**********

Nathan dipped the cloth in the warm water and gently began wiping the blood away from his patient’s head wound. Vin’s face was pale on the right, but going purple on the left just below the deep gash and fist sized lump where part of a table had struck him. At least Vin hadn’t been burned. His skin was singed and blackened like the rest of the men, but he had not been burned.

"Now Vin, I need you to wake up for me. I have a whole gaggle of questions I need answers to." Nathan re-dipped the cloth and held it against the wound. He had to stitch it, but first the gash needed to be cleaned, along with the rest of Vin’s charcoal and smoke smothered body. After that, Nathan had to deal with Vin’s dislocated shoulder and his broken ribs and... well, Nathan just hoped that any internal injuries weren’t serious.

"We’ve sent for Chris. Do you hear me, Vin? Chris’ll be here in a couple of hours. He’s coming." Nathan removed the cloth and picked up the needle and thread he had prepared. The healer paused listening to his patient’s ragged breathing. "That’s why I need to talk to you, Vin. Got to try and work out what’s going on inside you."

**********

"Well?" Buck called to J.D. as the boy appeared out of Potter’s store.

The youth shrugged. Of course if he knew what he was looking for, that may make the search easier. "Buck?"

"I don’t know. I just hope we recognize it when we see it."

Both men turned to eye the saloon. The fire was out, but the building was still smoldering. The air was thick with smoke and the foul smell of burnt wood, leather and flesh. No one had been able to enter the structure yet, but Ezra and Josiah had got close enough to see inside. Both had retreated quickly. Sam’s charred form had sent reality crashing into place. None of the men could free their thoughts of what could have happened if Vin hadn’t...

"How did he know?" J.D. whispered.

"Gunpowder. He must have smelt it," Buck murmured.

"How long before you think Chris will get here?"

"It’s a good three hour round trip."

J.D. swallowed. "Nathan looked real worried."

Buck lowered his face. He too had seen the look of concern on the healer’s face. "Vin’s strong. He’ll make it."

**********

"So do they know what set the explosion off?" the stranger asked Mary.

The young newspaperwoman shook her head sadly. "No." She was staring at the smoking remains of what had been the center of most of the town’s activities.

"Well, we can only hope that whoever is responsible is brought to justice. Such a cowardly act should not go unpunished." The man’s melodramatic voice lacked any form of sincerity.

"Oh, we’ll find out who did this," Mary assured the visitor, her voiced edged with rage. "And he, or they, will be dealt with." Chris would see to that.

"Some people’s lack of respect for the lives of others just leaves me cold." The tone was verging on the nauseating.

"Chris will get them."

"Well, I wish him all the best. By the way, those men who heroically rushed back into the inferno. Are they lawmen?"

"They work for the town." For the first time, Mary looked at the man standing next to her. He was in his late forties, his narrow nose the most prominent feature on his particularly ugly face.

"The young fella that they dragged out of the fire, is he alright?" There was a smile on stranger’s face that caused Mary to shudder.

"They don’t know yet. If you’ll excuse me." Mary walked away. There was something sleazy about the man. She wasn’t sure why she felt that way, but she did. God, she wished Chris would hurry.

**********

"The decision is yours, Vin. Life or death?"

Vin’s brow creased with confusion. "You mean that I’m allowed to decide? I didn’t think that it would work that way."

"For some it does. Some are killed outright or are taken by illness despite the fight they put up."

"Like my Ma."

"That’s right. Others, like yourself, are strong fighters and it is up to you if you wish to go back and battle for your life."

Again silence filled the air. Only the rhythmic sound of the oars interrupted the unreal peacefulness. "Well? What do you want, Vin?"

Vin couldn’t take his eyes off the figure in the dress. He wished he could see her face. He longed to touch her.

"You want to see your mother," the oarsman stated with certainty.

"Yes."

"Good. I thought you would." The oarsman continued to stare at the young man across from him. "Have you nothing to live for? Nothing back there worth fighting for?"

Vin turned to face the bank. There, he could see the boys.

