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She's late. By now everyone was aware of that fact. As the day wore on, concern became stronger. Although no one wanted to be the one to admit it first, all of them were starting to worry. As much as they wanted to dismiss the notion, no one could shake the feeling that something was terribly wrong. The silence was broken by someone shouting "Rider comin'!". All the others stopped what they were doing to greet their fellow rider. Relief washed over the entire group at once. However, it was to be short lived. It soon became clear that the rider approaching was not her. Kid, who had been rushing to meet her, stopped mid-stride. "Who in the hell are you?', he asked with more force than he had intended. Worry had stolen his manners. "My name is Neil Masters. I ride for the express station right outside of Davenport, town called Harriston. I have letters for several of ya from a Lou Mcloud". By now the others had arrived to see what was going on, and so they were all struck dumb at the same time. Jimmy was the first to speak up. "Why would he send us letters? I mean he lives here after all", he asked still not sure this Neil fellow knew what he was talking about. "Well, I hate to be the one to tell you this, but Lou doesn't live here anymore", replied Neil before handing off the stack of letters and riding off. "WHAT!?!", everyone yelled at once, but there was no one there to answer. Ike began to pass out the letters. Everyone had one, including Rachel and Teaspoon. Each rider took his letter and went somewhere private to read it. Disbelief was a tangible thing as they walked away. Kid took his letter and walked to his private spot under a large tree by a lake. At first he dared not even open it, scared that reading it would make this nightmare real. The envelope simply read "Kid". His hands started to shake as he opened it. It read:
Kid noticed drops falling onto the paper and quickly glanced up to check the sky for rain clouds, but there was not a cloud in the sky. He then realized the drops came from the tears he hadn't known he was shedding. Once he realized he was crying, he couldn't bring himself to stop. The pain of losing her consumed him totally, and he wept for the love they had, the love they lost, the love he hoped they'd find again, but most importantly, he wept for the life he'd have to live without her.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Days later he sat on the porch gazing at the horizon, hoping to catch a glimpse of the one thing that would let him breathe again. He sat hoping to catch a glimpse of her. For the second morning in as many days only the sun appeared to greet him. He knew his friends would soon be joining him. He also knew that no one would bother to offer empty words to comfort him. There were no words to comfort him. Only she could ease this unbearable pain, but she was not coming home. So he prepared himself for yet another day of mind numbing, body draining, busy work. Thanks to his sorrow all the fences had been mended and all the new horses had been broken in. Today it looked like the woodpile was calling."He's gonna kill himself and take us all with him," Cody complained. ~ Yeah, he can't keep this up much longer and neither can we,~ signed Ike. "Why doesn't he just go after her?", Cody whined. ~ Cody, it's not like she was kidnapped or just went missing. She left on her own,~ Ike said with a sad shake of his head. They all thought back to the afternoon three days ago, the afternoon everything got turned upside down. None of them really knew why she decided to leave. None of their letters said anything about her being sad or angry or worried about anything. Although each letter was written to fit her relationship with a particular rider, they all conveyed the same feelings of appreciation and love. However, they all knew that Kid's letter was much different. Kid had come back late that night, eyes swollen from hours of crying and mumbling how it was all his fault. Kid's letter held the truth in it, but no one dared ask him just yet. It was still to soon, and his pain was still to strong. Now they all watched as he mindlessly wandered through the day. Although they could see him, talk to him, place a hand on his shoulder, they all knew that he wasn't really there. His eyes told the truth. The spark that normally lit his blue eyes was gone, replaced by a vacant haunted glaze. His eyes said that he was with her. "I don't know but something has to give or none of us are gonna make it till next week," Jimmy said with a tired sigh.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
With each swing of the axe Kid felt the anger grow inside of him. His mind and heart screamed with every blow. No one dared tell him that he had forgotten to put another piece of wood on the stump. "How dare she just leave like that?" (swing) "HOW DARE she not give me a chance to explain?" (swing) "HOW DARE SHE take away EVERYTHING I have ever wanted?" (swing) "HOW DARE SHE!?!"(crack).Everyone stopped and looked. Kid had swung with such force that the blade had become lodged in the chopping stump and the handle snapped off as he went for another swing. No one wanted to be the first to approach because no one wanted to be the one on the receiving end of all of the Kid's pent up emotions. "Are you alright?", Jimmy asked cautiously. Silence was his reply. "Kid, are you alright? Say something", Jimmy said. His best friend's silence was making him really nervous. "Kid!", Jimmy yelled, "Are you alright?". "I'm going to find her", Kid said quietly-more to himself than anyone else. "What?", asked Jimmy, still not quite sure that Kid really said anything. "I'm going to find her, Jimmy. I'm going to find her, and I'm going to bring her home", Kid said with his old determination. With that, he dropped the axe handle and began to make his way to bunkhouse to pack for his trip to wherever. The rest of the guys stood in shocked silence, no one quite sure what just happened. "Well thank God!", Cody exclaimed, "I thought I would be carrying wood for the rest of my life!". Ike went over to examine the chopping stump and shook his head as he realized that there was no way that blade was ever coming out. Buck came up beside him and they shared a laugh. "All I can say is better the stump than one of us", Buck laughed. A few moments later they were all heading toward the bunkhouse. Apparently, they now had some packing to do.
