FOUR DAYS AGO

Vin Tanner exited the livery. It had been a long scorching morning on the trail and he was feeling hot, tired and thirsty. His clothes were caked in dust and ringing wet. His eyes were stinging from the perspiration that had dripped into them. His throat was parched and he badly needed a bath and a drink.

Routinely, the always-cautious tracker scanned the street. His eyes settled on a man leaning against a post outside the blacksmith's workshop. Like he was waiting for something. Vin's face darkened. Everywhere he went, 'Alistair' was there. In the background, whether it be standing, or sitting, or lounging or walking, but there. The nerve in Vin's cheek quivered. Anyone who knew the quiet young man recognized that was a signal that the tracker was on the verge of losing his temper - something that didn't happen often, but when it did, it was quick, violent and deadly.

Vin Tanner started toward Alistair with long menacing strides. A huge paw clamped down on his shoulder and physically pulled him to a halt. Josiah had happened to exit the church at the same time Vin had come out of the livery. He had seen the warning signs and thus had moved swiftly to protect his friend from himself.

"Whoa, there young brother." Tanner's frown deepened as Josiah stepped in front of him. "Something appears to be troubling you. How about we go and..."

"How about you get out of my way!"

Josiah grinned. Vin's words were harsh and the shoulder muscles under the preacher's hand were twisting restlessly. Josiah knew that it was important to calm his angry friend before he did something that everyone would regret. "Perhaps I can help?"

"That bastard is following me around," Vin snarled. "I just want to ask him why."

"I don’t get the feeling that ‘asking’ is actually what’s on your mind. You look like you want to belt the shit out of him."

Vin, who had not taken his eyes from his intended quarry, now glanced at Josiah. "Yep."

"You are imagining it, my friend." Josiah examined the hard expression on Vin's face. No, Vin probably wasn't imagining it. Yes, Vin was particularly paranoid about people watching him, but then who could blame him with the $500 bounty on his head.

"Everywhere I turn, he's there," the tracker insisted, his blue eyes so hard and intense that Josiah took a deep breath. Yep, he really needed to calm Vin down.

"Vin."

"I ain't gonna hurt him, Josiah, just..."

"Send him to meet his maker. Perhaps it may be better if I were to have a word to him?"

"Ain't no need, preacher. I know what I'm gonna say."

Josiah grinned. "Yeah, I reckon I know what you're going to say too. That's what worries me."

Vin flicked his eyes to the newcomer who was busy looking somewhere else. Josiah squeezed Vin's shoulder in silent encouragement. "We do not wish to draw attention to you, Vin. If he is a bounty hunter, we need to deal with him quickly and quietly. If he isn't a bounty hunter and has some other reason for following you around, then calm words are likely to get the answer more quickly than..."

"Than me cracking his head open or shoving my mare's leg up his ass."

"Exactly."

Vin considered the proposal for a few more seconds and then nodded. "Okay. But you..."

"Leave it to me." Vin nodded again. He trusted Josiah to deal with the situation. For a split second he stood and reflected on the fact that he was prepared to trust this man he'd only known three months to protect his back. Josiah released his shoulder. "Relax, Vin. I'll deal with it for you. You look tired. Why don’t you go and get cleaned up."

"Thanks." Vin had learned to trust in the past few months. It had started with Larabee and now, he realized, extended to the rest of the boys. The grateful tracker spun around and headed not for his wagon or the bathhouse, but for the saloon. He needed to speak to Larabee.

Josiah watched him go. The preacher glanced back at the man who had almost earned Vin Tanner's wrath. Alistair's attention was firmly on the retreating tracker. Josiah frowned. This stranger certainly seemed uncommonly interested in Vin. He'd want to have a damn good reason why if he were to leave Four Corners alive.

Alistair straightened, his eyes riveted to the slight man covered in trail dust. Tossing away the bit of grass he had been fingering, he started in the direction of the saloon.