"Your family?"

"No... maybe... kinda."

"They must be. Only family from your life stand on that side. Oh, and if it is a case of murder, you are allowed to see the person who caused your death." Vin searched the bank. Far off to the right he could see a man lurking. Vin’s face darkened. Him? He had set the dynamite?

Without warning, Nathan moved. It was only then that Vin realized that the others were frozen. The healer stepped right up to the water’s edge. The dark skinned man stretched out his hand, his face a blanket of worry.

"What’s he doing?"

"He’s trying to save your life. He’s calling you back." Vin swallowed. He had never seen Nathan look so concerned. "He knows you are dying and he knows that whether you live or die is not his decision."

"He’ll blame himself if I die."

"Yes, he will." The oarsman continued to row. "Does that matter? He’ll get over it. He will come to terms with your death knowing that he did everything he could. Remember, your mother is waiting." Vin glanced at the other bank. The figures there were becoming clearer. "You do want to see your mother again, don’t you?"

"Yes."

"Then sit back and relax. This journey is painless."

Vin glanced at Nathan. He could see the other man’s mouth moving. He couldn’t hear the words, but Nathan’s eyes were pleading.

"Vin? It’s not too late to turn back," the oarsman whispered.

"I..."

"Of course, back there, there is pain. On the other side," the oarsman stated, inclining his head toward the other bank, "there is no pain. No suffering. You have earned that. And there is your mother who is longing to hold you again. Are you prepared to disappoint her now - now that you are so close?"

**********

"Nathan?" Josiah whispered, as he entered the clinic. The healer had finished bathing his patient and was strapping Vin’s shoulder.

"His breathing is still laboured but I don’t think it’s because of physical damage. It’s the head wound and there ain’t a thing I can do about that." Josiah noted that Nathan had not raised his head or made eye contact.

"He’s dying, isn’t he." It wasn’t a question. Josiah had known the moment Nathan had said that Chris needed to be sent for. The healer didn’t want Vin to go without Chris having a chance to say good-bye.

Josiah stepped up to the bed and kneeled down beside his pale companion.

**********

"Another of your friends is calling you back."

Vin turned. Josiah had stepped up to the water’s edge, his right arm outstretched. Vin stared at the big preacher’s face.

"He’ll be alright. Of all of them, he knows that you are headed for a better place. His faith will cushion the blow that your death delivers."

"Josiah’s faith is strong," Vin agreed, but he couldn’t help but wince at the pained look that plagued his friend’s eyes.

"He will help the others deal with their grief."

"But no one will help him deal with his," the young man muttered with certainty.

"Perhaps not. We are nearly half way. Look, you can almost see your mother’s face."

Vin spun around quickly. They were much closer now and he could... he could see his Ma’s face! She was smiling at him. Vin could feel tears filling his eyes. She looked well. Not sick like he remembered her. And she looked happy. She had both arms stretched out toward him.

"It won’t be long now, son. Like I said, you are almost half way."

**********

Josiah took Vin’s hand in his huge paw. "Don’t leave us, Vin." A heart-felt plea.

Nathan patted Josiah’s shoulder. "His fate is out of our hands," the healer muttered.

"I believe in the Lord Almighty, Nathan and I believe that Vin is a good man - so I must believe that Vin is headed for a better place. Somewhere that is free of human suffering. If I were a true friend, I would wish that for him, but I can’t. I can only think of myself... and... I want him to stay."

"We all do."

**********

Casey spurred her horse on. She had never ridden this hard or this fast in her life, but somehow she knew that seconds could count. She had to get to Chris and she had to tell him about the explosion and that Vin was injured.

The girl allowed her tears to flow down her face freely. Casey was not stupid. She had seen Nathan’s face. She had heard the tone in his voice when he had asked for Chris. She had noticed the way the other man had responded. Vin was hurt really badly.

Casey was so focused on the task at hand that she failed to notice the dust cloud following her - a dust cloud from the hoofs of the six horses carrying men who were searching for Chris Larabee so that they could kill him.

