Flashback spice in this one. Brace yourself. :p

Damned if that son of a bitch doesn't get bigger every time I see him, Doc thought as the soldiers walked Robert "Colorado Bob" Jackson to the stagecoach and settled him inside. Early morning made him irritable, and he wasn't feeling happy about starting this trip.

No passengers cared to ride with the criminal, and none of Wyatt's party wanted to be near him until they had to. When all was ready, James and Doc sat on the buckboard with a spare horse tied on behind, and Wyatt sat astride his own horse.

They were about to pull out when Reverend Wright appeared and offered a Bible to Wyatt. Doc avoided looking in the preacher's direction, but after the latter spoke with Wyatt for a time, he heard the conversation coming to a close.

"I'll pray for you. All of you."

James hospitably said "Thank you," but Doc was not in a hospitable mood.

"Don't bother with me, preacher," he said, still not looking at him. "The Lord and I have a standing arrangement."

"And what might that be?" Wright asked.

"I leave Him alone and He leaves me alone."

"That sounds quite lonely."

"I'm sayin' don't waste your breath, that's all. Naturally, I can't stop your prayin' for me if you've a mind to."

"You're quite right. I hope you all have a safe journey."

On their way at last, Wyatt sometimes scouted ahead and sometimes fell behind a little to keep the party covered. But none of them expected any trouble while they were still in Kansas. They traveled steadily, keeping the horses at a quick trot most of the time. Ordinarily, the stage traveled a little faster, but it was in the interest of all concerned that the buckboard be able to keep up comfortably.

"So, Doc," James said over the jumble of hoofbeats after they'd traveled a couple of miles, "Wyatt tells me you saved his life. Some trouble at the Long Branch."

"Yes, you might put it that way," Doc answered. "The boy got himself in a bit of trouble before he quite knew what he was about."

"What made you decide to throw in with him? It wasn't really your fight, was it?"

"By all accounts, it was a lapse in judgment."

James gave a laugh, but he glanced at Doc as if unsure whether he was joking or not.

"I suppose," Doc went on, "from what I knew of him at that point, it would have been a shame for someone with the makings of a real good lawman to get dropped by a loud, uncouth bunch of hoodlums." He shrugged. "I decided to make an investment in him - with a calculated risk, of course."

"Well, I'm glad you did. He's a pretty good brother for the most part. I'd like to keep him around. You have any brothers, Doc?"

Doc despised small talk, especially when it concerned one of the two subjects he most keenly avoided. His own family was one of them. But James was Wyatt's brother, and he seemed to mean well. Damned well-meaning people. He sighed. "No... not anymore."

"I'm sorry." He sounded sincere.

Always pity. This was one of the reasons he hated this topic.

"The war?" James asked.

"The consumption." The other topic he most keenly avoided.

James shook his head. "That's rough."

"You have no idea," Doc muttered, not loud enough for James to hear over the horses.

"Seems like everyone I know has lost someone to it."

Doc eyed him suspiciously. Does he not know? He didn't feel like pursuing the conversation, though he was curious to know if Wyatt had mentioned it. Maybe he hadn't had a chance yet. In spite of his disdain for small talk, he cast about for any way to redirect things. Finally, he said, "Wyatt mentioned he has a younger brother, Morgan."

"Yes, and there's Warren, too. Then for older brothers, he's got me, Virgil and Newton. Though, Newton's a half brother."

"His mother died young?" Doc guessed.

"Right. He had a sister too, but she didn't live a year."

Doc winced. He had had enough talk about family. But James wasn't done.

"Then there was Martha Elizabeth. We lost her, too. But Virginia's just about grown up now, and Adelia isn't far behind her."

"My lord, sir, how many children is that?"

"A nice, round ten, eight still living."

"That's pretty good odds," Doc said dryly. Four out of five is certainly better than one out of three... and really it's zero, because I could go any time.

"These days, it is. I guess our pa thought if he put enough of us out there, a few were bound to make it."

"I see." Doc wasn't trying very hard to keep things going anymore. I guess that was my father's problem. He didn't put enough of us out there.

"I used to think I'd have a mess of kids myself, but... Things didn't turn out that way. I guess you know what I mean... Bessie's kind of like Wyatt's Mattie. Similar past."

Doc realized that he did know what James meant. Bessie must have been a prostitute, like Mattie and Kate. As such, they were well versed in methods of preventing conception. Perhaps Bessie had employed such methods to the extent that she could no longer have children, even should she want them. "I see," he said again.

Next, James started asking about dentistry. Doc was glad for the overdue subject change. He answered the questions extensively, and James seemed genuinely interested in the answers. It was rare for Doc to find someone who took an interest in his profession.

They were still on the topic when they came to Cimarron, a bit of a haphazard settlement where homesteaders had fled from Cheyennes and never left. From the looks of the place, it would be a while before Doc would call it a proper town. Still, they were able to water their horses and get something to eat without using any of their packed supplies. Jackson was surly but caused no real trouble.

After the rest, Doc took a turn on horseback while the brothers took the buckboard. He stayed behind the party at first, but the dust irritated his cough, so he rode on ahead for a while. He got a few hundred yards ahead of the coach and paused to sip whiskey from a flask, looking back at the group coming toward him. The landscape was flat, with few hills to break up the monotony, and fewer elements of plant life. This is going to be a dull trip indeed. At least the lack of geographical features meant it was unlikely that there were bandits hiding nearby.

