The clouds appeared to be getting darker. Sam pulled away from the hug he shared with Lily and just looked up at the cloudy sky, left hand running up and down his right arm. His cousin already knew what was on his mind.

"We'll get back soon," said Lily. "I'll get the horses ready."

"Sam! Lily!"

Turning away from each other, two see Archie approaching them, slowly. Arthur stood up almost immediately.

"What you want, boy?" he said, almost aggressively.

"Arthur!"

Sam snapped his head around, looking him in the eye. He kept his hands at his sides, not reaching for his gun. Lily was right next to him, and people were everywhere. So, for now, he had to stay civil. Besides, just because he stood up to him once, didn't mean he was any less scared of him.

"Let me handle this," Sam said, calmly. The two exchanged looks, and seeing Sam looking as calm as possible, deterred Arthur from acting any further. He shrugged and went to go find Dutch.

"What is it?" said Lily.

"My… Uh…" Archie sighed. "Momma… She said she wanted me to tell you."

"What?"

"She knows the people you two are hanging out with and people are talking," said Archie.

"And?" said Sam. "Since when have we cared what other people said?"

"Because… Momma said I can't be around you both anymore."

Lily gasped. "What?!"

Archie sighed. "I'm sorry. But my folks are all I have. Momma said we shouldn't be getting involved with people who associate with people like them." He didn't point, but glanced in the direction Arthur had gone.

"You can't…" Lily stuttered. "But… After all we've done for you?"

"His mother threw away the money we stole for them…" Sam grumbled. He crossed his arms. "When will you stop listening to your mother and listen to what you want for a change?"

Archie growled. "Yeah. Just look at where that has gotten you…"

Sam's fists shook. "And you said this in a public area, where we wouldn't make a scene… At my own uncle's funeral!" he hissed. He strained to keep his voice lower than a shout. "While we're hurting, and while we have to work for criminals! And your family constantly talks about doing the right thing!"

"S-Sam…" said Archie. He wasn't even sure what he could say back, but he had to. "I just-"

"Is this really what you want?" said Sam.

"It's not what I… Look, I don't have a…"

"Yes, you do…" The young man couldn't even look at him. "So leave us to our devices. I expected this from everyone else, but you… I… Why didn't I think about that…?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" said Archie.

Sam shook his head. "Hey. You said it. We're done here."

"Sam-"

"Get the hell out of my sight!" Sam didn't care how loud he sounded at this point. He turned away and stormed towards Aurora, holding back the tears in the corners of his eyes.

Archie shook. For a moment, he just stood there, locking eyes with Lily, who had tried to stop Sam from leaving, but was already out of reach. He turned and started running.

"Archie!" Lily took off after him.

Sam didn't even ride away. He just stood near his horse, petting her mane, face against the side of his horse's face for comfort. Aurora must have sensed something was wrong because she nudged him back. At least she was the only friend who stayed loyal. At least he hoped...

Dutch was still staring at Sam and then he looked over at the graves once more. He remembered that he was too late to save her… The damn law was on them too quick. They…

He regretted now being able to take her body… give her a proper burial. Now, as he looked upon the grave of the late Cliff Hawkeson and his also deceased wife, he lamented that she never was given a proper grave.

Dutch tried to find where Lily had gone. He saw her beside the police station holding Archie's hands and him holding her's. She gets up on her tiptoes to kiss him and Dutch just shakes his head with a small smile.

"Dutch!" Dutch quit his starring just in time for Arthur not to notice what he was doing. "You alright?" The two saw Lily walking back towards an upset Sam.

The older man just nodded. "Yeah… Come on. Those kids need our help."

"Don't let Sam hear you call him that," Arthur said, with a chuckle. "After all, 'he's twenty-seven.'"

While he was injured and reeling from the fact that he had killed someone, Sam had only really been thinking about his uncle. He was still angry at the law's incompetence, and still wondered who the hell shot him. He thought about him all the time, now… He could barely sleep, and he had trouble finding the will to eat everything off his plate.

So, he had spent the past few days since the funeral, visiting his grave, and of course, to pay respects to his Aunt Violet, as well. He wasn't sure what to do whenever he went and just sat there for what felt like hours… Sometimes, he would stare at the flowers Lily had been leaving occasionally.

Lily was at camp a few days after the funeral. People who needed medical attention had been few and far between. Usually, it was nothing that people couldn't just treat themselves, and they would just stop by to pick up a tonic, bandages, or some quick medicine. Sam would leave in the morning and not be back until the late afternoon… and she found herself worrying about him. He hadn't been working for a few days, and Miss Grimshaw was about to blow a fuse.