*Chapter Two*
Kid and Jimmy were continuing to pack in silence when the door to the bunkhouse opened. The remaining riders each moved to their bunks and began to gather things they would need for the ride. After a few moments Teaspoon arrived."And just what, may I ask, is goin'on here?", he asked-his eyebrows raised in surprised confusion. "What's it look like Teaspoon? We're going to get Lou back", Cody replied with a smirk on his face. Teaspoon instantly became serious and said "Now you boys just hold on a minute. You can't just go chasing after someone who has made it clear that she doesn't wanna be here anymore. We all miss Lou, but we all have jobs to do here". "Awww, come on, Teaspoon, we can still do our jobs", complained Cody. "Now just how do you plan on doing your jobs when you ain't even here? Look, I'm sorry but we're just going to have to accept the fact that Lou's gone, and she ain't comin' back", Teaspoon said with all the sympathy he had in his heart for his boys. He knew the last couple of days had been hard on them, especially the Kid, but he couldn't just let them go off chasing after someone who left on their own. As Teaspoon looked into the pain filled faces of his riders, his own heart began to ache. Poor Kid looked as if he were just a step away from just falling apart. Since Lou left, Teaspoon had tried his best to keep an eye on the Kid because he knew that he would be taking it the hardest of them all. Yet even now, Teaspoon knew that he had to remain firm in his decision. They had to do their jobs, no matter what. Then it happened again. Kid just exploded from the back with all the steely determination and barely controlled emotion he'd unleashed at the woodpile. "No, Teaspoon, I won't-I can't-just accept that she's not coming back. Feel free to believe whatever you want, but don't try and force me to go along with it. Fire me if you feel you have to, but I'm leaving. I'm going to find Lou, and I'm going to bring her home. So if you fellas will excuse me, I have a new job to take care of." And with those words Kid grabbed his gear and headed for the barn to saddle Katy. For a few moments after the door slammed shut, the bunkhouse was quiet again. Then, Jimmy broke the silence. "Teaspoon, I'm going with him. What he says, well, I say it too. You are always telling us to be there for our family and Kid's family, so is Lou. And they both need us, so we have to be there for them. You of all people should understand that". Jimmy reached for his gear and started toward the door when Teaspoon moved to block his path. "Now, Teaspoon….", Jimmy began. "Now hold up, son. I ain't gonna try and stop ya. You're right. Family needs to be there for family. But I stand by what I said earlier. We have jobs to do. All of you can't just up and leave. So, the rest of ya better hurry up and decide who stays and who goes. I'm gonna need three of you here. Which three…now that's up to you, but you better hurry. Kid'll be leavin with or without ya", then he turned and headed towards the barn, leaving them to fight it out. Right now, he had to see to some family.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Kid was almost done when the barn door opened. "Just a moment before you leave", Teaspoon said, "I got something I need to say to you"."Just go ahead and fire me, Teaspoon. I'm kinda in a hurry", Kid said without really looking up. "Well, I should fire you. But then I'd have to fire the rest of them and I don't have it in me to start this damn station all over. 'Sides you boys kinda grew on me", Teaspoon said with a slight smile. "However, could I persuade you to wait just a few more minutes while the rest of the fellas fight over who's goin' with ya? Then, you go out there and you find our Louise and bring her home" he said while placing a hand on the Kid's shoulder. Kid coldn't help but look at the ground sheepishly as he recalled the scenes he'd been causing lately. "Sure, I can wait a few more minutes. Hell, I can't believe I actually waited this long in the first place", Kid said with a hint of his barely contained frustration coming through. "Actually, I can't believe you waited either. I know that this has been really hard on ya, son. But I'm proud of how you boys handled yourselves. I know that I might have seemed kinda unreasonable back there, but it's hard work being both a friend and a boss to you boys-especially when I would love to go out there with ya", Teaspoon said a bit sadly. Just then the barn door opened, and in walked Jimmy and Buck. "Hey there! We thought we'd be riding hard outta here tryin' to catch up to ya by now", Buck said with a laugh. "Yeah, well, I'm done waiting now. Let's get goin'. I wanna get to Harriston before her trail gets any colder", Kid said as he climbed on top of Katy. "You boys take care now. Send word if you run into any trouble", Teaspoon said with concern. "Us? Trouble? Now, Teaspoon, you should know better than to think that about us", Jimmy said with a voice full of laughter. "Next time you see us we'll be ready to put this family back together again" Buck said with total confidence. As the trio began to ride out of the barn, Kid stopped beside Teaspoon just for a moment, just long enough to say quietly, " You're more than a friend, and you're more than a boss. You're the father we've always wanted, Teaspoon. And if you are proud of us, well, we are who we are because of you. So be proud of yourself". Teaspoon waited until they had disappered behind the horizon before letting the tears he'd been holding fall silently down his cheeks. Ride safe, boys, he thought to himself before turning to head to the main house. He knew that things would be even more tense until they returned, and he began to prepare himself for the tough days ahead. Dammit! Rachel has no idea what is going on. She's gonna kill me. "Cody!", Teaspoon yelled across the yard. "Yeah, Teaspoon?", Cody asked as he came running across the yard. "Why don't you on in the house and let Rachel know what's going on", Teaspoon said with his best attempt at appearing innocent of how that particular scene would play out. "Awwww, Teaspoon, you know how she's gonna react", Cody whined. "Why, Mr. Cody, are you implying that our sweet, wonderful Rachel would behave in any way other than completely lady-like?", Teaspoon barely made it through that remark without a laugh. " I would go myself but I have to get to town and start marshallin'. Someone has to uphold the law around here ya know." Teaspoon yelled back as he wa'lked back to the barn to saddle his own horse. Cody had already began his walk to the main house. He was definitely not looking forward to this one. Teaspoon owes me big time he thought to himself as he opened the door to find Rachel taking a freshly baked cake out of the oven. "Ummm…..Rachel, ya got a minute?", Cody mumbled quietly. The door shut ominously, and moments later the yard was filled with the sounds of Rachel's rantings. Teaspoon was slowly but surely sneaking his way into town, wincing with each piercing shrill of Rachel's tirade. Maybe I best consider eating in town tonight,he thought to himself. "TEASPOON!!!!!!", Rachel yelled. Hmmm….better eat in town tomorrow night as well, Teaspoon considered as he kicked his horse into a gallop. Every once and while he looked behind him to make sure Rachel wasn't chasing after him with with evil intentions on her mind. Hurry back, boys. From the looks of it I might go broke eating in town he thought with a shake of his head.
