Heyes felt Jed's body slump under him,and knew he'd lost consciousness. He tried to move off his cousin, and get to his feet, intent on getting them both to safety, but his limbs locked as memories of the raid rushed over him. The fear, the noise and fury of that day returned to him in vivid colour, and his head span in reaction. He closed his eyes, trying to force the memory back to where it belonged, safely buried away beneath a protective fog. But as ash swirled around him, with the heavy acrid smoke clinging to the air, making him cough painfully, as his eyes streamed, it was too hard to completely control his thoughts, and unfreeze his limbs enough to move.

So he remained where he was, but frustration at his inability to shift himself grew, and he soon heard his grandpa's voice clearly in his mind,"C'mon Hannibal, where's that Curry/Heyes spirit? Ya can do it boy, ain't nothin' to it. Just move your leg, and the rest will follow." Finally as the words took root in his head, the paralysis began to ease. It was then that Kid stirred under him with a small grunt.

He looked up at Heyes, then over to the smouldering remains of the building in front of them, confused at first, but then his face creased into a frown, and he bucked up against Heyes weakly, as he said sharply."Get off me, Heyes...its too late to save him now. Ya got your way."

His tone was bitter and angry, which made Heyes' stomach lurch, but with the Kid's return to consciousness, the last of his shock, faded, replaced by a determination to get them moving. So as he rolled off his friend's back and stood unsteadily, he said firmly . "We can talk about this later, Kid, but we gotta get away from here, and get you looked at."

Kid stared at him, before lurching to his feet. Heyes reached out to grab him,as he was nearly sent back to his knees by what was obviously a painful cramp in his stomach. Shaking Heyes' hand off, he turned away to vomit onto the ground, and groaned. After a few minutes, when he finally stopped retching, he gave a sigh and leant back into his cousin with some reluctance. But to Heyes' relief, he did allow him to steer them away from the livery. Heyes looking round him, as they headed slowly up the street, said carefully. "Doc'll be busy likely with the fire and all, so I figure get ya back to our room, then we can go see him later, once everything is a bit calmer."

"Don't need the Doc, just gotta sleep, and I ain't gonna argue 'bout it. We don't got the money." He nodded up at the livery, his face drawn and pinched as he finished quietly. "'specially 'cos there ain't nothing left of where I was workin'."

Heyes patted him gently, feeling the tension in his muscles. He easily recognised the stubborn tilt of his cousin's chin, which had always been a sign since he was very young, that he was determined not to be budged from his course. Heyes ever since he'd figured it out at six years old, had sometimes managed to find a way of convincing his cousin to change his mind, but it always took his best day, and right now he didn't have the energy to try convince him of anything. Adding that to the Kid's very clear anger at being stopped, Heyes knew there was no point arguing with him yet. Though he'd try again in a few hours, if he thought it necessary.

He was grateful that as they moved down the street, the smoke dissipated some, leaving it easier to breathe. They were almost at their hotel, when the uniformed man who had tried to stop Kid from entering the building, before Heyes had tackled him to the floor, caught up to them. His face was smudged with dirt, and his clothes smelt of smoke, but he looked relieved.

Heyes and the Kid came to a stop, and the man gave them a small smile, as Heyes asked. "Everything under control?"

The man nodded. "Aye, it is, got it doused, before it took out too much of the town so damage was kept to a minimum. Even saved most of the horses too." He then turned to the Kid "What you tried to do, son, was admirable, but as I told you, real foolhardy. I figure if you'd gone in there, we'd be burying you as well as William. Good thing your friend did what I couldn't, and stopped you."

Jed gave a small grunt and glared at Heyes. "We won't never know, will we? Maybe we'd both be alive." He trailed off, as if those few words had sapped his energy, and though he didn't pull away from Heyes, his cousin knew it was to avoid falling, rather than any form of agreement with what had been said. Fear settled in his stomach, leaving it heavy. He wouldn't ever regret preventing his cousin from being burned to death, but he hoped the price wouldn't be too high for them both.

Sensing the tension between them, the man squeezed the Kid's shoulder gently, as he said. "I think you gotta accept there was nothing you coulda done, and not blame your friend for stopping you."