"Ms. Hawkeson, what's Sam been doing?"

"Nothing," said Lily.

"Nothing is right!" Grimshaw snapped. "Work! Ms. Hawkeson! Folk need feeding! Where is he?!"

Lily frowned. "He's out visiting my father's grave again."

"Well, go and tell him to come back here! This ain't a vacation!"

"I lost my father and my home, Miss Grimshaw!" said Lily. "I don't know what you-"

"I don't care if they killed your father, and spat on your momma's grave! This is a camp! And you and Sam have some paying back to do! Now, get your cousin!"

Lily had her hand close her to her chest. Her eyes were watery, but she held back her tears and nodded. Arthur was walking by, just as she left.

"Don't let her get to you," said Arthur. "Her bark is worse than her bite."

Lily sniffled. "I just… I'm trying, okay? I'll…" Somehow, she was suddenly flustered, "go get Sam. Can I… I think Sam took Aurora."

Arthur sighed. "Alright. Let's go get him."

Sam closed his journal and tucked it away in his bag. He walked towards the church, seeing the graves, briefly reading the names before making it to his uncle's grave again. He sank to his knees and just sat there. He didn't even notice the dark clouds billowing above him, the wind picking up, and the people who were heading inside to avoid the coming showers.

The rain began to fall, but still Sam sat there, only flinching when the wind picked up, or heard the sound of a tree or a building creak. He didn't know what to do. Sitting near his uncle's grave was the only way he could feel close to him, even if he could no longer experience the gentle hand on his shoulder, the hugs from him worrying that his thievery would one day get him killed, treating the injuries he got, while lecturing him, hearing him and Lily chat while he taught her to cook. But most of all, he would never hear the sound of his voice again.

And he still didn't know who the hell pulled the trigger…

Sam wiped his eyes with his damp sleeve. He stared downward, and didn't care about the water spilling from the tip of his hat from the rain falling on it.

"I'm sorry, uncle…"

At the slight rumble of thunder, his heart jumped, and he sucked in a gasp of air. Once again, his left hand began to grip his right arm. Then, after a pat on his head, that he felt through his hat, he almost screamed.

"Found you!"

Sam adjusted his hat, seeing the familiar boots and spurs. He knew who they belonged to. He sighed and looked up.

"Oh. Very funny, Arthur… Hello." He hadn't been out here to come get in the past few days. He had informed at least one person where he was going when he headed out, so he assumed something was wrong.

Sam stood up slowly and sighed. "What did I do?"

"Grimshaw said you ain't pulling your weight…" said Arthur. "Told Lily to get you back to work."

"Oh…" Sam shrugged and reached into his bag. "Oh, whatever… It's not like I just lost my uncle and my home, and my only friend or anything…"

"I know, but… it ain't an excuse to mope around all day, not at least without doing something."

"I have been working!" He opened his journal and showed them the recent page. It was a drawn layout of a building."

"What is this?"

"The layout of the other clinic," said Sam. "The back room is behind a metal door, just like the door in the back of the building. I saw the man who punched me counting dollars and another getting into something spicy with a woman in a fancy dress. There was a briefcase and it looked like it was filled with something."

Lily was keeping her distance, but she was smiling, relieved that his skill was proving useful. Arthur was nodding in agreement. Sam had even labelled where stuff was. Medicine cabinets, other objects, were people mostly stood throughout the day, even if he labelled where the doctor would be as "idiot doctor" and the back room where the thugs were hiding as, "idiot thugs."

"Yeah, we could be able to score some cash from there," said Arthur. He was careful to keep his voice down to prevent others from hearing. Then, he held Sam's wrist and tore the journal from him. "Who did this to you?"

It was then Sam began to feel the aches in his body from earlier. His clothes were stained with dirt and mud, his knees with the same result, along with grass blood, his hair was covering in flakes of dirt and grime, there was a mark on the side of his face and the hand that Arthur was holding had dirt and blood on the knuckles, even on the fabric of gloves he had on.

Sam quickly pulled his hand away towards him, but it didn't stop the older man from grabbing his chin and turning his head to the side, seeing the bruise.

"Nobody…" But the stare of doubt from the outlaw quickly made him open up. "I… They might have spotted me while I was scouting." He held his hand near himself and rubbed at his sore fingers. "I got a few hits in and managed to run."

Arthur nodded at his honesty and handed his journal back. "Well, at least you got away. We'll work on that, but right now, let's get back."

Sam nodded. "Yeah." He gave one last glance at his uncle's grave and walked away with the others.

Once they got back to camp, Lily dragged Sam to their tent to clean him up, while Arthur told Dutch about the plan to rob the secret business in the other clinic.