*Chapter Three*
The sun was just beginning to set as they arrived in Hastings. Kid had been pushing hard the entire ride, and the idea of a long night’s sleep was playing heavily on their minds. It had been a rough couple of days. No one had really slept easily since Lou left. Now their salvation seemed to be at hand, and the riders couldn’t help the sense of excitement they felt.“You think once we reach Hastings we can slow things down a bit, Kid?” Buck asked even though he already knew the answer. “Look, I know I’ve been pushin’ kinda hard, and I’ll understand if you two wanna just take it easy when we get there. But you gotta know that I’m not stopping ‘til I find her” Kid said with his normal quiet resolve. “Well can we at least eat first? No offense, but eating your cooking for the last three three days has left a rather bad taste in my mouth.” Jimmy said with a barely hidden smile. “Yeah, Kid. A man can only eat so many beans in a short period of time, and no matter how many different names you call them, they were all beans” Buck said, joining in on the fun. “Well, gee thanks guys. Next time I’ll just let you starve” Kid replied with his best attempt at looking hurt. “Actually, a real meal might just hit the spot right now” Kid said after the laughter had ended. “Well, let’s take a moment to thank the Lord for the small miracle” Jimmy said while removing his hat and placing in front of his heart. “Lord, thank you for not letting the Kid be competely crazy” Jimmy said with a wide grin covering his face. “Amen and Halleluiah” Buck chimed in. “Oh, shut up you two before I change my mind” Kid laughed as he kicked Katy into a gallop and hurried into town.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
They checked into the local hotel, each getting his own room. Once they had unloaded, they all met in the dining room for some real food.“I think I’m just gonna have some of everything tonight” Jimmy said as he went over his menu. “Yeah, well as long as you’re the one paying for it” Buck whispered to him. “Well, in that case I’ll only have half of everything they’ve got, well everything but beans” , Jimmy replied with a chuckle. “Kid, what are you gonna have, and please don’t say beans” Buck asked from across the table. “I don’t rightly know yet. It all sounds so good.” Kid said, honestly confused. At just that moment, the town sherriff and his deputy arrived for their evening meal. “Well, Hal, are you having in luck with that girl?”, the deputy asked as they took their seats at the table across from the boys. “Nah, she’s a hard one, but that’s the kind I like. All the others come too easy. This Louise, now she’s a challenge. And you know me. I can’t resist a challenge”, the sherriff said with a sly grin. With that said, all conversation at the other table stopped. Their focus was no longer on what their menus promised. Instead all their senses were now firmly focused on the conversation that was taking place at the table across from them. “Did you hear that?” Kid asked with an anxious excitement he could barely control. “Now, hold on, Kid. You don’t know that they are talking about Lou. There is more than one woman with that name, you know” Buck said quietly as he tried to calm the Kid down before he caused a scene. “No, Buck. They are talkin about my Lou. I can feel it” Kid said forcefully. Jimmy tried to lighten the mood by chiming in with “Maybe it’s just the three days worth of beans you’re feeling”. “Not now, Jimmy” , Buck warned as he saw Kid’s temper beginning to flare. “Alright, Kid. Maybe they are talking about Lou, but if you go charging over there right now, you aren’t gonna find anything out. We gotta play this one carefully. I’ll go over there and see if I can find some answers. But you need to stay here and get yourself under control” , Jimmy said as he began to rise from his seat. “While I’m gone, the two of you order for me, and if I come back and there is a single bean on my plate, someone’s gonna die” Jimmy warned as he walked toward the two guys who possibly held the key to returning the Kid to the land of the sane. “For the Kid’s sake, please tell me what we all want to hear. The sooner we find Lou, the sooner we can all get back to normal. Well, as normal as we can be anyway” he mumbled to himself as he neared the table. “Excuse me. I was wondering if you two could help me with a problem”, Jimmy said in the friendliest tone he could manange for a couple of strangers. “Well, we’re kinda in the middle of eatin’ right now. So unless, it’s an emergency, it’s gonna have to wait” the deputy all but growled. “Now, Tom, that’s no way to treat visitors to our fair town. My name is Hal Gregors. I’m the sheriff around here. This here is one of my deputies. His name is Tom Redness. What is that we can do for you?” the sheriff said with a not so genuine smile. “My friends and I are looking for a friend of ours. Her name is Louise. She has brown hair that almost comes to her shoulders, big brown eyes, and a mouth that would make soldiers run home to their mommas when she’s mad. This is the last place we know for sure she’s been, and we were wondering if you or your deputies might have seen her”. Halfway through Jimmy’s description, the man called Tom perked up in his seat and gave the sheriff a nervous glance. This immediately got Jimmy’s attention. “Why, I’m afraid I can’t help ya. None of us have seen or heard of a girl by that description. Sorry I couldn’t be more helpful”, sheriff Gregors replied a little too smoothly for Jimmy’s liking. “Well, thanks for your time. Sorry to interrupt your meal”, Jimmy said with a smile as fake as the ones he’d been receiving since he arrived at that table. “Perhaps we’ll stop by your office in the morning just in case you’re mistaken though”, he said as he walked away. Once they were sure that Jimmy was far enough away, Tom leaned in close and whispered fiercely, “That’s the girl! They are looking for your girl, Hal!”. “Just shut up, Tom. Just because they are looking for her doesn’t mean they are going to find her. Let them come by tomorrow. They’ll just get more of what they got just now-nothing. Louise is gonna be mine, and nobody is gonna get in the way of that”, Hal said as he rose to leave. Yeah, she’s mine. Those clowns will be on their way soon. I have nothing to worry about he thought as he left the dining room. Meanwhile, Jimmy had returned to the table where Buck and Kid waited anxiously. “Well?”, they asked almost in unison. “Well, those two are a lying snakes, and they are trying to keep us from Lou”, he said quietly as he took his seat. His mood only worsened as he looked at his plate. “And who is the jackass who ordered me a plate full of beans!?!”.