With that he jogged off, leaving them staring at each other in uneasy silence, the stand-off was only broken, when the Kid groaned and clutched his stomach.

ASJ

Heyes watched as his friend tossed restlessly on his bed, muttering to himself as he shifted. He'd finally fallen into exhausted slumber, after several bouts of painful retching, a single dose of diarrhoea, and a lot of cramping. But it was obviously not a peaceful sleep. Heyes could easily imagine the dreams he was having, his own mind still unsettled by the fire, and the memories it had brought up.

Heyes must have eventually drifted into sleep himself, as next time he woke it was dark outside. Heyes stood, glanced over at his friend who was at least now sleeping more quietly, and walked over to pull the drapes closed. His movement woke the Kid, who looked at him blearily. Heyes unsure of what mood Kid would be in, didn't walk over to his bed, merely eyed him from the window. Swallowing hard, he knew he had to admit to something, however much it might cost them, and said firmly. "I know you're mad about what I did, but I can't pretend I'd not stop ya again. You're all I got left, and we gotta look out for each other, and letting you run into a fire and get killed, ain't ever gonna be an option for me."

Heyes knew his words had made an impact, because Kid gave him a tiny rueful smile, shaking his head, and briefly looked down. They both knew he would have done exactly the same thing, and so there was no way the Kid could argue any different. Looking back over at him, the Kid said firmly."I wouldn't never hate ya, Heyes, I'm just mad right now." He paused, then closed his eyes again, as he said quietly. "I get it, Heyes, I do, but its gonna take a bit of time for it to sit easy is all." He shuffled back down under the quilt, and added softly." Wake me up when ya get back from the saloon. Mebbe I'll be up for breakfast or somethin'...leastwise, you can tell me if they're wanting to take on anyone else.."

Heyes gave a shadow of his usual grin as he watched the Kid drift back into sleep. They were going to be all right. He hadn't intended to work tonight, but they could do with the money, and it seemed the Kid was in no real danger, just in need of rest.

After a wash, a change of clothing, and with one final glance at his still sleeping friend, he let himself out of the room, locking the door behind him, feeling a lot less anxious then just a few hours ago. His memories were placed back where they belonged. As he walked towards the saloon, the light of the moon and the lamps picked out the looming shape of the damaged livery, and Heyes swallowed hard, the thought that was where he could have lost the Kid making him feel slightly sick, but he shook the feeling off, refusing to dwell on it and breathed out, time to move on.

ASJ

The saloon was bustling, and the conversation was all about the fire, and the loss of William. "They're figuring that he collapsed and dropped his lamp, set everything ablaze."

"Yeah, Doc was in here earlier, said he'd been complaining about pains in his chest last week, was meant to go back tomorrow."

"Probably his heart, poor man was likely dead before he hit the floor even."

"We sure was lucky that the town council got us that hose just last week..."

John the barman looked over at Heyes as he reached the bar, greeting him with a smile and a nod. "Boss weren't expecting ya in tonight, with ya friend tryin' to get hisself killed earlier."

Heyes said airily, hiding his real feelings, behind a dimpled smile. "Ahh, he's gonna be fine, figured you could do with me tonight, what with all the excitement today, and we sure need the cash..."

ASJ

Heyes sighed as the flashy looking man won another hand, feeling the anger of the other players rising at just how much they were losing. He was certain that soon there was going to be some kind of confrontation, and he really didn't want any trouble tonight, too tired, and very eager to get back to check on Jed. He was sure that the man had chosen this table, thinking him too young to be any good. Heyes swallowed down a smile, thankful for the tricks his grandpa had taught him, not to mention what he'd learnt in Kansas City, because there was only one thing for it, he'd have to out cheat the man, and hope he had enough sense to realise he was being helped out.

Once Heyes made sure the man lost a few hands, and the others won back some of their hard earned cash, tension eased, and the man quickly realised he'd been sprung, and after a wink at Heyes, gave up and started playing an honest game.

Heyes was just heading out the door when a hand fell on his shoulder and he tensed, turning to face the man who'd been cheating. He tried to shrug him off, and continue towards the door, his right hand dropping to his weapon as he did so. But the man gave him a smile, and shook his head. "That was pretty fancy poker for a kid, or you older than you look?"