**********

"Mr. Wilmington, this isn’t getting us anywhere," Ezra stated, as he, Buck and J.D. collected together on the porch of the sheriff’s office.

"What the hell do you want from me, Ezra?"

"I was not attacking you, my friend. It was a simple statement of fact. At the moment, we are all running around like headless chickens. We must decide what our course of action should be."

Buck nodded, reached out his hand and placed it on Ezra’s shoulder in a silent apology. "Alright, let’s think about what happened."

"Someone planted dynamite in the saloon," J.D. stated carefully.

"For what purpose? To simply blow up the building? As a distraction so that another crime could be perpetrated? To assassinate a particular person?"

"Well, we can eliminate covering a crime. The bank ain’t been robbed and let’s face it, there ain’t anything else much worth taking in town."

"And blowing up the saloon building seems unlikely. There is no one I can think of that is vehemently opposed to drinking in town."

"Which leaves the theory that the dynamite was for some person," J.D. agreed.

"Well, I hate to say it, but if I had to lay bets, I would wager that the explosion was meant for us."

"Why?" J.D. cried.

"The gold shipment?" Buck asked.

"I would think so. If we are eliminated, then attacking the gold wagon as it stops in town will be far easier."

"But that don’t make sense. It would be easier to attack it while it’s out on the trail," J.D. argued.

Ezra shrugged. "It is the only thing that I can think of."

Buck sighed long and deep. Ezra was right. They weren’t getting anywhere. "How long since Casey left?"

"Almost an hour. She should be getting close to Chris’s cabin," J.D. offered quietly.

Ezra could see the pain in Buck’s face. They had all recognized the urgency in Nathan’s voice. Vin was in for a hard fight. Like the others, Ezra knew that the loss of their friend would be hard on all of them, but for Larabee...

Buck squeezed his eyes shut. He tried not to think about how this was going affect Chris. He tried not to remember what Chris had been like during the three years between when his wife had died and when he had collected this motley group of men together. The fire that had stolen Larabee’s wife and child and sucked the very soul from Chris had left the gunfighter alone and drowning in an empty abyss of hatred and self-loathing. Three years of hell. Three years of existing, but not actually living, for his soul was no longer his own.

Then Vin Tanner had crossed Larabee’s path. Two men that could not be more different, yet had amazing similarities. The quietly spoken tracker had offered his hand to Chris and for some reason Buck could not claim to comprehend, Chris had accepted the silent pledge of friendship and in doing so had instigated his own salvation. The tracker, with the assistance of the five other members of Larabee’s team of peacekeepers, had dragged Chris from the horrific place he had been dwelling for three long years.

Chris was a different man now. He was whole. He was able to share a joke and he was genuinely enjoying life again. Larabee was still moody and some days the memory of his wife and child’s tragic death left him angry and depressed, but for the most part, Chris’s soul was free. While Buck knew that he and his fellow regulators had played a role in that – an important role – most of the praise had to go to Vin. It had been Vin’s offered hand that Chris had accepted, not Buck’s – and Buck couldn’t count the number of times he had offered.

Buck felt a hand squeeze his shoulder. J.D. said nothing. He just wanted his best friend to know he was there and that he understood what was going through the scoundrel’s mind. They were all worried about how Chris was going to react.

Buck sighed and tried to clear his head, but he couldn’t. If Vin died, Larabee’s soul would return to the chasm that had imprisoned it for three years and it would be lost there forever - Buck didn’t doubt that for a moment.

"Come, my friends, we still have much to do," the gambler coaxed. It would be easier on everyone if they tried to keep their minds occupied. "One of us should speak to Joe at the livery and see if anyone out of the ordinary has stabled a horse there in the last day."

"I’ll do that," Buck stated quickly.

"Good. I am going to wire Beckworth. The gold wagon should have passed through there this morning. I’d like to have a progress report for Mr. Larabee when he arrives." Ezra turned to J.D.

"I want to go and check on Vin - see how he is." The youth’s voice sounded lost. Buck and Ezra exchanged glances, both considering explaining to their young friend that it would be better if he... but neither of them did.