*Chapter Four*
The humor of the prank had been forgotten with the first words Jimmy spoke. Kid was already on his feet, his hands forming fists at his sides.“Whoa, there Kid. The plan is not to cause a scene, remember?”, Buck warned. “Damn the plan! The plan changed the minute they lied to Jimmy!”, Kid replied harshly in a forced whispered. “Look, they’re leavin’! We’ve got to stop them!”, Kid nearly screamed. “Kid, calm down. They aren’t going anywhere, alright. I told them we’d stop by in the morning”, Jimmy intervened. “Yeah, and Kid, you aren’t thinking reasonably. If you go off half cocked now, we will never find out anything. Finding Lou is gonna be hard enough, but it will be impossible if we get railroaded out of town or thrown in jail. Now, please sit down so we can discuss what to do next”, Buck insisted, trying desparately to appeal to the Kid’s good sense. Jimmy walked up to stand directly in Kid’s path. “Kid, you have to listen to us now. If you want to get her back, then sit down”, Jimmy urged while placing a hand on Kid’s shoulder. For a moment, it was unclear whether Kid would listen to them. Kid’s breaths were long and ragged, and his emotions raged visibly across his face as he fought to control the feelings that were threatening to overwhelm him. Finally, he turned back to his seat and slowly sat down. Relief washed over Buck and Jimmy’s faces as they knew how close the Kid came to losing it all. “Alright, let’s talk. But I’m warning the both of you. If we can’t come up with something good and fast, I’m going to handle this my way”, Kid said in a tone that would allow for no argument. “Well, you gotta deal as long as you promise to let some form of reason play a role here”, Jimmy replied as he and Buck took there seats again. Neither one of them was too eager to sit because neither of them was sure that Kid could be trusted to remain in his seat. The atmosphere at the table went from tense to almost unbearable in a matter of minutes. Most of the food remained untouched on the plates as they whispered and argued over strategies. “Look, you two. Perhaps we should take this somewhere a little less public. We are all close to the breaking point, and the last thing we need is to blow this thing before we even get started”, Buck warned forcefully. Finally able to agree on something, they called for the check and went upstairs to talk in Buck’s room.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
“Alright”, Buck sighed as he closed the door behind them. “We know for sure what we’re not going to do”, looking directly at the Kid. He couldn’t help but smile slightly as Kid turned his head in frustration and mumbled a few choice words. “So, let’s all calm down so that we can decide what we are going to do”, Buck concluded in his most patient of tones.“Alright, I told the sheriff and that deputy that I’d stop by their office tomorrow. You two should come with me so that you can see what I told you about”, Jimmy chimed in. “Kid, do you think you can keep under control if you go? We can’t have you flying off the handle in there”, Buck asked already knowing the answer. “Yeah, I’ll be fine”, Kid replied feeling annoyed that he was being considered the weak spot in the plan to get his girl back. “I pretty much know what they’re gonna say tomorrow. They are going to give you two the same load of cow pies they gave me. So, once they establish the fact that they are lying, where do we go from there?”, Jimmy asked. “Well, the Kid and I both trust the fact that you judged them right. We are just hopin’ that someone will slip up. Hopefully, after that we’ll have enough to get a good start. If not, I say we split up and cover the town. Maybe one of us will get lucky”, Buck supplied. “Well, I guess that’s as good a plan as it’s gonna get”, Kid sighed in frustration. “Good, now that that’s settled. Let’s all try and get some sleep. It’s getting late and we’re gonna have a long day ahead of us tomorrow”, Buck said as he walked over to stand in front of a very disheartened looking Kid. “We’re gonna find her, Kid”, Buck reassured him. “I know. I just never should have let her go”, Kid whispered as he went to leave.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
It had been an hour since he’d left Buck’s room, and he couldn’t sleep. He tried everything he could think of from counting sheep to blinking his eyes repeatedly. He just couldn’t do it. “I don’t know why I even bother anymore. I haven’t really slept since she left, and when I do, I only sleep long enough to dream of her and to wake up wanting her”, he thought to himself as he climbed out of bed. He slipped on his clothes from earlier and went to take a walk. He just needed to be doing something, and morning was still hours away. He walked through town trying to think of what she might be doing. Was she thinking of him? Was she happy? Was she safe? He was so caught up in his wonderings that he almost missed it.“Look, Mr. Gregors…”, the lady started. “It’s just Hal to you, remember?”, Sheriff Gregors cut in. “Mr. Gregors”, she continued, “I already told you that I ain’t interested. So, please just stay away from me”, she warned as she tried to push pass him. “Lou?”, Kid whispered to himself, unsure of whether he was imagining this or not. He could only see the back of her, but something deep down told him that it was her. He heard that voice every minute of the day in the back of his mind. That was his Lou. He started toward her, but before he could reach her, a crowd of drunken gamblers spilled from the saloon and into the streets, blocking his path. He tried to force his way through the crowd, but by the time he broke through, she was gone. He looked around desperately for just a glimpse more of her, but she was gone, again. He spent the next few hours searching for any sign of her before returning back to the hotel. He climbed back into bed and just layed there staring at the ceiling. “She’s really here. I heard her. I saw here. She’s here”, he just couldn’t stop thinking. “I’m going to be with her again, soon”, he whispered to himself. The thought alone was enough to bring a smile to his face. Just knowing that she was somewhere close by brought a feeling of calm to him, and for the first time in days, Kid slept.