Looking at James and Wyatt, Doc speculated on what they were discussing. Their family, perhaps? Certainly not dentistry. He found himself wondering at a strange sort of feeling creeping up inside him. Was it envy? Francisco had been so much older than himself; he didn't know what it was like to have a brother near his own age. Maybe that was it. On the other hand, maybe Doc was simply jealous that he was not the one conversing with his friend at this time. He remembered walking back and forth across the railroad tracks the night before with Wyatt. Such an aimless walk, and yet the most enjoyable one he had had in months. Maybe years.

Annoyed at his own lack of emotional fortitude, Doc nudged his horse back into a trot and continued to lead the way. They would hit Pierceville in a couple of hours. Maybe then he would get a chance to ride with Wyatt.

Wyatt was surprised when Reverand Wright called out to him after he mounted up to leave Dodge. He kept his horse's reins short and beckoned the preacher over.

"Sorry to interrupt," Wright said. "I thought I should bring you a Bible, in case you didn't have one along already."

"Is it meant to protect us?" Wyatt asked skeptically.

"It's meant for study."

"Won't you be needing it, though? We're likely to be gone more than a week."

"I have another. This one is newer - not so marked up with my notes." Wright smiled. "I'm happy to let you borrow it."

Wyatt was momentarily distracted. "You write in your Bible?"

Wright's smile widened. "Yes, I do. Notions I want to remember when I read a passage over, or that I might want to use in a sermon."

"I see."

"I won't mind if you feel like writing something in there, yourself."

"I doubt there'll be call for that, but thank you." Wyatt opened his saddlebags and rearranged some things so he could fit the Bible in without bending it.

"You're very welcome. I'll pray for you. All of you," Wright added, nodding to Doc and James.

"Thank you," said James.

"Don't bother with me, preacher," Doc said. He was facing forward, not even glancing in their direction. "The Lord and I have a standing arrangement."

"And what might that be?" Wright asked.

Wyatt would have asked if the preacher hadn't. He burned with curiosity in the moment before Doc answered.

"I leave Him alone and He leaves me alone."

"That sounds quite lonely," said Wright.

"I'm sayin' don't waste your breath, that's all." Doc still hadn't turned his head. "Naturally, I can't stop your prayin' for me if you've a mind to."

"You're quite right. I hope you all have a safe journey."

Wyatt couldn't think of anything to say. Finally, he just waved to the lieutenant in charge of the soldier detail, and they moved forward.

On the way to Cimarron, Wyatt wondered what James and Doc were talking about. They seemed to be getting along, although Wyatt thought Doc looked a bit perturbed at times. Fortunately, James was fairly diplomatic. Wyatt figured his brother wouldn't get himself into very hot water.

Eventually, he found himself wishing he were driving the buckboard rather than James. He recalled the strangely easy way he had talked to Doc the night before, and how he wished it could have gone on longer. Mattie had given him some pleasant attention when he joined her after, but still...

Actually, that had been nice. When he told her they were leaving with the stage after all, Mattie had been very affectionate. Almost aggressive, in fact, like she wanted to make sure he couldn't forget about her if he wanted to.

After their first round, she had crawled down between his legs and licked him clean, keeping his lower regions pulsing and buzzing with heat. She worked her hands under his buttocks and squeezed, massaging firmly. Then she started teasing him with her mouth, coaxing firmness back into his cock. She took him deep into her mouth and sucked, moving up and down his shaft so skillfully. He grabbed the sheets in his fists, squirming. Then, unexpectedly, she began probing with a moistened finger. Before he quite knew what was coming, she pressed her fingertip inside him, sucking hard at the same time.

The new sensation seemed to inject lava into his blood. His cock pulsed hard, sweat broke out on his entire body, he groaned and writhed. She dragged her mouth up to the tip of his cock and then took him deep again, pressing down with her finger.

"Fuck!" he cried, coming hard into her mouth.

She swallowed around him and withdrew her finger, stroking over him lightly instead. She continued her gentler ministrations until his breath slowed again. She crawled up beside him and kissed his shoulder. "Need a rest, Mister Earp?" She said it playfully. As if she needed to seduce him at this point.

He felt his face warm at the memory. He had thought himself well versed in sexual matters, but that little trick was one no one had used on him before. It hadn't occurred to him until he was drifting off to sleep that some might call what she did sodomy. Surely not, but... what if it was?

Wyatt looked down at his saddlebag where the Bible was tucked away. If it was, am I more damned than before? Does it really make a difference? Isn't there a verse about being just as guilty of breaking the whole law, no matter which sin you commit?

He recalled what Reverand Wright had said about the disciples following Jesus just as they were. Just as guilty... but just as redeemed too, right?

Looking at Doc and his brother again, Wyatt saw that Doc looked a little more relaxed now. He guessed that whatever had been bothering his friend had passed. That was good. If Doc was distracted, he might not be ready for whatever lay ahead.

Their stop in Cimarron was uneventful. They all pitched in taking care of the horses and had a bite to eat. Then it was back on the road. Doc rode the spare saddle horse and Wyatt climbed aboard the wagon with James.

"Want me to drive for a while?" Wyatt offered.

"Sure." James handed over the reins. "It's like old times."

Wyatt smiled, remembering learning to drive a wagon with his older brothers for instructors. "You sure gave me a hard time back in Iowa."

"You deserved it. You were green as hell. Slapping the reins around the way you did... it's a wonder the horses didn't kick you on sight."

"It wasn't that bad!" Wyatt laughed.

"It wasn't that good, either. You're damned lucky I got sent home from the war, or you'd never have gotten trustworthy with a rig."

Wyatt shook his head. It was nice thinking back on the old days. Mostly, anyway. Some of it was bittersweet.

I'm planning some more memories of the old days for next time. Thoughts? Anyone?