"And you're sure there will be a lot of money?" said Dutch.

"Could be." Sam had let Arthur borrow his journal to show to their boss. "Sam knows when and where the sheriff is during the day. We could get through this before people even notice. By the time they hear any noise we might not even be there no more."

Dutch laughed and closed the journal, before handing it back to Arthur. "Well, just be very discreet, and make sure as few people as possible see you."

"With any luck, no one will," Arthur said. He turned to leave the tent.

"Good luck," said Dutch. Then he remembered one more detail. "And be careful. This is Sam's first job."

"I know."

Dutch closed the flaps of his tent once he was gone. Then, he sat back down, thinking about what Lily had told him the other day. Her words were repeating in his head.

"He's ran off like this before… when we lost my Aunt Anna."

"Anna?"

"Sam is my cousin. So my Aunt Anna was his mother by birth. She left him with my father to take care of. She only came around once a year, so my father says. She died when I was really little, so I don't remember much of her."

"Oh, Daddy… Mommy… Annabelle… Why did this have to happen? Sam… All alone in the world…"

"You're daydreaming… more than usual."

Dutch looked over at the tent's entrance and saw Hosea standing there. He was kind of shocked how lost in his own mind he could get. He didn't even notice him coming in.

"Hello, Hosea," he said. "And how would you know that?"

"Well, you're spacing out, and you ain't holding one your books from that Evelyn Miller. You gonna tell me what's wrong, or are you gonna wait for me to find out on my own?"

Dutch let out a huff. He had been sifting through Cliff's journal that spoke about him and the other boys. He was right, though. Hosea usually found out the things he wanted, one way or another. How long could he delay keeping this from him? he wondered.

"A connection between Cliff Hawkeson and us…" Dutch sighed. He hesitated to say, mostly because he wasn't sure what would come of it, or because he didn't want Hosea to seem him this way, despite all the stuff they had been through. "I think I found it."

"How'd you mean?"

"I looked into Lily's mother… but we didn't take Sam's into account."

"And who was she?" said Hosea.

"Well, there wasn't anything of note about her in their old house. The only way Lily seems to know her is through Sam and her father telling her things. She only visited once a year, from what she was told."

"So, what? She was a deadbeat mother who left her son in Valentine?"

Dutch almost stood up to tell Hosea off, but not even he was sure if what he was thinking was the truth. Just because some young man had gray eyes like her and had the same name as her didn't mean anything… right?

"Well, it's her or we're at a dead end again with this," said Dutch. "Sam still considered her his mother, despite that."

"Then we get what we need out of Sam, and maybe we'll know."

Dutch looked outside into the calm night that was settling over the camp. Lily had finished fixing up Sam, but he wasn't in the tent. He had noticed that he wouldn't go to bed the same time as her, but somehow, Sam was still the first to rise before her. He might have wandered off again.

"Yeah… I'll go do that…" Dutch said, softly. He stood, and Hosea was just left standing in his tent, confused.

Lily's hands were bloodied, but she didn't care. In fact, she was smiling. She had just finished skinning a deer Charles had brought in. The girl stood and handed the pelt to Pearson.

"Did I do okay?" she said.

"Not bad, Ms. Hawkeson." Pearson took the pelt, put it on the counter and went to go get skinned deer. "Those can sell for a decent price in town if you're looking to make some money."

"Oh. Well, it was Charles that hunted the deer…" Lily said. She grabbed a rag to wipe the blood off her hands. "Speaking of which, are you still going to teach me to hunt?" She leaned over the counter seeing that Charles had been observing her with the skinning lesson.

"Sure," said Charles. "We still have plenty of mouths to feed here. You can come with me tomorrow. With any luck we can probably find-"

"An alligator!" Lily exclaimed, but her childish outburst just made Charles laugh.

"I think it's still too early for that," said Charles. "But with enough training, you can get there. It's never too late to learn."

Lily was excited. Once the stew was ready she helped fill the pot that was accessible to the entire camp, making direct eye contact with the tied up O'Driscoll just so she could make sure he was looking as she put food he could never reach in the pot. Then wandered to check on Sadie.

"How you getting on Mrs. Adler?"

Lily was just in time to see Abigail, sitting with Sadie by some rocks.

"I just… I just miss him so much," Sadie said, wiping tears from her eyes.

"Of course you do… goes without saying."

Sadie sat up. "What am I gonna do?"

Abigail rested a hand on Sadie's gown. "You're gonna suffer…" she answered, honestly. Her answer made Sadie burst into tears again, "and life is gonna go on. That's the truth of it, I won't lie to you."