*Chapter Five*
Morning came and brought with it the promise of a new day. Kid awoke feeling more refreshed and alive than he felt in days. It had only been a few hours of sleep, but this sleep was peaceful. Yeah, he dreamed of her, but this dream was different. This dream had him finding her instead of losing her. He climbed back out of bed, and went in search of a shower. On his way out, he stopped to wake up Buck and Jimmy. As he stood in the shower, he heard someone humming. To his surprise he realized that it was him. He was humming the tune that he and Lou danced to for the first time. At that moment, he realized that today was definitely going to be a good day. He finished his shower, got dressed, and then headed back to his room. Buck and Jimmy were taking showers, so he decided to take some time to actually fix himself up. He gave himself a badly needed shave, combed his hair, and changed his shirt. By the time he was ready, so were Jimmy and Buck. They headed down to the dining room for breakfast. Jimmy and Buck couldn’t help but notice Kid’s improved mood, but Jimmy was the first to comment on it as they went to take their seats.“So, Kid, wanna let us in on the secret to your good mood this morning?”, Jimmy asked with a relieved smile. He wouldn’t admit it, but he had been truly concerned about his best friend. “I saw her, Jimmy”, Kid grinned back at him. “What?!?”, Buck and Jimmy asked in unison, pausing in the midst of taking their seats. Kid actually laughed. He took the time to place his order before repeating himself. “I saw Lou last night”, he said causally. Buck and Jimmy took their seats as Jimmy started to question Kid. “What do you mean you saw her last night, Kid. Are you sure it was her? Did you talk to her?”, Jimmy asked with growing excitement. “No, I didn’t talk to her. Actually all I just saw her as she walked away, but I know it was her”, Kid answered preparing himself for the questions that would surely follow. “Wait a minute, Kid. How can you be sure it was her?”, Buck spoke for the first time. “Let me start from the beginning, alright. Last night I couldn’t sleep, so I decided to take a walk. As I was heading back to the hotel, I heard a woman talking with Sheriff Gregors. I knew from her voice that it was Lou. Like I said, I only saw the back of her as she walked away, but I’m telling you, it was her”, Kid said with a smile. Their meals arrived, but Buck and Jimmy could only stare at him. They weren’t sure if he actually saw her or if he just wanted to see her so badly that he finally just imagined it. “Look, guys, I know how this must sound, but I’m not going crazy here. I saw her. She’s here and I saw her”, Kid stated simply. “Alright, you saw her. Where did you see her?”, Jimmy finally conceeded. “She was standing in front of the saloon talking to Gregors”, Kid said as he started in on his breakfast. “I knew that bastard was lying!”, Jimmy spat out through clinched teeth. “What was she doing talking to Gregors?”, Buck asked. “Actually, that’s what really convinced me it was her. Gregors was trying to move in on her, and you know Lou. She basically told him what to do with his offer”, Kid said with a grin. “Now let me get this straight. You see another man trying to move in on Lou, and you are sitting here with a silly grin plastered to your face in between mouthfulls?”Jimmy asked in disbelievement. “Of course I went after her Jimmy, but before I could get to her, this crowd of drunks got in my way. By the time I got through, she was gone”, Kid said quite matter-of-factly. “Damn, well you’re handling this really well, Kid”, Buck said in a state of shock. “I’d have figured that you’d be somewhere pulling your hair out by now”, Jimmy said as he took another bite of his breakfast. “Yeah, well at first I was upset, but then I realized just how much closer I am to getting her back. And I’ll be even closer once you two finish eating, so could we hurry it along?”, asked with barely controlled excitement.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Although Buck and Jimmy still had their doubts, the excitement Kid was feeling was contagious. Soon all three of them were as excited as children on Christmas Eve.“Alright, so are we still going to the sheriff’s first even though we know she’s here?”, Kid asked as they left the hotel. “I don’t see why not. I mean we may know she’s here, but it’d be a lot easier to find her if we knew eactly where she was. They may still slip up and tell us something that we don’t already know”, Buck said as they headed toward the sheriff’s office. They walked in silence as they continued on to meet the sheriff. Each of them was preoccupied with his own thoughts until they finally reached their destination. “Alright, here goes nothing”, Buck mumbled to himself as they entered the office.