Heyes gave him a cheeky grin. "No, I'm as young as you figure I am, but you just ain't as good as you think you are."

The man tensed, then laughed. "I like your style, son. The name's Jim Guffy, and I am as good as I think I am...I just got a mite careless, as I didn't figure on you being so sharp seeing as you aren't hardly grown."

Heyes sighed, and smiled tightly. "Look, Mr Guffy, I should a reported you to my boss, but I've had a rough enough day, that I decided not to. Won't happen again, so think we've said all we need to say to each other."

Guffy spread out his hands in a placating manner as he said genially. "Son, we got ourselves off on the wrong foot. I'd like to buy ya a drink and remedy that, as I think we might still have some things to talk about, that will help us both."

"Not today, I gotta be somewhere..." With that he started to walk away. Eager to get back to Kid and fall into bed, and forget today entirely.

But Guffy was undeterred, and laid a well manicured hand on his shoulder, as he said firmly. "I think we could do business together, and you seem too smart a boy to miss out on a chance of improving your prospects by being stubborn."

Heyes cleared his throat, a little irritated at the man's persistence. " I already got a partner, so I ain't interested in whatever you're offering, so excuse me."

Jim continued to grin at him, unoffended. " Look son, it isn't often I get beat at my own game, most men twice your age don't ever spot I'm cheating. Besides I can tell you're not exactly flush, so why not just listen to what I've got in mind, it might end up being worth your while."

Heyes was suddenly tempted, but shook his head. "I already work with someone, I'm not interested."

Guffy winked at him. "The boy they were talking about? Brave but foolhardy is something I can use too. So lets have us a little talk, all three of us. I'll be here at the bar by six,, Thursday next , if you're interested."

ASJ

"I ain't sure, Heyes, seems we shouldn't be trusting a cheat..."

Kid looking better, was brushing a razor across his chin, despite there being nothing on his face to take off. Heyes watched on in some amusement, as it was clear to him, that it'd be another few months, before his cousin needed to shave, but he only said calmly. "Look, Kid, what we gotta lose?" He paused, unable to resist adding with a grin. "I got a magnifying glass in my bag, I think you'll need it, if you're gonna find a hair to take off."

Kid stopped what he was doing, and looked over at Heyes, a glint in his eye, but he laid down the razor with a disgruntled humph as he muttered something uncomplimentary under his breath, before saying louder. "I'm going out to practice..."

He grabbed his gun and tied it on. He strode to the door, and paused . "All right, we'll see what this fella has to say." Then, after shutting the door with more force than was needed, he was gone.

Heyes eyed the closed door with a dimpled grin, and thought how sometimes riling his cousin was just far too much fun.

ASJ

Heyes and the Kid entered the saloon at about quarter to six. Heyes nodded to the man already at the bar with a whiskey in his hand. "That's Guffy, Kid."

Kid looked at the man, noting his expensive clothes and fancy jewellery, and had to admit, if only to himself, that the man was obviously doing something right, but then a thought struck him and he said quietly. "What if he tries to cheat us, Heyes?"

Heyes looked over at him with a small smile. "Well Kid, you know I can spot a cheat a mile off, and you certainly shoot a lot better than ya shave, so I'm figuring we can work something out between us, to stop that happening."

Their attention was drawn back to the bar, as Guffy cleared his throat to get the attention of men gathered round it, and gave an expansive wave and laid out ten dollars onto the bar, as he said with a grin. "Now you seem sporting men, so I got a proposition for you. I bet I can stand one of those eggs in that basket at the side of the bar up straight, without cracking the shell. All you gotta do is bet against it."

There was a brief silence, then a wave of muted laughter. "I ain't sure about that bet. I'm gonna try it first. "

After all three men attempted to do what he'd suggested, and failed, they looked over at Guffy, sensing easy money. Ten dollars three ways would give 'em a good night, so with a grin one of the men said "Don't see how that's possible, so I'm in."