A huge grinning man appeared in front of him. "Good morning there friend."

"Morning," Alistair grunted, without taking his attention from Vin. Only once the tracker had disappeared into the saloon did Alistair allow his eyes to settle on Josiah.

"You seem very interested in my friend." Alistair’s face clouded with suspicion. Josiah's grin matured into a full smile. "Yes, I have noticed - and so has he. Care to share your reasons?"

"No," the newcomer growled as he attempted to step around Josiah.

The preacher's huge hand stapled around the other man's arm. "It wasn't a request."

Alistair tried to shrug Josiah's hand off, but the preacher's grip held firm. The outsider's fist reached down for his holstered gun. Instead, he found his hand come to rest on someone else's hand. A hand that had snapped down and covered the end of Alistair’s weapon.

"Not a good idea," Nathan argued. Alistair eyed the dark man harshly as Nathan stepped back. "There a problem, Josiah?"

"This young fella was just about to share with us why he's so interested in Vin, weren't you, brother."

Alistair glanced from Nathan's hard face to Josiah's intense eyes and decided that it would be safer to provide the regulators with an answer than to take the two of them on. "Look, I don't want any trouble. I'm new in town and I'm a tracker by trade. If I want to survive, I've got to find tracking work. I never usually have any trouble - people are always looking for a good tracker for one reason or another. But here, everyone goes to him," Alistair explained, inclining his head toward the saloon that Vin had disappeared into.

"So why are you watching him?"

"To see if I can find out who goes to Tanner regularly for tracking jobs. Look, I don't want to starve!"

Josiah and Nathan exchanged a quick glance and then the preacher released the tall man. It sounded plausible. "Let me give you some advice, brother. Stop following him around. Vin don't like it."

"Whatever," Alistair muttered with annoyance. Once again he attempted to step around the huge preacher.

"Perhaps I haven't made myself clear," Josiah stated, grabbing the other man by the front of the shirt and pulling him in so their faces were only an inch apart. "Vin don't like it. And if he don't like it, neither do I."

"Alright! Alright, I'll back off."

Josiah released the other man and straightened out Alistair’s shirt for him. "You just do that, brother. Now, I suggest that you find somewhere other than the saloon to be for the next hour or so."

Alistair nodded, flicked his eyes to Nathan and then bolted in the opposite direction.

"Nervous young fella," Josiah commented.

*********

Chris eyed Vin thoughtfully. His dusty friend had entered the saloon, strode up to Chris' table, dropped down into a chair and directed his intense eyes at the batwing doors.

"Vin?"

"That bastard’s been watchin’ me?"

"Who?"

"That fella who's been doin’ some trackin’."

Chris pushed his bottle across to Vin and rose to his feet.

Tanner smiled. "Relax, Chris."

"I will once I know what his interest in you is."

"Josiah's out there askin’ him now."

Larabee's chest relaxed and he re-took is seat. "Oh?"

"Josiah didn't think that what I wanted to do would be real neighborly."

Chris smiled. Vin was good man who went out of his way to help others, but he had a temper that was downright explosive. Thankfully, Chris had only ever seen him lose it once and that was when he was chasing down Eli Joe, the man responsible for him being framed and ultimately ending up wanted for a murder he didn't commit. "Josiah will handle it," Chris assured his friend.

"Yeah, Nathan's out there too. Saw him standin' watchin'." Vin had only left once he had seen and made eye contact with Nathan. Nathan would back Josiah up if the big preacher needed it.

Vin and Chris fell into an easy silence, both studying the other occupants of the room.

"Buck's awful quiet," Vin muttered.

"Ed left a few minutes ago with Martha. Buck wasn't impressed," Chris explained. Vin watched as the huge scoundrel poured himself another drink, his body sagging in the chair as self-pity consumed him. "Buck'll bounce back," Chris assured Vin. "Takes a lot more than something like this to keep Buck down."