*Chapter Six*
“Hello again, gentlemen!”, Jimmy shouted as they burst through the door.Sheriff Gregors and his deputy almost fell out their chairs at the sudden interruption. “Why hello there. Wasn’t expectin’ to be seein’ you again”, Sheriff Gregors said with a false smile as he tilted his hat back into place. “Why not? I told you we’d be stopping by to talk more about our missing friend”, Jimmy said with a barely contained grin. Buck had moved to stand behind the deputy and was barely able to hide a chuckle. Kid however was not as entertained as his two friends. His desire to find Lou was too strong to be sidetracked. “Well, I’m gonna ask you this just once, where is she?”, Kid said as he approached the sheriff’s desk. “Well, I’m gonna tell ya like I told your friend over there. I can’t help ya”, sheriff Gregors replied as he sat straighter in his chair. “Can’t or won’t, sheriff?”, Kid growled. Buck and Jimmy passed a nervous glance before Jimmy moved forward to come between the Kid and the sheriff. “What my friend here is getting at is that we know she’s here. As a matter of fact he saw her last night”, Jimmy said as he placed a hand on the sheriff’s desk. “Really? Well don’t that just beat all”, sheriff Gregors said-neverousness making his voice crack. “Yeah, really, sheriff. I saw her last night--talking to you”, Kid snarled as he pushed past Jimmy to walk around the desk to stand directly in front of Gregors. “So why are you lying to us, sheriff?”, he demanded. “Now just ho-hold on a minute, son”, Gregors stammered as he tried to stand and back away only to find his chair in the way. “Th-there must be some mis-mistake”, he stuttered as he kept falling backwards into his seat. Kid came up and stood in front of him. He leaned down and placed both of his hands on the arms of the chair-trapping the sheriff in his seat. Deputy Redness finally started to rise from his own seat, but was cut short when Buck came and placed a firm hand on his shoulder and forced him back into the chair. The Kid was completely unaware of anything else as he spoke so that only the sheriff could hear, “The only mistake was when you decided to lie to us. There is no one or no thing that is gonna keep me from finding her-especially not some two-bit sheriff and his incompetent deputy, So, I’m just gonna say this once. Stay out of our way. If I find out that you were trying to keep me from her again, I’ll kill you and make sure no one finds your body. You got me?”. The sheriff merely nodded his head slowly as the Kid stood. “ Good. I think we’re done here, boys”, he said as he walked towards the door. “You gentlemen enjoy the rest of your day, now”, Jimmy laughed as he and Buck followed behind the Kid.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
“Hey, Kid, what’d ya say to make him turn that shade of green?”, Jimmy asked still wearing his grin.“I just told him that if he kept trying to keep us from finding her, I’d kill him and make sure no one found his body”, Kid replied rather matter-of factly. His response caused both Buck and Jimmy to stop in their tracks. “You can’t be serious, Kid”, Buck said. Kid stopped and turned to face his friends, anger and frustration making his face hard and his voice cold. “Damn right I’m serious. I’ve made too many mistakes when it comes to Lou. Too many things and too many people have gotten in the way. Well, nothing and no one is gonna get in the way now. Now, are you two still gonna help me or…”. “Whoa, now. Just hold on, Kid”, Jimmy interrupted. “You know we’re always gonna stand with you, and you know we’ll help you anyway we can.”, he continued as he moved to place a calming hand on the Kid’s shoulder. “Yeah, Kid. We just want to make sure that you don’t get so caught up in what you’re trying to do, that you lose sight of what you’re actually doing here”, Buck chimed in. “So, you guys think I went too far in there?”. Kid asked. “You tell me”, Jimmy replied. “Would you consider telling the sheriff that you are gonna kill him and make sure no one finds his body to be going to far?”, he asked with a slight laugh. “I guess I can see your point”, Kid admitted. “It’s just that we are so close. I can feel it. And it just gets to me that some idiot with a badge could get in the way”. “Well, what do you say about finding her before he gets the chance”, Buck suggested with a smile. “I say let’s get going”. Kid said with an answereing smile. “Alright, how do you wanna play this, Kid”, Jimmy asked as they stood at the edge of town. “I think that we’ll get more done if we split up”, Kid said as he stared into town-realizing just how big Hastings really was. “Kid, I agree, but I don’t think that I’ll be able to get as much information from these people if I go asking on my own”, Buck said seriously. “I hate to admit it, Kid, but Buck may have a point there”, Jimmy said honestly. “Well, in that case how about you two take one side of town and I’ll talk the other?”, Kid said after a moment. “Alright and if we don’t find her or any real lead as to where she may be, let’s meet back at the hotel at 6:00. Otherwise, whoever finds out anything well let the others know”, Jimmy added. “Alright, good luck fellas”, Kid said as he walked into town. “Good luck to you, Kid”, Buck called back as he and Jimmy started toward their side of town.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
“What time is it?” Jimmy asked.“Last clock I saw had it as being 5:00, and that was about thirty minutes ago. “Damn”, Jimmy swore softly. “We’ve been at this for hours now, and we still don’t have anything to really go on. Either they don’t know her, or they know her but don’t know where we can find her.”, he continued. “Yeah, this really is frustrating, and I doubt the Kid’s doing any better seein’ as how we haven’t heard from him”, Buck added. “Well, we have time for a few more shops before we’re supposed to meet the Kid”, Jimmy said with a sigh. “So, let’s get back to work, and let’s hope someone gets lucky real soon”. He’d been at it for hours and he still was no closer to finding her than he was when he started. To top it all off, it was almost time for him to call it quits for the day and go meet his friends. “I can’t keep coming up empty handed”, he thought. “Someone’s got to know where she is”, he said to himself as he approached one of the few stores he had left. “Great. A dress shop” , he thought to himself. He almost didn’t go in. The idea that Lou would actually frequent a dress shop was rather ridiculous to him, but he was determined to leave no stone unturned in his search. “Well, here goes nothing”, he whispered to himself as he entered. “May I help you, young man?”, a kindly looking old woman asked from behind the counter. “Ma’am, I sure hope you can”, Kid said with a tired smile. “Are you looking for something in particular? We have the best selection in town, ya know. I’m sure the young lady you’re buying this for will just love one of our new dresses. We have all the latest big city designs, ya know. And just remember that we can make a dress in case you have something special in mind”, the old woman chattered on-clearly excited by the idea of helping a man in love find something special for his girl. Kid spoke up before she had him looking at patterens. “No, no, I’m not looking to buy a dress”, he interrupted. “Then what are you looking for in a dress shop?”, she asked as she turned to look at him--confusion showing clearly on her face. “Actually, it’s not a what I’m looking. I’m looking for a who-a young lady to be exact”. Horror ran across the old woman’s face as she yelled, “We sell dresses here! Not young ladies!”. And with that she turned her back to him and proceeded to show him the exit. “I think the place you’re looking for is the saloon”, she added with a huff. Kid stood in disbelief for a few moments before he really understood what happened. “Ma’am, I’m afraid you and I are not understanding each other”, he said with the first true smile he had in hours. “See, I’m not looking for that kind of young lady. I’m looking for a friend of mine. She came here almost two weeks ago, and I was wondering if you’ve seen her or know where she might be”, Kid said slowly trying to let the meaning of his words sink in. “Oh my word!”, the old woman chuckled. “You’re right. I totally misunderstood. I knew you were a nice young man”, she said after a few moments of giggling. “My name is Lilian Henderson. My husband and I own this shop. I’m not sure if I can help you with your particular situation, but I’ll sure try. Believe you me, any young lady who comes to this town usually ends up in my shop at least once”, she with pride. “She sure is a nice old woman”, Kid thought to himself. “Well, her name is Louise. She has brown hair that almost touches her shoulders and big brown eyes. She’s about this tall”, he said with his hand coming up to his chest to give the woman an idea of Lou’s height. “And like I said earlier, she came here about two weeks ago. Oh, and she has a black horse, calls him Lightning”, Kid finished. “And you wouldn’t be trying to start up any trouble for this young lady?”Lilian asked a few moments after Kid finished his description. “No, of course not. I told you, she and I are friends”, he said quickly. “Actually, I care about her a lot”, he added not able to look the old woman in the eyes. “Besides, I’m a nice young man, remember?”, he joked. “I do believe you are. And I do believe you’ve come to right place”, she said with a smile. Kid almost didn’t dare believe her. His smile became so big it threatened to split his face. “Louise came to me about two weeks ago, like you said”, she said. “She was such a lovely girl. She bought some dresses from me”, she added. “Do you know where she went?”, Kid asked almost coming undone with excitement. “Sure do. Actually, she didn’t’ really go anywhere. She’s such a lovely girl, and I could tell she was going through a bad time. So I offered her a job here helping me in the shop. Walter, my husband, works the fields around our house, and I was really getting overwhelmed here. I was just about to go make a sign in the window when she walked in. Musta been fate”, she said with a smile. Kid had stopped hearing the woman soon after she told him that Lou, his Lou, worked here. He came around just in time to hear he say, “She went to the post office to pick up some fabrics I ordered a while back. She should be back any minute now. As a matter of fact, I think that’s her crossing the street”.
