~8~

It was early evening when Kitty came downstairs from changing her clothes. Will was back at the saloon, and sitting reading the newspaper at a back table.

Kitty walked over to her. "How did it go with Doc, earlier?"

"Clean bill of health."

Kitty smiled. "Can I get you anything?"

"No, I'm fine. Thank you."

Kitty smiled and went to the bar. "Sam, you can take your dinner break."

"Ok, Miss Kitty." Sam collected his coat and hat and left.

The bar was empty except for Kitty and Will. Kitty was cleaning glasses to prepare for the evening customers as Will folded the newspaper, leaned back in the chair, pulling her hat low over her eyes and closing them.

Twenty minutes later, Will heard the front door open. She opened her eyes and watched a man walk to the bar. She lifted her head a bit as she watched Kitty walk over to the man.

"What'll it be?" Kitty asked.

The man threw a coin on the bar. "Give me a bottle." He answered.

The hairs on the back of Will's neck stood on end.

Will slowly sat up and got out of her chair, never taking her eye off the man standing at the bar. She carefully walked towards the bar, removing her gun from its holster as she went. She stopped an arms length from the man raising her gun at his head.

Kitty looked up from the glass she was cleaning, "Will?" she stated, with the look of shock across her face.

The man looked up at Kitty when he heard her say Will's name. Seeing the look on Kitty's face he was about to turn and look in the direction she was staring when he felt the barrel end of a gun against the backside of his head and froze.

Will pushed the barrel of the gun against the man's head just above his ear. "Kasey Grimes as I live and breathe."

Kasey started to turn his head, but stopped when he felt Will push the gun into his head. "Will." He said calmly.

"Will, what's going on?" Kitty asked with concern.

"Care to tell the lady, Kasey." Will replied, never taking her eyes off him. When he didn't reply, Will continued. "You remember the way you said goodbye? I'll never forget the words you said."

Kasey turned slightly so he could look at Will. "Lower the gun."

"Will, lower the gun and let me go get Matt." Kitty implored.

Will ignored Kitty's request. "Just kill her, Ike. Those were your exact words Kasey, remember? I never will forget them. They're burned in my head."

"I knew Ike didn't have the stomach to kill a woman." Kasey replied.

"No. he didn't, but then what did you think he was going to do? Just let me walk away? You knew what Ike was capable of. How'd you up and leave me like that? I didn't think you were that cold."

"You're still standing here." Kasey said flippantly.

"I never thought I'd be cursing your name. The way you did me that night, the hell you put me through. The devil wouldn't go that low. Ike raped me then beat me and would have left me there to die if I hadn't put his knife in him first."

Will was so intent in the telling that she never heard when Festus had entered the saloon until he placed his hand on her wrist.

"Will, please lower the gun." He said softly.

"I can't." She answered, her voice heavy with emotion.

Festus leaned closer to her ear. "Lower the gun for me." He pleaded.

Will broke eye contact with Kasey and looked at Festus as he carefully took the gun out of her hands. "He robbed a stage and killed the driver." She simply stated.

Festus held the gun up to Kasey. "You stay right there, mister." Festus reached down and took Kasey's gun. "Will, you stay here with Miz Kitty."

"I'll see that she does, Festus." Kitty told him.

Festus waved the gun towards the door. "Let's take a walk to the Marshal's office, mister."

Will stood and watched Festus leave with Kasey. She had been trailing him for months. She had come close to finding him in Denver, but lost the trail south of Pueblo. When she ended up in Dodge, she had poured over the newspapers hoping to find some sign of him or Ike. She never thought in a million years he would just walk into the Long Branch like he did.

The sudden sound of two gunshots rang out and Will ran out of the Long Branch. She saw Kasey riding away on his horse, and Festus just getting up off the ground holding his side. She saw that he had been shot on his left side above his hip and that the bullet had gone straight through.

"He rushed me and got his gun back." Festus explained, as he held his side.

"Oh my god, Festus." Kitty shouted as she came out of Long Branch right behind Will.

Will grabbed her gun from Festus, and turned to Kitty. "Get him to Doc's!" She shouted, as she took off on a run towards the stable.

"Where are you going?" Kitty called to her.

"After Kasey Grimes!" Will shouted back.

Matt exited his office as Kasey went galloping past. He spotted Will running towards him. "Will, what happened?"

"He shot Festus!" Was all she said as she went rushing into the stable across the street.

Matt went back into his office, put his gun belt on, grabbed a shotgun, his hat and coat and went out the door. He saw Newly come running from his store. "Newly, watch the prisoners. Someone shot Festus, and I'm going after them." As Matt untied the reins to Buck, Will came charging out of the stable on her horse heading in the direction that Grimes had gone.

About a mile outside of town Matt heard gunfire and sank his spurs into Buck. When he came over the rise, he saw two figures on the ground fighting. He pulled Buck to a halt, dismounted drawing his gun. Grimes was straddling Will with a gun pointed at her face. "Hold it right there!" Matt shouted.

"You pull that trigger and she's a dead woman." Grimes bit out.

"You kill her and I'll see that you hang. Now let her go, I'm taking you into custody." Matt ordered.

Grimes raised his gun hand in the air at the same time he backhanded Will across the face with his other hand. "That's for pointing your gun at my head." He spat.

Matt reached down and jerked Grimes off Will. "That was a cheat shot, Grimes."

Will stood up holding her jaw. "He's wanted for robbery and murder, Marshal."

"I'm adding attempted murder to the charges. Let's go, Grimes." Matt said, as he grabbed Grimes by the collar and moved him towards his horse.

Matt reached into his saddlebag for the handcuffs, and Grimes lunged at him tackling Matt to the ground. They were struggling for control of Matt's gun when Grimes landed a punch to Matt's jaw causing Matt to drop the gun. Before Kasey could grab the gun Matt knocked it away with his arm.

Grimes and Matt both jumped to their knees grabbing for the gun, only to knock it even further away. They were now on their feet fighting, each landing a punch here and there to the other, until Grimes managed to land an uppercut to Matt's chin that sent him to the ground dazed and confused.

Grimes wasted no time and dropped to his knees on top of Matt straddling him, pulling a knife out of his boot as he did. Matt was disoriented from the blow and tried to throw Grimes off him with what little strength he had. Grimes took the knife in both his hands, raising it above his head. "You first, then the girl." Grimes sneered.

"Drop it, Kasey!" Will shouted.

Grimes looked up to see Will pointing her gun at him and laughed. "You're going to have to kill me first, and we both know you won't do that."

Grimes sneered at Will as he started to swing the knife down quickly towards Matt's chest, and a single shot rang out into the night.

Matt felt Grimes go limp and fall back against his legs. He pulled his legs out from under Kasey and staggered to his feet. He saw Will standing in front of him with her gun in her hand at her side. He turned and looked behind him. Grimes was on the ground with a bullet hole in the middle of his forehead.

TBC