"Oh Miss Roberts…" Sadie whimpered.

"I know…"

"Wher-Where am I gonna go?"

"Stay here with us… folk they ain't so bad," said Abigail. "It's nasty out there, on your own."

"I know."

"You'll be safe here." Abigail moved her hand to Sadie's wrist and their fingers intertwined.

"But…"

"At least for now… until you're back on your feet properly."

Sadie lowered her head into her hands. "Thank-you."

"Of course." The two looked up to see Lily approaching them.

"Um, I'm just here to say… that dinner's ready."

"Thank-you," said Abigail. "I saw you. You looked like you knew what you were doing. "

Lily nodded. "Are you hungry Mrs. Adler?"

Sadie shook her head. The young girl just nodded. "Well, okay. I'll make sure to put some extra veggies for little Jack, Ms. Roberts."

Abigail nodded as Lily walked back towards Pearson's wagon. Sadie caught a glimpse of the O'Driscoll tied up, and suddenly she changed her mind, about wanting food.

When Dutch finally found where Sam had wandered off to, he was by a lone set of rocks on a cliffside, sitting on one of them. He stared, clutching his pocket watch, while he watched Sadie approach the tied O'Driscoll with a plate of food.

"So you're the O'Driscoll, huh?" said Sadie.

"I'm the feller tied to the tree so, I guess I must be," the man responded.

"I've met some of your boys before."

"Oh yeah?"

"You must be hungry." She held the plate of stew out towards him. Sam could see the O'Driscoll's attempt at leaning forward towards it. The ropes keeping him restrained kept him from getting any closer, however.

"Like you wouldn't believe," he said.

"Well, I'll leave this here then." Then Sam watched as Sadie tipped the plate and the food landed on the ground and the plate followed it. She then used her boot, kicking dirt over it. "In the dirt!" she then hissed. "Where those other O'Driscolls left my husband."

"Yep." Sam could hear Arthur's distant wheeze of laughter.

Sam smiled a little, before going back to starting at his pocket watch. His thumbs traced over the engraving, and he muttered the words to himself, trying to keep himself calm, despite not knowing what to do with himself. Plus, he was basically gonna help rob someone tomorrow. He tucked the pocket watch away, when he heard footsteps.

"Yes?"

"How you getting on?" Dutch said, as he approached him.

"I'm… okay." Sam rested his hands on his knees. "Just… been thinking a lot since the funeral. Heard Miss Grimshaw was being cross with Lily."

"Oh, don't worry about her. It's tough love, Sam. I know you're hurting, we lost some folks, as well, but we can't just sit around while we're hurt. The only way to go is forward. Besides, your cousin seems to be adjusting well. Saw her learning to skin animals."

Sam shrugged. Lily wasn't sensitive at the sight of blood, so she was probably a quick study. "Yeah."

"What were you holding?"

Sam blushed suddenly, knowing he had been caught. There was no point in lying, he figured.

"It… was my mother's… pocket watch…" he said. "She gave it to me when I was a kid, and I… kept it since." He pulled it out slowly, fearing something would happen if he showed it to someone he didn't know too well. So, he kept it close to himself, but moved his fingers enough, so that he could see it. "It's… kind of a coping mechanism for me. I hold it, and I feel like she's with me in a way." He sighed and traced the tips of his thumbs over the engraving. "I never did find out who killed her, either."

Dutch just stared. He still hasn't found her killer, as well. But, was this boy talking about the same woman? Unlike him, however, he knew her killer, he just had yet to track him down. His mouth opened a bit, as he gazed at the pocket watch in Sam's hands. It was old. He couldn't say anything, but…

It looked like his…

It went missing about twenty years ago…

Of course, he had long since replaced it, but the one he once had was special. It held a very special photo he had of her.

He needed a closer look, but there was no way Sam would let him. At least not now… What the hell did that engraving say? Dutch could only think about that as Sam tucked the pocket watch away in his coat.

"She… was killed?" said Dutch.

Sam nodded. "That's all my uncle would tell me… Anyway, I found some stuff on those O'Driscolls we killed when we went looking for Lily. I put them in the box."

"Thank-you, Sam," said Dutch. "Now, go get some rest. You've got quite a day ahead of you."

Sam just nodded and didn't move until Dutch's hands were on her shoulders and he pulled him up. "Okay. I'll… try…"

Early in the morning, Sam and Arthur rode Valentine. The coat Sam was wearing was black, borrowed from Arthur, and he was wearing his hair down for once. Arthur had put on a white, long sleeved shirt and a black vest. They had tried to alternate what they tend to wear to avoid being recognized. They left their hats in the horse's saddlebag. Aurora was left at camp, since everyone in town knew that horse anywhere.