**********

"How old were you when your mother died?"

"Five."

"That’s young. You must have missed her very much."

Vin stared passed the oarsman. His mother was no longer a frozen figure. She was moving about on the shore impatiently. It was then that Vin consciously noted the other people standing there. There was a young woman about his mother’s age - beside her, a small child. There was also plump woman with large dark eyes. Vin knew instinctively that she had to be J.D.’s mother - the family resemblance was unmistakable.

"They are waiting for you too," the oarsman stated.

"You can read my thoughts?"

"Of course."

"Why are they waiting for me? I don’t know them."

The oarsman smiled. "But they know you. They want to thank you. You have been important in the lives of those they love."

Vin sensed movement behind. J.D. had stepped up to the water. Unlike Nathan and Josiah, who had their hands stretched out, the youth simply stood looking lost, his arms hanging uselessly at his sides.

**********

"Hi," J.D. whispered, as he entered the quiet room. Josiah was seated beside Vin, his huge hands locked around one of the tracker’s as he prayed in earnest. Nathan was standing at the head of the bed, his own hand on Vin’s brow checking for fever.

"How is he, Nathan?"

"Not, good, J.D."

"Is he going to be alright?"

"I don’t know." Nathan’s voice was soft. Almost as if he didn’t want to admit what he had to say. "If it were a bullet or fever, I could try to fight it. But this is a head wound. They just have to take their own course."

"But he’s got a chance, don’t he?" J.D. was floundering. Nathan was not giving the answers he wanted... needed to hear.

Nathan sighed. "There’s always a chance, Kid." J.D. didn’t like the defeat that had echoed in each and every syllable.

"But he can’t die! He can’t!"

Josiah opened his eyes and glanced up at the youth. "His fate is out of mortal hands, J.D."

"But he’s fighting, isn’t he?"

"I don’t know," Nathan muttered honestly. "I hope so."

J.D. strode forward. "You’ve got to fight this, Vin. You hear me? You’ve got to." The boy stared down at his friend’s face, the black and purple of the bruising standing out in contrast to the stark pallor of the rest of Vin’s skin. "He ain’t breathing real good," J.D. whispered.

"I know."

"Isn’t there anything you can do to help him?"

"I’ve done everything I can, J.D. I wish there was more I could do."

J.D. licked his lips and stepped closer to the bed. Gingerly he placed his hand on Vin’s arm.

"Come on, Vin. You gotta fight. You’ve got to."

**********

"Yes, the young one. He will find this difficult, but the others will be there for him."

"J.D. lost his Ma too."

"Yes, I know."

"He don’t have any family but us."

"So you admit that they are your family?"

"Never denied it." Vin swallowed as J.D. reached his hand out toward him, tears streaming down the young sheriff’s face. "I’m sorry, J.D."

"If he were in your position, he would choose to go to his mother also. Don’t worry, he will be well taken care of by your other friends."

"I..." Abruptly, Vin sat up straighter. The man lurking in the background had started moving. "What’s he doing?"

"Don’t worry about him. He is not something you need to worry about any more."

"But what’s he doing?"

"He is your friends’ concern now."

"Do they know he’s there?"

"They will shortly."

**********

Chris pulled his boots on. He had just finished bathing and was preparing to return to Four Corners. The anxiety that had been plaguing him for the past two hours had become unbearable. The gunfighter continued to curse. He knew he was being stupid and stupidity was not something that usually afflicted him. So why couldn’t he just ignore the burning in his gut? Why was he now so certain that something was wrong? - no, that something was more than wrong. For the second time, an image of Vin popped into Chris’s mind unannounced.

"Dammit, Vin! What the hell is going on?"

**********

"Chris?"

"I beg your pardon?

"I thought that I heard..."

"No, you can not hear them here. You can see their image, but not hear them."

Vin searched for Chris on the bank, but his best friend was being masked by Buck’s huge frame.

**********

"Well?"

"We’ve set the charges, Sir. You just have to give us the order."