Josiah and Nathan entered the saloon, the preacher nodding to Vin. Situation contained. Tanner released a relieved sigh.

"Obviously not a bounty hunter," Chris muttered.

"If he was, he ain’t a problem no more," Vin stated, reaching for Chris' bottle and pouring himself a drink. Vin downed the contents quickly and poured himself another. When he downed that as well, Chris' eyes narrowed. Vin didn’t usually drink heavily. Clearly he was thirsty after being out on the trail, but the young tracker was always careful. He understood that alcohol was absorbed quickly when the body was dehydrated. Something else was troubling the young man. "Something on your mind, Vin?"

The tracker shrugged. He hadn’t been sleeping lately. It was more than just concern over the man called Alistair. Vin couldn't really explain it. Something didn't feel right. He didn't exactly know what, but he couldn't rid himself of the feeling that something was wrong.

Chris pursed his lips and nodded. He sensed it too - like there was something building. Something dangerous.

"Maybe we're just over-reactin’ to the changes lately," Vin stated, lifting the third full glass of whisky to his lips.

"Slow down, pard." Vin eyed Chris and smiled. There were many ways to watch a man's back. Tanner lowered the glass to the table and pushed it away. "What do you think? You think we're just over-reacting?" Chris valued Vin's opinion. Tanner had good instincts.

"Don't know. That fella followin’ me around makes it difficult for me to think straight. I reckon..." Vin didn't finish. His eyes were drawn to the two men who had just entered the room. A hush fell over the saloon. Like Chris, these two gunfighters had an air about them that demanded respect.

"Your friends have arrived," Vin stated grinning. Yep, the whisky had been absorbed very quickly - effectively unlocking the tracker's sharp wit and youthful sense of humor.

Chris shook his head. He'd only seen Vin drunk twice in the three months they had known each other and the young man had been a handful both times! Too much alcohol had an interesting effect on the usually quiet and reserved tracker. "And what do you find so damn amusing?" Chris demanded with a smile.

"Ain't you noticed how they go everywhere together. Like they're joined at the hip. Do you reckon they might be a couple of them queer fellas?"

Chris shot his young friend a startled look and Vin began to laugh. Larabee grinned at him and then started to chuckle himself. The pair of gunfighters, who had taken a seat in the opposite corner of the room, glanced over at the snickering pair.

"Shut-up, you damn fool," Chris snapped, trying to rein in his own mirth. "They'll think that we're laughing at them."

"We are, Cowboy."

Chris glanced in the gunfighter's direction and kicked Vin under the table. "They're looking this way. Now, shut up. We don't want any trouble."

"Sorry," Vin chuckled.

The two friends became silent. Chris watched Vin relax, the whisky unlocking the tight nerves that were the younger man's constant companion. Only too much alcohol too quickly gave him respite - and Vin rarely drank too much too quickly. He was too damn aware of his need to be in charge of his actions at all times. The whisky he had just consumed had been absorbed more briskly than he had anticipated - but that was okay. Chris was there to keep an eye on him. It was the only reason he had even considered drinking whisky after being on the trail.

"Wonder if they booked two rooms or just the one?" the tracker mused raising his eyebrows suggestively. The look on Chris’ face caused the younger man to erupt into an alcohol fuelled laughter.

"Out!" Chris thundered, dragging Vin to his feet and shoving him toward the door. Chris didn’t want any trouble with the two gunslingers and if Vin kept laughing, nothing was surer.

Buck, Josiah, Nathan, the gunfighters and the rest of the saloon's occupants watched the two men leave, the man in black shouldering the young tracker out through the batwing doors and cursing him with amused passion.

Half an hour later found Larabee and Tanner sitting on the porch of the saloon, the happy effect of the whisky having worn off quickly once Chris forced his friend to drink a full canteen of water.

"Can't put my finger on it, Chris. There’s something out of place. It's... I just don't know."