*Chapter Seven*
Kid spun around, and there she was-loaded down with packages and drawing attention from everyone she passed. “How could any of them not know who I was looking for?”, he thought to himself. He rushed out of the shop just as she approached. She was so overwhelmed by her packages that she didn’t see him standing in front of the door.“Need help with those, Ma’am?”, Kid asked as she came closer. Lou stopped dead in her tracks, her mind racing. The words “It can’t be” just kept repeating themselves in her head until she realized that she was actually mumbling them to herself. Sbe tried to slowly peek around her load, and what she saw stole her breath away. Those eyes. Those beautiful blue eyes that haunted her day and night were staring back at her. She felt her heart stop as the packages fell to the street. “Hello, Lou. Long time no see”, Kid said with a slight smile. “Oh, no”, she whispered as she felt her legs getting weak and her mind getting fuzzy. Kid rushed to grab her as she began to sway. Once she regained her senses, she jerked away from him as if his touch burned her. A mixture of hurt and confusion washed across the Kid’s face at her reaction to his touch. “Lou, what….”, he started but was interrupted by someone shouting her name from across the street. “Lou!”, Jimmy shouted as he and Buck came to meet them. “Jimmy! Buck!”, Lou exclaimed as she ran into their waiting arms. Anger began to build up in Kid at the difference in Lou’s reaction to their meeting and her reaction to seeing Jimmy and Buck. He bent down to start picking up the dropped packages just to give himself something else to focus on. “What are you boys doin’ here?”, Lou asked in between hugs, glad to have something else to do other than think about what was going on. “What do you think? We’re here with him”, Jimmy replied nodding his head in the Kid’s direction. This brought her attention back to Kid who had just finished picking up her packages and was now standing there waiting for her to make her move. She began to walk towards him and stopped only about a foot away. “Thanks”, she said softly making sure to avoid his eyes as she reached for the packages. “You’re welcome, Lou”, he replied as he turned so that she could not reach the parcels. “I can carry those, Kid. Why don’t you get back to doing whatever brought you here”, Lou said trying once again to retrieve the packages. “Don’t worry. I have plenty of time now”, Kid said with a slight smile as he began to walk back to the store. Lou, Jimmy, and Buck followed close behind him.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
“Why I thought you were never comin’ in here!”, Lilian exclaimed as she hurried to help the Kid into the store.“We had a little catchin’ up to do, isn’t that right, Lou?”, Kid said as he placed the parcels on the counter. “Lou? Who is this Lou?”, Lilian asked as she looked around. “I’m sorry. Perhaps I should have said Louise”, Kid said smiling at the old woman’s confusion. “Louise! Oh, that’s darling little name!”, Lilian squealed as she walked to stand beside Lou. “And who are your friends? Unless I’m completely off my mark, they ain’t here for the dresses”, Lilian whispered in her ear. “Oh, sorry”, Lou said distractedly. “This here is Buck”, she said moving to stand near Buck. “His name is Jimmy”, she said pointing to Jimmy. “And the guy who brought in the packages is called Kid”, Lou said not even looking in his direction. “Oh, so that’s your name. It’s a might strange don’t ya think?”, Lilian said moving to lean on the counter like a little girl. “You two know each other?”, Lou asked with surprise. “We met a short while ago. He came in while you were out. I thought he was coming in to find a dress. When actually he was in here looking for a young lady”, Lilian said with a wink in the Kid’s direction. “Oh, really”, Lou whispred softly as her head dropped down to stare at the floor. Everyone took notice of her reaction, but only Lilian spoke up.”Well, Miss Louise, I do believe it’s pass time for us to close up for the day. Walter should be waiting on me right now. So, I’ll be leaving you to lock up like I always do. Unless you need me for something?”, Lilian spoke as she began gathering her belongings to leave. “No, no it’s alright Miss Lilian. I’ll be fine, thank you”, she said looking up just long enough to catch Lilian’s eye. “Well alrighty then. Would you two young men be kind enough to escort me to meet my husband? I really would like to introduce him to some of Louise’s good friends”, Lilian asked as she took the arms of Jimmy and Buck and all but dragged them out of the store. “We’ll be around if you two need anything”, Jimmy called back as they left.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Once the others were gone, silence filled the room. Tension and nerves made it hard for either of them to breathe let alone speak.. However, it was Lou who broke the silence with a barely heard question. “So, who’s the girl, Kid?.Is it anyone I know?”.At first Kid said nothing. He simply moved to stand directly in front of her, filling her senses with his presence. Lou was still looking at the ground when he started to speak. “Lou”, he said softly. “Lou, come on. Look at me”, he said but without any success. So he tried again, “Lou, look at me. Please”, he asked softly as reached to cup her chin and bring her eyes to meet his. The emotions showing in his eyes were almost too much for her. She couldn’t quite make out exactly what was going on behind those baby blues, but she knew it was intense. She just figured that it wasn’t good, at least for her. She knew that Kid hated it when he wasn’t in charge of a situation, and she knew that he was probably furious with her for taking control away from him when it came to their relationship. It didn’t matter if he found someone new. He still hated her for making the final decision without him. She didn’t know how she was going to survive his fury, but she had no choice. So, she took a deep breath and tried to prepare herself for the worst. “Alright, Kid”, she started with a sigh but was interrupted by a finger being placed gently on her lips. “You know who I came here for, Lou”, he said with an soft smile. “I came here for you, just like I will always come for you. I just couldn’t let you go, not again. So, are you still jealous? Or can I finally see the smile I’ve been dreaming of for so long now?”, he asked as he cupped her face in his hands At his unexpected declaration Lou did the only thing she could. She began to cry.
*Chapter Eight*
Kid was completely unprepared for her reaction to his words. He’d envisioned passionate kisses, laughter, hurried declarations of eternal love and fogiveness. The tears that had now begun to fall in earnest were the furthest things from his mind. “Well, Lou, this isn’t quite the reaction I was hoping for”, he said on a nervous laugh. This only seemed to upset her further as she began to struggle to free herself from his touch.“No, you can’t be here. You can’t be saying those things to me. I can’t do this”, Lou said between sobs. She had began pacing back and forth, shaking her head and wringing her hands. “Lou, what do you mean?”, Kid asked, growing more nervous with every step she took. “Lou, just calm down and talk to me”, he said as he reached out and grabbed her arm to stop her. “What are you talking about?”, he asked her with all the patience he could gather. “Oh, Kid”, she began before another sob stopped her. "Lou, it’s alright”, he reassured her. “You can tell me. Whatever it is we will work it out”. Lou hung her head in a pose of absolute defeat. “Kid, I can’t just fall back into your arms this time. It just hurts too much when it falls apart”, she said softly before the tears began again. Kid was actually becoming frightened by the way the conversation was going. “Lou, things can be different this time”, he said desparately. “Things are already different, Kid”, Lou exclaimed. “That’s the problem. You are different. I am different. I want more, but you want less. I want the life you promised me before!”, she yelled as she pulled away from him again. “I want the life you can’t give me because you don’t love me the way you used to”, Lou said as she tried to regain her composure. “Look, Kid, I know at the beginning I was always the one who ran away. I