‘He’ smiled. "Good. Very, very, good. Now we will teach these meddling ‘peacekeepers’ that they should have kept their noses out of my business. They cost me everything. Now they are going to pay with their lives."

**********

"What’s happening?" Vin demanded. The mist that had been swirling around the boat was lifting.

"We are over half way. Relax, you’re almost there."

Vin shot a look back at his companions. At Nathan, Josiah and J.D. who were reaching out to him. To Ezra and Buck standing a pace behind them. And to Chris who he couldn’t see, but who he knew was there.

"They will learn to cope with your loss. You must try to relax, Vin. In a little while you will be with those you love."

**********

Ezra stared at the telegram and grunted. It told him nothing. Yes, the gold wagon had passed through Beckworth. Yes, it should arrive in Four Corners on time. The gambler shoved the telegram into his pocket. Stepping out into the street, Ezra studied the small crowd collected out in front of the saloon shell.

I could have lost my life in there. Ezra swallowed and then set off for Nathan’s clinic. He had to know. He had to thank Vin for saving his life.

As Ezra entered the room, he sensed the grief. Surely it was too early for that!

Nathan glanced up and gave him a welcoming nod.

"Mr. Tanner seems to be the center of attention today. If he were awake, I’m sure he would protest most ardently." J.D, who was seated on the end of Vin’s bed, stood up and stepped aside for the gambler. As Ezra approached, he became aware of the wheezing that was escaping Vin’s chest. Instantly, he shot Nathan a questioning look.

"There isn’t anything I can do. It’s a combination of the bruising in his chest and the head wound."

Ezra nodded and turned back to face his friend. "We are waiting for you to wake up, Mr. Tanner. I feel it only fair to warn you that Mr. Larabee is on his way and if you do us the indignity of dying before he arrives, he will most certainly kill the rest of us." Ezra waited for a response - for some witty comeback that Vin was renowned for. The only reply the gambler received, however, was the uneven breathing that was echoing in the otherwise silent room.

Ezra swallowed. The control he prided himself on was deserting him in a rush. He had spent his life running from responsibility - hiding from anything at all that could hurt him - while at the same time searching for somewhere to belong. Trying to find someone who would give a damn about him. In achieving one, he had lost the other. He had indeed found somewhere that he belonged and people who cared, but in doing so he had walked blindly into a situation that was causing more pain than he had ever dreamed possible.

Josiah glanced up at the strangled look on the face of the man who had one of the best poker faces God had ever created. The preacher reached out and passed Vin’s hand to Ezra. He hoped it might give his friend some comfort. The gambler stared at Josiah and then took Vin’s callused fist in his own. "Vin, you must not leave us like this," Ezra whispered emotionally. "If you can hear me, please, wake up, my friend."

**********

"Ezra," Vin acknowledged quietly. The gambler had just stepped forward to join the others at the water’s edge.

"Mmm. An interesting one. His reaction I cannot foresee. You and your friends have touched him in a way he never predicted. A two bit con man who..."

"Ezra’s not a con man," Vin snapped harshly.

The oarsman allowed a small smile to slip onto his face. Vin was defending those he cared about. "Look."

Buck had just stepped forward.

"I..."

"No, not there, there." Vin glanced at the other bank. There was man. A man standing beside his mother.

"Is that my father?"

The oarsman ignored the question. "It will be easier if you focus on them from now on. You have left your life behind. Focus on your eternity with them now."

**********

Chris was just finishing saddling his horse when he heard the rider approaching. Quickly, he reached for his rifle. As the visitor came into view, he recognized the outline immediately.

"Casey?"

"Chris!" the girl screamed. "Chris you’ve got to come!"

"What is it?" Before the young woman reached him, there was a shot. Larabee grabbed the reins of the girl’s horse.

"Get into the house!"

"But, Chris!"

"GO!" Casey knew better than to argue and so leapt from her saddle and disappeared into the small cabin. Chris slapped both horses on the rump and sent them galloping off to safety. The six riders opened fire.

**********

---

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