Larabee nodded. There was a distinct uneasiness in town. Things were no longer settled. Before Chris could comment, the two gunfighters exited the saloon, paused on the porch and eyed Vin and Chris. The regulators held the men's gazes and then the strangers moved on. Once they were out of earshot, Chris smiled. "You know, I don't think I'll ever be able to look at them seriously now."

Vin chuckled. "It's gotta make ya wonder though, don't it?"

"They aren't helping things," Chris commented becoming serious.

"A lot of strangers in town aren't helping things," Vin muttered, watching the new doctor approach the pair.

"Hello, we haven't officially met. I'm Jack Merrit. Dr. Merrit." He offered his hand to Chris but the gunfighter declined and instead he and Vin dipped their hats politely.

"I hope you don't think me forward," the doctor started, focusing on Vin, "but I have noticed the way you often lean. I imagine that you are unconsciously keeping one shoulder lower than the other because it is more comfortable. Do you suffer from back ache?"

Vin eyed the intruder with a concentrated stare. "If I did, Doc, I'd ask Nathan about it." With that, Vin stood, dipped his hat and moved off to get a bath and cleaned up.

The doctor glanced at Chris. "Loyalty is an admirable and rare quality."

"Yes, it is," Chris agreed, rising to his feet and spinning to go.

"I didn't mean to upset your healer. I am just responding to the demands of your growing town. Things are going to get busy in the months ahead and a trained doctor will be essential for the well being of this town. The citizens of Four Corners deserve a physician who is qualified and who has the ability to deal with a wide range of conditions."

Larabee glanced back over his shoulder. "Are you implying that Nathan can't?" His voice was hushed.

Dr. Merrit raised his hands quickly in a sign of submission. "No, Mr. Larabee, I am not saying that. I am simply trying to find a place for myself. Your town is quiet and friendly and I would rather like to settle here."

"Let me ask you this, doctor. Would you have moved on to another town if Nathan had been a qualified doctor?"

"Of, course."

Chris Larabee smiled. "So the difference is a piece of paper."

"The difference is training."

"We'll see how far that training gets you when you've got six or seven people bleeding in the middle of the street, two women going into labor and bullets whizzing over your head as you try to work on all nine of them at once." With that, the gunfighter strode away.

**********

"Hey, Buck!" Pete called cheerfully as he and J.D. joined the morose scoundrel. Buck simply nodded.

It was late afternoon. Four Corners’ regulators tended to collect in the saloon at this time of the day, though not necessarily together. Vin was slouching against the bar on his own, as he often did. Nathan and Josiah were seated at a table in the middle of the room discussing some horse that Josiah was considering buying. Chris was surveying the room from his table in the back corner and Ezra was at ‘his’ table playing solitaire. Few people who knew Standish were prepared to sit and ‘compete’ in a real game with the talented gambler. His associates regularly played him though. Of course, the fact that they each owed Ezra between fifty and two hundred dollars was no longer even a topic of conversation. Ezra had written off those and all futures losses involving his six team mates.

"J.D.’s just been explaining to me why you should never fan yer gun. Said that you taught him that!" Pete exclaimed happily

Buck nodded again.

"What’s up, Buck?" J.D. asked.

"Nothin’."

The boy frowned. He’d never seen Buck this low. "Ed?" the youth asked, glancing over at the focus of Buck’s unhappiness. The man was seated less than five feet away, but on his own for once.

"Bastard," Buck growled without conviction.

J.D. grinned. "Maybe your animal magnetism needs a rest to catch its breath. Let’s face it, you’ve been using it non-stop for a long time, Buck."

The scoundrel found a grin leak onto his face. J.D. always seemed to be able to cheer him up. "Maybe you’re right, Kid."

**********

"Mary, I still don’t see how any of this could..." Judge Travis paused, watching as his daughter-in-law’s face clouded with sadness.

"It’s the reason why it happened. It’s very complicated."

Orin reached for Mary’s hand and squeezed it. "I’m sorry. Please, go on."

**********