Jimmy Hickok swore under his breath. How could anyone be such a lousy shot? This was the third time he had loaded the gun for Camilla and this was the third time she had missed all six bottles, lined up on the fence.

"Were your eyes open this time?" he demanded loudly.

Camilla sighed audibly. Ever since Ike had died, Jimmy had become increasingly obsessed with the idea of teaching her how to shoot.

In the beginning it had been fun. She liked having his arms around her, teaching her to aim. Half the time, the lesson didn't progress much beyond that point. That was probably the reason she hadn't learned much.

"Give me the gun, I'll load it again," he said, wearily.

Camilla rolled her eyes at him. She was willing to go along with his plan, but her patience was beginning to wear thin.

She stood there, imitating Jimmy's shooting posture. That was the one thing she had picked up quickly, the gunfighters' stance. She was also fairly quick on the draw. She loved watching Jimmy Hickok do anything and that was the only reason why she could pull the gun from its holster and aim.

She had enjoyed watching his face as she acted out the role of a seasoned gunslinger. Firing the bullet into its intended target was a whole other matter.

Camilla squeezed off another four shots, none of them hitting a single bottle, before she whirled around in frustration. "Enough," she cried.

Hickok flung himself to the ground. Having Camilla face him with a loaded gun was enough to put the fear into any man.

"I hate this," she shouted angrily at him. She threw the gun to the ground. A shot rang out. Camilla gasped. How many times had Jimmy warned her about a loaded gun? Now it had gone off and Jimmy wasn't moving.

"Jimmy, Jimmy," she wailed, running to his prone body. She straddled his body, searching frantically for any sign of injury. Fortunately, there didn't seem to be any. She laid her head on his chest, praying for the sound of a heartbeat.

Before she heard anything, Jimmy wrapped his arms around her, rolled her over and pinned her to the ground. He grinned down into her face.

"That is not funny. I thought you were dead," Camilla seethed.

He ignored her, wrapping his fingers in her hair as he began to kiss her neck.

And he wonders why I can't shoot, Camilla thought, as she kissed him back.

He clenched his jaw, still angered by what had happened in town. He should have been prepared for the hostile attitudes today but he hadn't been. Damn them all! Why should it matter what they thought of him? But strangely it did.

Slowly, he made his way out of Sweetwater. He had wanted to relive the pain of his brother's death, before he carried out his plans.

That is what kept the fury inside him alive. The townspeople and the lack of respect they showed him and his brother acted like kerosene on his anger. He would show all those people. He would ensure the name of John Longley lived longer than the name Wild Bill Hickok. Oh yes indeed. He had been planning his revenge for a long time.

After Camilla's last futile shooting lesson with Jimmy, she dragged Cody out for some target practice. She was getting nowhere with Jimmy, so she had decided to try another teacher.

Ever since she had met Cody, she had thought of him as the pesky little brother she had never had. Even though he was a few months older, he acted years younger.

"Come on, Cody," she begged, "just give it a try."

Cody laughed, he had heard how bad she was.

"Come on," Camilla wheedled, "I'll introduce you to the new girl in town."

"Victoria? When?"

"Whenever your heart desires," Camilla promised.

Cody agreed. He first re- taught her the basics, how to clean and load a gun. Upon Camilla's mastery of that, he showed how to hold the gun, aim and then shoot it.

As usual she missed. But they went over it, again and again. Until Camilla actually hit a bottle. Overjoyed with her success, she coerced Cody into trying one more time. I'm ready now, she thought happily.

She took careful aim and fired six times. She couldn't believe her eyes, when she saw six bottles shatter. She turned to Cody, her joy turning quickly to dismay as she saw Cody standing there, aiming another six shooter in the direction of the broken bottles.

"Cody, I'm going to kill you," she cried, smacking him on the head. "Now we have to do this all over again."

Over and over they went over it, until Camilla had actually hit another bottle. Pleased with herself, she called it a day. She wanted to see Jimmy again. He had a run tomorrow.

Mitch Longley stood outside the farm he had "borrowed" from the old couple who had used to live there. He had just ridden back from Sweetwater and was pleased with himself today. All his plans appeared to be falling in place.

The farm was about five miles outside of Rock Creek, right along the Pony Express route.

He had been watching the riders for weeks. He was almost beside himself with joy when he saw that Jimmy Hickok was still one of the riders.

From what he had gathered, Hickok should be riding this way in another day or two.

Mitch rubbed his hands, anxiously. Everything appeared to be set. But he would go over it again. He had been waiting for this moment ever since that day when he lost the one person who mattered most to him.

Jimmy found himself pushing his horse harder. He was several miles from home and he could only think of one thing. Getting home to Camilla.

Suddenly he heard a sharp crack and almost instantaneously felt a blinding pain in his side. As he fell from his horse, he struggled to remain conscious, knowing it was his only hope.

Camilla sat anxiously at the station. Jimmy was overdue, more than a day late. The other riders told her it was nothing. It was something that happened all the time, they told her. But their eyes said something different.