The town was usually quiet at that time. People in the saloon would either be just getting a quick meal or a drink or drifting back to their homes after being in there all night like fools.

They strayed far away from the town, but took the back way to the saloon. Then, they dismounted.

"So, how does this work?" Sam said, pulling out his gun. "Do I shoot-"

"No! You crazy?" Arthur grabbed the barrel of Sam's pistol and lowered it. "We need to be discreet, remember? We only shoot if we have to."

Sam nodded. "Okay…" He was kind of relieved about that and holstered his weapon.

"Just wait out here with the horse. I'll come out the back, and when you see me running get on the horse and we'll ride away. We can't lead anyone back to camp, okay?"

"Yes, sir," said Sam. "Try not to kill anyone? At least the doctor? He stole our business, but the town still needs one." He frowned, when he received no response. Then he just rolled his eyes and shrugged. "If you can. If not…" He gulped at what he was about to say, "so be it."

"Sure," Arthur said with a shrug.

Sam led Arthur's horse close to the back wall of the saloon and sat down in the grass, just petting the horse's snout. Considering how it was when they met, Arthur hoped Sam would be able to react fast enough.

Arthur sighed and walked towards the front of the building. There weren't many people out, but the clinic should just be opening up for the day. He leaned against the wall, taking a few relaxing breaths, as he did before a job. Then he pulled up a handkerchief over his face and opened the door.

The rival clinic had better beautiful golden laced light fixtures on the roof. The floorboards were clean and almost looked new, the shelves holding the bottle of medicine and other products were made of the finest wood, and even the counter did.

"Hey, now," the doctor said. "I'm not about to sell to you without that mask on." And before he said anything else, Arthur pulled out his gun and pointed it right at him. The doctor flinched and couldn't get a word in before Arthur spoke.

"Let me into that back room of yours, right now," he said, sternly.

"Sir, please," the man said, nervously. "You don't want to get involved with them, I promise you."

Arthur narrowed his gaze. "You make them open up, or you're a dead man!" he growled. The doctor, keeping his hands in the air, complied with the intimidation and walked towards the back. Arthur kept his revolver pointed at him.

The doc tapped on the metal door, while Arthur stayed out of view of the tiny sliding window.

"Hey, open up, it's me," said the doctor. "I brought some food and whiskey for you fellers."

The sliding door opened and Arthur could see someone peeking through. "Yeah, it's only the doc." The window closed again. They were probably going to open it.

"Don't try anything funny…" the outlaw muttered to the doctor.

Arthur grinned under his mask as the metal door opened. Whoever was at the door walked inside. "As you can see we're in the middle of important business. Put it on the table."

The doctor didn't move, and Arthur pushed him out of the way, and walked into the room instead, still holding his gun out.

Sam was right. There was a man counting money, a woman sitting in another thug's lap, and a third guy sleeping in a bed near the back door. From the looks of it, they were O'Driscolls!

Pointing the gun at them, Arthur smiled once more. "Looks like a nice little business you got going back here."

The first guy reached for his gun, and Arthur opened fire and shot him twice in the chest. His body fell back and knocked over the chair he was sitting. The woman backed away with her hands up as the other two got up and Arthur rapidly pulled down the hammer of his gun to shoot down the other two O'Driscolls.

"Oh God…" the woman said, as Arthur pointed the gun at her. "Please… don't kill me…"

Arthur kept his gun in the air and walked towards the table. There were piles of cash in stacks on the table. The second he reached for one of them the woman got the gun off the nearby couch she had been sitting on.

"You ain't killing me, you son of a bitch!"

Arthur quickly threw himself behind the table as she fired two shots from her gun. He reached his arm over the surface of the table and shot the woman in the chest. When he got up, he saw three dead O'Driscolls and he guessed fourth one, as well. It wasn't common, but there were some women with the O'Driscolls sometimes.

Arthur quickly got the cash off the desk and in the case that was on there, he found quite the Schofield Revolver inside. He cracked the safe in the far wall and found some money clips.

Then, to his shock, was a folded up map in the back. He opened it and saw a carefully drawn map of Valentine. All the buildings were labelled, including Cliff's clinic. It was circled repeatedly.

"We know you're in there," a distant voice said from the outside. "Come out now!"

"Shit…" Arthur cursed under his breath. "Dumb move…"

He heard footsteps entering the building. The doctor must have fled, but the law could have been alerted to the gun shots. After tucking away the map in his satchel, Arthur closed the metal door and pulled the nearby shelf down to block anyone from coming. He made a run for the back door, but it was jammed shut. The doorknob was stuck and the door itself just wouldn't budge.

