath and said loudly. "All right boy, you've gone and done it now, so I'd like to know the name of the second idiot I'm gonna kill today."

The Kid hesitated for a moment, considering a lie, then shrugged, no he had to own this, so replied clearly. "Name's Curry, Kid Curry...and I ain't planning on dying today."

"Well, James Bolton is about to change your plans...You wanna die now or later?" He smiled a little, happy with his words should satisfy everyone watching that he had given the idiot a fair chance, which would allow him to get out of this without being arrested, when the boy lay dead, his smart mouth stilled forever.

The Kid refused to be intimidated by the man's posturing, and forced his mind to calm, even as he heard murmuring going through the watching crowd, most of it about his likely demise.

Into the tense stand off, the Sheriff his gun drawn walked to stand between them, his face drawn into a frown, as he shook his head in some frustration at was going down in his town. "We're gonna get Gabe to the undertaker, and the little lady somewhere safe before there's any more shooting, so you boys just settle down." He paused then looked directly at the Kid. "You sure you want to do this? You don't seem like that kinda boy..."

Kid glanced down at the body and nodded. "Gabe was just looking out for his girl, and now he's dead, I'm sure."

The Sheriff sighed and shrugged. "Your funeral, boy."

Then his deputies joined him, and together they carried Gabe's body towards the undertakers, and gently chivvied the still softly sobbing Lulu in front of them. One of the deputies laying a comforting arm over her shoulders.

The Kid watched them go, his heart heavy, Lulu and Gabe hadn't deserved, Gabe being killed, but the law would do nothing, as it would be hard to know who challenged who. Still, it didn't feel right to the Kid that his friend's death would go unpunished. He knew he was fast, and having seen the man draw, he thought he had a good chance of being quicker, and not getting killed.

ASJ

A couple of hours later, in front of another crowd, eagerly anticipating another spectacle, Bolton and the Kid faced off.

A dog barked, loud laughter carried over from the saloon, there was a soft swish of money changing hands, a breeze swirling through the town was whipping up sand around them, but the Kid shut out all these distractions, just concentrated on the man opposite him. As Bolton begin to draw, he pulled out his own gun and fired. The Kid had decided in the time between Gabe's death and now, that he would aim for the man's shooting arm.

But as his bullet flew unerring towards the man, it instead hit Bolton square in the chest, and the man fell to the ground dead. The Kid stared at his body, shocked. He held his gun loosely, desperately unsure of just what he was supposed to feel at what he had just done.

After a few minutes, still shaken, he holstered his gun, and the memory of the last vision of his family swum across his mind. He pushed it down, telling himself he wasn't the same as those men, but he was only half convinced by his assertion. Slowly, he became aware of the noise of the crowd, and could pick out scattered sentences. "What's his name?"

"His name's Curry, works out at the Double T... I thought he was a good kid...but now I ain't so sure...the way he drew.."

"So young to be that deadly."

"Boy's heading for a bad end..."

Kid heard running feet, and turned to see Lulu flying towards him, her eyes still reddened, when she reached him, her eyes slipped to the man lying dead on the ground, then back to him and she said softly. "Thank you for what you did for Gabe... though it won't bring him back, it felt good that someone cared enough to avenge his death." She paused then laid a gentle hand on his arm. " I hope you don't have cause to regret it...he wouldn't have wanted that."

With that she kissed him gently on the cheek, and was gone. After she disappeared from sight, the Kid's attention was drawn back to the crowd still gathered round the square. Their expressions varied, some held respect, others fear, and he even saw some disgust there. He understood their reactions, after all he'd just killed a man, not in cold blood, but a man was dead by his gun nonetheless. A chill spread through him, and he became aware of a cold heaviness in his stomach, as the weight of living with that settled on him.

Suddenly, in desperate need of a drink, he walked determinedly across the street, heading towards the Silver Eagle. As he strode through the crowd, people moved quickly out of his way, but he didn't even notice, too intent on finding somewhere quiet to think and drink, so he could attempt to come to terms with what had just happened.

ASJ

Hidden away at the back of the saloon, a half full whisky bottle at his elbow, the Kid wondered whether Bolton had a family, a wife maybe, children even, out there somewhere, waiting in vain for him to come home?

He stroked the knife in his pocket, and the faces of his folks drifted easily into his mind. He imagined his Ma and Pa shaking their head at him, disappointment in their eyes at the choices he had made. Regret, joined the whisky in burning a path to his stomach, leaving it churning in reaction. Of course, he knew the man had fully intended to kill him, same as he had Gabe, but had he really needed to do the same? Was that the kind of man he was turning into, was that who he was away from Heyes? He didn't want to think that was the truth, but before he could ponder on that any further, he heard footsteps, and looked up into the eyes of the ranch foreman William, his face turned down into a frown, looking uncomfortable.

At Kid's questioning look, he said tersely. "Boss heard 'bout what went down today, he's told me I gotta let you go. Bolton had a real rep, and once word spreads, Mr Turner is figuring folk are gonna come here, looking to challenge the guy who killed him. He's got daughters." He gave the Kid a sympathetic smile, and squeezed his shoulder. "I'm figuring you did the world a favour by killing Bolton, but I ain't sure you did yourself one. Best you stay in town tonight, and I'll bring your stuff to you in the morning. Coach outta here leaves early Monday."

With that he was gone, and the Kid took another gulp of his whisky and stared at nothing, resentment and worry twisting inside him. After replaying the gunfight in his head for perhaps the fiftieth time, he came to the conclusion that he just hadn't been quick enough to simply wound, and that was all there was to it. He'd not had the ability to choose where to lay his shot, so a man had died. Despite Bolton's own lack of concern over killing, the Kid was finding it hard to reconcile him causing a man to die, with what type of person he thought he was.

He blinked his eyes stinging, and he replayed the aftermath in his head again. The sound of Lulu sobbing, Gabe lying dead, and Bolton's body still and lifeless on the dusty ground. Swallowing hard, he raised the glass in his hand, and made a vow. He would become fast enough, good enough, that killing would rarely, if ever be necessary when he faced this situation again. He was sure, that with his name being linked to killing Bolton, he would not be able to avoid people challenging him. But he had left San Francisco to avoid turning into someone that he would struggle to face in a mirror, and he wouldn't let his skill with a gun turn him down that path either. He had only strapped on a weapon, and learnt to use it well, to protect himself and Heyes, and he had to keep a hold of that, or he faced turning into another James Bolton.

Whatever other people might believe of him, he would keep control, he wouldn't let being good with a gun poison him, and that was a promise to himself, that he would keep whatever the future held. Resolution made, he emptied his glass of whisky in a single gulp, then placed it firmly on the table, and corked the bottle firmly. Enough, it was time to sleep, so he could get up early and be ready to practice.