Now they were all planning on heading out to look for him. Lou and Kid went one direction, Buck and Noah went another.

Cody was still at the station, packing his gear when Camilla approached him.

"I am going with you," she announced.

"No, you're not,"

"Yes, I am. You wouldn't sit home, waiting if you were me."

"You'll just be in the way."

Camilla shrugged, "Suit yourself. Either way I am going with you or I am following you."

Cody scowled. He didn't want to take her, but he knew her well enough to know that she meant it. If she followed him she would probably get both of them killed.

"Fine. You got your horse?"

Camilla beamed, "Yes. Let's go."

Upon losing the battle to remain conscious, Jimmy woke to found himself tied to fence post. A man he had never seen before stood over him, glowering.

Hickok shook his head, the last thing he remembered on his run was the sound of a shot. With that memory he winced at the pain in his side.

The man sat down on the rail across from him, staring at Hickok. "You don't know me, do you?"

Jimmy shrugged, "Can't say that I do."

"The name's Mitch," the man said, casually, "Do you remember a man, named John Longley?

When Jimmy's expression didn't change, Mitch's mouth twisted bitterly.

"You gunned him down in Sweetwater. Remember now?"

"It was a fair fight," Jimmy answered slowly, trying to loosen his binds.

Mitch cackled, "Struggle all you want. You won't get loose."

"So what do you want from me?" Jimmy asked.

"John was my brother."

Hickok stopped struggling and leaned his head against the post. He knew exactly what this man wanted. "So cut me loose. I'll face you."

"Think I'm a fool, do you? You're going to pay Hickok, but your going to pay my way," Mitch taunted.

"People are going to come looking for me," Jimmy warned.

Longley sneered, "Who do you think shot you? They got to get past him," he said, gesturing to the hill beyond them. "That's my partner and he is watching everything for miles."

"Then go on, get it over with," yelled Jimmy frustratedly.

"You'd like that wouldn't you," said Longley. "You don't deserve a quick death and I deserve to enjoy this a little more, after waiting so long."

Cody and Camilla had ridden about five miles, when they heard the sound of gunfire. Cody was knocked off his horse by a shot. He rolled over, spotting his assailant behind a rock. Taking careful aim, he felled the man.

Camilla leapt off her horse, rushing to Cody's side. The gaping wound on his shoulder horrified her.

"Are you okay?" Cody gasped, beginning to cough violently.

Camilla nodded. She took off her coat and proceeded to rip out the lining.

She then tore the lining into strips and wrapped Cody's injury with them.

"Lie still," she ordered. Cody just laid there, his lack of argument frightened Camilla more than the severity his wound.

"Jimmy was headed home this way, wasn't he?" Camilla asked, thoughtfully.

Cody didn't answer. He was starting to get a bad feeling about all of this.

"We have to be close don't we?" she persisted.

Cody's bad feeling intensified. "What do you mean close?"

"Whoever shot you must have Jimmy."

"Now hold on," Cody began. "That is a big leap you are making."

He stopped, flinching as Camilla tightened the makeshift bandage.

"If we are anywhere near Jimmy, you are going to go back and get help."

Camilla stared at him. Cody was not one to back down from a

fight. "You need to head back to Rock Creek. Get Teaspoon," he ordered.

"Just let me look around. If I see Jimmy or anything suspicious, I'll ride straight back to town," she assured him.

Cody leaned back. He didn't have it in him to argue with her. Not that he would win, even if he weren't hurt. "Fine, just let me know what you see before you do anything and be quiet."

Quickly Camilla agreed. She rode off before Cody could change his mind.

Camilla rode to the outskirts of a ramshackle farm. She dismounted and scurried closer to the farm. What she saw almost made her cry out.

There was Jimmy, bloodied and tied to a post.

She turned and rode back to where Cody was lying. She shook him. "Cody," she hissed, rousing him.

Cody forced his head up, trying to get his bearings. "What?" he muttered thickly.

"I found Jimmy. He is just down the ridge," she explained.

"Go back to town, get help."

"No! He's hurt. I'm scared that whoever has him will be back to kill him."

She leaned back for a moment, pulling clumps of grass from the ground. Softly, she began speaking again. It sounded to Cody like she was just thinking aloud, "And I'm pretty sure that there is only one guy down there."

Suddenly, she sat upright, "Listen I have an idea." Camilla leaned closer to Cody, explaining her plan and hoping that he was strong enough to carry out his part.

Cody groaned. He knew it. She was going to get them all killed. But he too feared the worst. If whoever had Jimmy found them -and he considered that pretty likely since they had shot at them- then they were as good as dead and so was Jimmy.

"Here take my gun and my knife," Cody said, grimly. He lay there quietly. Then he called out to Camilla, "Be careful."

Camilla turned and gazed at him, before she rode off. She simply smiled at him, hoping that he didn't see her eyes well up as she left.