Arthur could hear the law trying to bust down the door. He grabbed the chair that had fallen over and then with all his might, threw it through the window, shattering the glass. He jumped through it and dashed towards the saloon.

Sam was already on his feet, upon hearing the glass shatter.

"Let's go!" Arthur said, quickly. Sam was already on his horse and taking the reins. Arthur got on behind him, putting his hands on the younger man's side. Sam bit back a tiny yelp, and with his horse, they galloped north. "Keep your head down!" He pushed down Sam's neck, lowering his head, as they dodged bullets from what the younger man could only guess were lawmen.

Suddenly, Sam found himself smiling as they escaped into Cumberland Forest. He veered off the trail hoping to lose their pursuers in the wilderness. Once they were far from the law, Arthur caught on to Sam's laughter.

"What is it?"

"N-Nothing!" Sam just laughed some more. "That was fun!" He began to slow down, and he took in the thick patch of trees they found themselves in. Despite the smile, Arthur could still see Sam shaking from the adrenaline. "Did… Was the take good?"

"Few hundred dollars and a Schofield Revolver," said Arthur. He pulled down his handkerchief. "I say this small take was a success." Then he sighed. "Those people in there… They were O'Driscolls. They was probably using the clinic to plan the attack on Valentine."

Sam turned to him. "What?"

Arthur reached into his satchel to pull out the map when something grazed his arm and zoomed past Sam. The horse neighed in terror and threw them onto the ground, before speeding off. In the distance, they could hear voices.

"Damn it!" Arthur grunted standing up. The hit in his arm was only a graze, but it still hurt.

Incoming on horses wasn't the law, but they were O'Driscolls. They were on horses and holding guns.

Sam was taking a few steps back. Arthur grabbed his arm. "Into the trees!"

They ran past trees, zig zagging to be hard targets, and eventually found their way to higher ground. With the O'Driscolls catching up, the two climbed up the giant cliffs. Arthur got his rifle out. Sam, holding his repeater, settled down near Arthur and took aim. These O'Driscolls were responsible for what happened to his hometown of Valentine, and he had no choice right now. He had to defend himself. He took in a deep breath as they approached, and when he exhaled, he fired and got a shot one O'Driscoll in the chest. He fell back off his horse, which was spooked and started running.

"I got one!" Sam said, excitedly.

"Well, keep shooting!" said Arthur. "They're still coming!"

Sam kept himself low like the older man taught him, ducking when he thought bullets were going to fly at him. Some of them were making their way off to the side of where they were perched at. Sam shifted downward, carefully to not slip down the rocky slope and started shooting the ones trying to climb up towards them. He watched them fall back towards the bottom motionless.

One got close enough and started grabbed at Sam's ankle. He started kicking him away with the other foot, before just shooting him in the face. Arthur kept looking back, briefly to make sure everything was okay enough. Sam shot one trying catch up with Arthur and he fell off the edge. Then one just started racing up the slope, Sam stood and used the momentum of running down the slope to crash into the enemy and they both went falling down to the bottom.

Once they were at the bottom, the two were struggling against each other. Then Sam was hit in the same spot where he had received the bruise from yesterday. He fell over and found himself pinned down by the same man who not only gave that to him, but the black eye that had long since healed. His hand was on his neck. Sam couldn't yell for Arthur and his repeater had fallen out of reach.

"Little brat!" Sam couldn't dodge the fist that hit his face. "Can't mind your damn business!" Another fist hit the side of his face. While trying to rip his attacker's arm from his neck with one hand his other was trailing down his side. "But hey, I've come to like punching the same annoying face."

"Ar… thur…" Sam could barely wheeze. Then felt the handle of Charles' spare hunting knife and just swung it, slicing across his assaulter's chest. When the O'Driscoll fell back, Sam, suddenly remembering what Arthur said, saw red and lunged forward, stabbing the knife again into the man's shoulder. Sam shut his eyes while his attacker cried out in pain. He shook for what he wasn't sure was anger or fear, while he coughed and caught his breath.

"Who killed my uncle?" Sam growled. His throat was still sore. He twisted the knife when the O'Driscoll didn't answer. Arthur turned his head, looking at Sam briefly, upon hearing the O'Driscoll writhing in pain and then the younger man's voice grew fierce. He sounded like he did just a few days ago, when Sam defended Thomas Downes. It was the type of voice Arthur had only heard before from one man. "Who! Killed! My! Uncle?!"

"How the hell should I know?!" the O'Driscoll yelled. If he tried to move, Sam would just cause him pain by moving the knife. "The sap at the other place? Wait. You're his nephew! No wonder. That whole town doesn't like you! His killer was doing Cliff a favor, because now he doesn't have to deal with you!"