As the men turned away to dig in their pockets, Heyes kept his eye on Guffy, and saw him surreptitiously lick a egg he'd taken from the basket, and put what looked like salt on the end. He was standing innocently empty handed, when the men placed their money on the bar. Guffy even allowed one of the men to choose which egg to hand him. But Heyes had seen him carefully place the doctored egg, so it was the only one that they were likely to choose to hand him. He realised his cousin had spotted it too and they were intrigued to see what would happen next.

Heyes wasn't surprised, in fact he was even impressed, when to gasps of awe from the small group of men, the egg balanced easily, and the money changed hands with barely a ripple of disgruntlement. Guffy bought all three men a drink, and stuffed the rest of his winnings in his pocket, while the men drifted away, happy with the seemingly free drink.

Heyes turned to the Kid who was shaking his head a little, obviously reluctantly impressed, and nodded in agreement when he said. "Well, I gotta say he's got some style. Ain't none of them guys he conned out of their money, that feels hard done by. Quite a trick that, and he's thirty dollars up on where he started."

ASJ

"This is my friend Kid Curry, I figure you already know my name, though we ain't been formally introduced, I'm Hannibal Heyes, though most folk call me Heyes, and I prefer it that way."

Guffy eyed them both for a moment in silence, noting how in tune they were,and how easily they fit in with the men around them despite their obvious youth. Their confident air was definitely more than justified, and he didn't think he'd get much past either of them. Not that he planned to, very certain they'd be useful to him without needing to be conned and he nodded to himself as he said. "There's a group that I work with out of San Francisco, they're always wanting some new blood, so folk don't get suspicious about the same old faces. I think I could convince them you've got something to offer."

He turned to Heyes. "You got some talent already, and your friend here, looks good and young, but I saw him practising with that colt of his yesterday, and he seems to know how to handle himself, so he'd be a real asset too." He paused, then added carefully. "But I gotta warn you, one of my friends isn't real keen on guns...but I'm sure we can work something out, and not all of us are of the same mind, conning folk can be dangerous work after all, and a steady gun can be useful."

Heyes and the Kid exchanged a glance, and Heyes cleared his throat, as the Kid nodded. "When do you need our answer?"

Guffy looked at them. "Stage leaves day after tomorrow, 6am. Tomorrow will be soon enough."

Heyes was interested, he really was, but didn't want to speak for his friend, so turned to Jim with a smile. "We'll be able to tell you this time tomorrow."

The Kid stared at Heyes for a long moment, then shifted his gaze to Jim and spoke for the first time since they'd sat down "I figure we might as well give it a go, Heyes."

Heyes glanced over at the Kid, surprised that he was so willing to fall in with a man, he obviously wasn't sure of, and hoped it wasn't just for his benefit. But the Kid smiled and said drily. "Sounds a good bit easier on the back, then most jobs you find me, Heyes."

Heyes could see he meant it, and he realised, that the thought of leaving the fire behind them, was also playing a large part in his friend's eagerness to move on with the man, and was satisfied that Kid was happy with his decision.

Heyes after a nod and smile over at his cousin, turned back to Guffy, stuck out his hand to the man as he said. "You got yourself a deal!"

Jim took the proffered hand, and shook it firmly, as he looked over at the Kid, including them both. "You won't regret this boys, I promise you. See you at the stage depot Wednesday, good and early mind, or I'll leave without you."

With that he melted away into the busy saloon, and quickly took a seat at one of the poker games in progress. Heyes watched him for a minute, then turned away as he said. "Sure am glad I ain't working tonight, as I don't fancy spoiling our new prospects, by telling the boss he cheats."

Kid laughed. "You can buy me a drink, Heyes, and I'll go find us a table, and we'll just pretend we ain't noticed, and come Wednesday, it ain't your problem no more."

Heyes put his hand on his friend's shoulder and said seriously. "You sure about this, Kid? I ain't exactly set on it, if you got doubts."

Kid laughed, and then shot him a reassuring smile, before replying. "I'm sure, Heyes, sounds like he knows what he's doing, and like you say, if he tries anything dumb, we can always walk away. And Heyes, you know we've always wanted to see the ocean, and this sure seems a good way to do just that."

Heyes nodded his agreement, as excitement at what the future might hold for them, made him smile, as he headed to the bar, his mind already full of plans of what they'd do in San Francisco, once they were settled.