Slowly, Camilla made her way back to Hickok, pulling out Cody's knife, ready to slice through the ropes that held him. Jimmy began to stir.

Upon seeing Camilla, he began to struggle. "Get out of here," he rasped.

Camilla smoothed his hair back, "Shut up, I am rescuing you."

But before she could cut through the ties, Camilla heard the sound of footsteps. Her heart sank. So much for option number one. "I'm sorry," she mouthed, as her world went black.

When she awoke, she saw that Jimmy was sporting fresh bruises on his face.

While she appeared to unhurt, excluding the pain in her head. She was also still untied. And while this was a blow to her ego, she decided to use the fact she was still loose to her advantage.

Then she noticed the unkempt man standing over her, pointing his gun at her. "What do you think you are doing?" Mitch roared.

Camilla stood to face him. "What do you think you are doing?" she demanded.

Mitch Longley was taken aback. Chuckling he responded, "Carrying out a little revenge. He killed my brother," nodding in Jimmy's direction.

He then sat down, the memories came flooding back. He began to ramble on about his big brother and how he had taught him everything.

Camilla stared at Mitch. He must be insane, she thought. She started to inch in the direction of the fallen knife.

"Don't even think about it," Mitch bellowed, firing a shot at Camilla's feet.

"So why do you have Jimmy tied up here?" Camilla asked, returning quickly to her original position.

"Hickok is going to pay for what he did to my brother. And they'll all be talking about it. How Longley got his revenge on Wild Bill Hickok," Mitch said, concluding his story.

"So how about I face you?" Camilla asked, casually.

Upon hearing her words, Jimmy began his struggle anew. "NO," he shouted.

Mitch Longley cackled with glee. "She means something to you, huh?"

"Come on," Camilla pleaded. "Your brother taught you everything you know, right? Well, Hickok taught me everything I know. So it will be like they are facing each other again."

Jimmy pulled at his bonds. They didn't loosen an inch. "Camilla," he whispered, "get out of here."

"Just imagine it. You, the legendary John Longley's protégée facing Wild Bill Hickok's best student," Camilla whispered, trying to lure Mitch into fulfilling his fantasy.

Longley sat still, considering Camilla's proposition. He nodded. "Seems fair enough."

Camilla faced Mitch Longley. She swallowed her fears. What if her plan didn't work, she thought. She bit her lip, forcing herself to cut off her next thought. She just took a deep breath and put on her best impression of Wild Bill Hickok.

Longley just leered at her. Camilla's appearance was an unexpected gift. He figured killing her would hurt Hickok more than anything he had planned.

Jimmy was frantic. He was unable to free himself and unable to stop this murder in the making.

Longley and Camilla drew upon each other. Camilla was faster, but Jimmy knew she couldn't hit the broadside of a barn. He turned his head, unable to watch her die. He vowed silently, that somehow he would get free and hunt Longley down.

A shot rang out. Both Longley and Camilla crumpled to the ground. Jimmy pressed his head into the post, all the fight left in him simply drained away.

Camilla stirred, she hadn't planned on fainting. She sat up and looked around. She saw that Jimmy was still tied up to the post, while Longley lay motionless on the ground. She felt a twinge of regret, but she ignored it and quickly made her way to Jimmy side. She threw her arms around him.

Startled, Jimmy raised his head. "You're alive," he said, hoarsely.

Camilla grinned, "Obviously." She found Cody's knife and began to cut through the ropes that held him.

"But you are a lousy shot," he said, astonished by the unexpected turn of

events. Camilla cut through the final bond, "What kind of thing is that to say? Don't you have any confidence in me?" she scolded him.

"But how?" he asked, rubbing his wrists.

Camilla helped him up and Jimmy leaned heavily on her as they made their way to her horse. She couldn't see his anywhere. She then helped him mount up, while she grabbed the reins.

"I'll show you," she promised, leading the horse up the hill to where Cody lay.

Jimmy was too stunned to say anything else. He just sat on her horse, allowing Camilla to guide him up the ridge.

When Camilla and Jimmy reached Cody, they found him sitting on a rock, smiling broadly. His rifle lay on his lap.

Jimmy stared at the two of them. Slowly, he connected the dots and began to laugh.

Camilla helped Jimmy off the horse and began to tend to his wounds. It was only after she had attended to him that she explained her plan to him.

Since Cody was hurt, he couldn't just pick off Longley, as he normally would have. So Camilla devised a plan to draw Longley into an open area, where Cody could get a good look at him. She then decided that a face off was the only way to keep Longley in one spot long enough for Cody to aim his gun and fire.

She also hoped that Longley would be so preoccupied with her that he wouldn't think of killing Jimmy right then and there. And, that he would be too busy to notice any movement on the ridge above them.

Camilla then revealed that she had only drawn on Longley, not firing a single shot. It was Cody and his surefire aim that had killed Longley.

Jimmy smiled, "You two are crazy."

"Well, how do you like that for a thank you?" Cody said.

Camilla flung her arms around Jimmy, "You can't always be the hero," she told him.