Sam held his teeth tight. His breath was heavy. Tears were building in his eyes. The O'Driscolls knew his uncle's name… they knew him… Did they know… Lily?

"Sam!"

Seeing a looming shadow, Sam turned his head and saw an O'Driscoll right behind him, but then a gunshot from Arthur's rifle hit his attacker's head and he fell down. Sam was pushed off from his other attacker. He pulled out the knife in his shoulder and lunged at him. The younger man reached for his volcanic pistol and turned just in time to shoot the man in the chest.

Sam just sat there, catching his breath as the man collapsed and he took in the sight of the dead men around him and the blood. He shook, barely registering the approaching footsteps of Arthur Morgan.

"You alright?" He made his way all the way to the bottom of the slope and helped a paralyzed Sam to his feet. "We need to get out of here."

"He… Th-They knew our…" Sam could barely mutter. Arthur, hands still on his shoulders dragged him away from the bodies.

"I know, but we gotta go," Arthur said, calmly. Knowing that his horse wouldn't have ran far, he whistled for him and within a minute or so, his horse came for them. This time, Arthur took the reins and Sam climbed on behind him. Once his hands were on his sides, they rode off.

Arthur took the back way out of the forest and they avoided the town of Valentine and hid out by one of the giant rock formations at a place known as Twin Stack Pass. It was too soon and risky to head back to the camp, so that was where they stopped. Sam just followed quietly gathering sticks to use for kindling and then just sat down while Arthur lit a match and got a small fire going. The horse stayed nearby, grazing.

Now that they were far away from Valentine and the trail of bodies they left, the two could finally relax and take a breather. Sam just took in the warmth of the fire, and then saw the red on Arthur's sleeve.

"You're hurt," said Sam.

Arthur suddenly remembered the bullet that grazed his arm. Sam suddenly scrambled through his satchel pulling out some whiskey and some bandages.

"It's nothing," said Arthur. "I'm more worried about you. He punched you pretty hard."

"I'm fine." Sam rubbed his sore face and then went back to checking on Arthur's wounded arm. "It could get infected! Please?"

Arthur just sighed and let Sam tend to him. He rolled up his sleeve and cleaned the wound with a rag, wet with alcohol. The outlaw only gave the occasional wince, until Sam bandaged it up. Then he sat back down.

"Sorry…" he said. "My uncle… I can't leave a wound unattended…"

"Then, I guess your uncle's still with you," Arthur said, with a small laugh. And that small fact made Sam smile, just a bit. He stared at the fire, and watched Arthur use it to light a cigarette. "We can head back in a bit, but for now…" He watched as Sam sat back down still looking unsettled, "just try to relax. I know you ain't been sleeping."

Sam sighed. "I… I keep…" He lowered his voice, embarrassed to admit what's been keeping him up. "Having nightmares…" He felt Arthur smiling, which just made him more embarrassed. "I know, I'm not a kid anymore, but… It's always wolves. They chase me. And… there's blood. I don't know where it comes from, but it's always on my hands or my clothes…" Arthur handed him a whiskey. "Thank-you." And he took a huge swig of it, and lowered the drink onto his lap, while Arthur searched through his satchel.

"I was gonna show this, before that whole mess back there." Arthur handed Sam the map and he opened it slowly. "I found it in the safe." Sam gazed at it, seeing all the notes, the labels that took note of the stores, but saw his uncle's clinic as a huge target. He could tell with what the writing said. It read his uncle's full name.

"They planned this…" Sam mumbled to himself. "My uncle's killer knew his name, so I should've known." He folded the paper back up, while Arthur just stared. "He killed my uncle, and destroyed the only home I've ever known… But why?"

"I'm sorry…" said Arthur. He pulled the cigarette out of his mouth and held it between his fingers. "I… I wish I knew…"

"That man was right…" Sam said. "Lily and my uncle… They were the only people who cared about me… It used to be more… And now, Lily is all who's left… At night, sometimes… I wonder if she's next. If… I'll lose her? And everyone I love will be dead?"

Arthur finished his cigarette and then tossed it aside. "I know…"

"Huh?"

"I had… a family once… or, something like that. They're gone, now, but…" He sighed, and wiped some of the dirt off his hands. "When it happened, I… Part of me wished…" His words were slowing, "they killed me, as well. I was angry… sad… everything you're feeling. Maybe… That's why I felt like I should help you."

Sam just shrugged. He crossed his arms, rubbing his hands up and down. "How did you get through that?"