didn’t think that I deserved that kind of love”, she said quietly before looking up to gaze right into his eyes. “Now, thanks to you, I know that I don’t deserve anything less. You showed me the way love is supposed to be. You changed me, Kid, and I can’t change back-not even for you”, she said as she turned to walk away. “Lou, wait”, he started as he went after her. “Kid…”, Lou began. “No, Lou, you’re right. I don’t love you the same as I used to”, he said simply. At the look of devestation that crossed her face, he hurried to finish. “I love you so much more”, he said with a smile. “What?”, she squeaked as her head shot up. “I think you heard me. I love you, Lou-always have, always will. But I never love you the same. With each day that passes, my love for you changes. Every day I love you more than I did the day before”, he said as he tried to keep her gaze. “So, unless you just don’t want that life with me, I’d like to try again”. “Oh, Kid”, she gasped. “Of course I wanna try again!”, she exclaimed as she jumped into his open arms. “I’m just so scared, Kid. What if we try and it doesn’t worrk-again?”, she mumbled into his chest. He lifted his hand and began to stroke her hair as he whispered softly into her ear, “Then we’ll try again, Lou. We’ll just keep trying until it works. I’m not giving up on us”.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
They didn’t know how long they had been standing there simply holding each other. Kid was the first to notice that it had begun to grow dark. “Are you hungry?”, he asked as he lifted his head to kiss her cheek.“I’m starvin’ come to think of it”, she said on a laugh. He grew serious for a moment as took his finger and traced her lips. “For a while there I thought I’d never hear your laugh again. I thought I’d never get to hold you like this”, he said as he brushed the back of his hand across her cheek. She noticed the sudden turn the mood had taken and decided to lighten it up by saying, “Well, the sooner you feed me, the sooner we can get back here and get reacquainted”. He didn’t need any more inspiration as he all but dragged her out of the store and down the street to the restaurant.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
“Fancy seein’ you two here”, Buck said on a chuckle.“Yeah, I thought you two would be dancin’ the night away”, Jimmy said trying to make his friends squirm. He laughed when they both turned bright shades of red as they completely understood his hidden meaning. “Yeah, well, it was getting’ late and we were hungry”, Kid mumbled. “Well, pull up some chairs”, Buck said, trying help the Kid and Lou out of their embarrassment. “I was afraid that I’d be stuck by myself with Jimmy for dinner”, he finished with a smile and a wink at Lou. Jimmy just shot him a dirty look as he moved to make room at the table. "Have you already ordered?”, Kid asked he sat. “Actually, no we haven’t”, Buck replied. “I guess you two have good timing”. “So, what looks good tonight?”, Lou asked as she began to search her menu. “Well, that’s an easy one...”, Kid said as he leaned over and whispered in her ear, “you”. Lou was thankful for her menu because it allowed her to hide her blush. “Hey, you two, cut that out. We’re in public remember”, Jimmy shouted from the other side of the table. “Aww, Jimmy, leave them alone”, Buck said softly. “Yeah, Jimmy, leave us alone”, Kid said smiling. “Alright, alright. I can see I’m out numbered here”, Jimmy gave in. “But I doubt you’ll have much luck with Cody when you get back”. He finished as the waitress came to take their orders.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Dinner lasted longer than they realized. The reuninted friends began talking about old times, and the boys tried filling Lou in on what it had been like without her. It wasn’t unitl the waitress came to remind them that the tables were reserved for diners that anyone noticed how long they had been sitting there.“We really must do this more often”, Buck said as they rose from the table. “Sure. How about tomorrow?”. Lou said with a smile. “It’s a date”, Buck said as he placed a kiss on the back of her hand. “Speaking of dates…”, Kid interrupted. “Yeah, Buck, I think these two have a previous engagement”, Jimmy said, unable to resist. “So, Kid and Lou, when are we returning home?”, Buck asked out of nowhere. “Well, I think it’s only right that I stay until Mrs. Lilian finds a replacement. She’s been so kind, and I’d hate to leave her short handed after all she’s done for me”, Lou answered. “I know that you guys need to be getting back soon though. So, if you want to head on back, I should be back a few days after you”, she finished. “Are you kidding? I’m not letting you out of my sight”, Kid said as he pulled her close. Lou couldn’t help but giggle at his public display of affection. “Buck, what’s your hurry?”, Jimmy asked. “We should at least give ourselves another day. Kid put us through hell, and personally, I haven’t fully recovered yet”. “You do have a point there”, Buck said with a grin. “Yeah, and not just the one on his head.”, Lou joked. “Kid, are you just gonna stand there and let her insult me like that?”, Jimmy asked with fake outrage. “Pretty much, Jimmy”, Kid said laughing. The group said their goodbyes and made plans for the next day. Then they all parted ways for the evening. Buck headed back to his room, Jimmy headed toward the saloon, and Kid and Lou headed through town, hand in hand.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
They arrived back at the dress shop shortly after leaving the restaurant. Kid followed Lou around to the back of the store where they came upon the stairs that led to the upstairs room. He followed close behind her as she ascended the steps and stopped to unlock the door. As she opened the door, Kid took her by the arm and turned her to face him. He just stared at her as the full moon illuminated her face. He traced her features with his fingers until he’d touched them all. Then he gently framed her face with his large hands and softly whispered to her, “You are so beautiful, Lou”. He slowly leaned in and placed a tender kiss on her lips. When the kiss ended, Lou eyes were filled with tears once again.“Oh, Kid. I’ve missed you so”, she said as she threw herself into his embrace. His body shook with laughter as she began frantically kissing any part of him she could reach. “Whoa, Lou. I thought we’d do this slow”, Kid said as he stepped back slightly. “Yeah, well, we can do slow later, Kid. I need you now”, Lou said as she gave him a long, wet kiss. With that, Kid’s resistence crumbled, and they tumbled into her apartment, landing on the floor with a thud. They were unaware of the fall. All they felt was their need for each other. Their kisses were deep and passionate. Their touches were rough and urgent. They couldn’t get close enough. Finally, they had nothing between them but the night. Their ragged breathing filled the silence. He couldn’t see her in the darkness, but he could imagine how beautiful she was, and it made him pause. He reached out to grab both of her hands in his. He gingerly kissed them both and whispered, “I love you so much, Baby”. “Oh, I love you too, Kid”, she whispered back. Then there were no more pauses. The only words spoken were hushed and so passion filled they were almost unintelligible. Afterwards, they continued to lay there, just content to be next to each other. Finally, the chill of the nigh air snapped Kid out of his trance, and he sat up and began to place her in his lap. “Kid, what are you doing?”, Lou asked with surprise. He didn’t answer her question but stood up with her still in his arms. “Lou, you got a bed somewhere in here?”, he laughed. “Ummm, yeah. It’s a over there by the wall”, she answered. “This would have been a better idea with some sort of light”, Kid grumbled as he tripped over yet another unseen object. “Geez, Lou, what are growing things out of your floor?”, he complained as he finally reached her bed. He gently sat her on the edge as he reached around and pulled the covers back. He gently picked her up again and layed her on the bed. Once she had snuggled in, he climbed in beside her and wrapped his arms around her. He placed a soft kiss in her hair, and they soon drifted off to sleep.
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