"Truth is, you don't," said Arthur. "It's always gonna be on your mind. Sometimes, it'll come in when you least expect it, or when you least want it, but I remember that I still have people who depend on me. They ain't related to me by blood, but the gang is like… We're family, you know?" The thought of John crossed the outlaw's mind, but he pushed it down. "It's different with Dutch than the O'Driscolls."

"He's different?" said Sam. "Well, he's kind of nicer."

Arthur smiled. "He taught me to read. John, too. He saved me, and a lot of the others. He and Hosea taught me a few other things. That's why I need to stick by him through this... Why we have to…"

Sam knew he was talking about Blackwater. They were ones who robbed that ferry… and why Pinkertons could be making their way to New Hanover, if they weren't here already. He never thought that Arthur, despite being an outlaw, could sound so human. He hadn't even considered that outlaws were people, too… just a strange enigma that was something be wary of in the back of his mind.

Arthur reached into his satchel and pulled out his carton of cigarettes. "It's a lonely feeling, Sam. I know, but you're not." Once Arthur had one in his hand, he offered Sam one, as well. He had never had one before, but it couldn't hurt to try.

And Arthur laughed when Sam tried to inhale his first smoke. The result was the younger man coughing and sputtering.

Idle chatter went throughout the afternoon and then, when the sun was setting, and everything was quiet, Arthur came back from looking around for any sign of trouble, he saw the sight of Sam asleep, slumped against the cliffside behind him. With a small smile, he called his horse over, and had him wait while he walked over to the younger man and shook him awake.

"Hey."

Sam mumbled to himself, and rubbed his eyes as he stirred. "Huh? Sorry."

"Coast is clear. Let's head back."

The sky had turned to a pretty orange color as the day began to come to an end. Arthur identified them to Charles, who was on guard duty, and they entered camp. Sam was relieved to see Aurora, after such a long day.

"That was…" Sam wasn't sure what to say, as Arthur hitched his horse next to Aurora. "I had fun today. Here." He handed the map back to Arthur. "I think Dutch might want to see this."

Arthur nodded. "Sure. Thank-you." And he watched as Sam walked over to his tent to meet with his cousin.

Once inside, Lily sat Sam down on his cot and got some ointment for the bruises on his face. Then, she got a comb and straightened out his hair, tying back his hair, with the loose locks of hair still hanging down the front of his face, just the way he liked it. The whole time, Sam was deep in thought. However, Lily saw that he didn't seem as sad as he had been, despite his attempts to avoid talking about it.

He thought about Cliff. The disappearances in Valentine, the O'Driscolls still on the loose. If they just stood by, they would just cause more trouble.

And Cliff's killer would cause more trouble...

Then when Lily was done, she got up to put the comb away.

"I've made a decision," Sam said, suddenly. After a long time of silence, his outburst scared Lily and made her flinch. The comb she held dropped onto the ground.

"Huh?"

"My purpose in life - I will find the man who killed Cliff Hawkeson!"

Lily gasped. "S-Sam…"

"The O'Driscolls attacked our home! Killed Cliff! I never found out who killed my mother, but damn it! I ain't a child no more! I will find the man who did this. Find him, and kill him! Destroy them all!"

Lily covered her mouth, stifling a small laugh, but tears still leaked from her eyes. Sam turned his head to her. "What's so funny?"

His cousin shook her head. "I'm sorry… it's just. I didn't think you would come up with it."

"So… you agree with me?" said Sam.

"Yeah? I thought you'd be happy."

"I dunno." The young man shrugged. "I thought you'd give me a hard time about it." He crossed his arms and raised his voice a bit. "'That's not what he would've wanted!'" Lily playfully smacked him at his sad attempt of a Lily impression. Then she sat down next to him.

"You're not the only one who loved him, Sam…" said Lily. "Cliff Hawkeson was my father… and I won't let you do it alone."

Sam rested on his hand on Lily's knee. "I can't let you get hurt."

And then Lily's hand rested on top of his. "And I can't let you get hurt either."

Their hands met each other, seeking comfort within one another. They were both equally stubborn. So they guessed that neither one of them had a choice. Sam pulled Lily next to him with one of his arms and Lily leaned against him, and they stayed like that, just taking in the relaxation of being near someone who loved them.

"So… when do we start our investigation?" said Lily.

"First light," said Sam. "In the morning." With one hand, he pointed at Pearson's wagon, knowing that the O'Driscoll behind it was still tied to the tree. "And I know the first person we can talk to."

Dutch was looking over the map Arthur gave him. He saw Sam and Lily's tent open, seeing the two embracing one another.

And he saw Sam clutching the old pocket watch that he held so dearly, with his other hand...