Last Updated: 5/21/99

After Chandrika had followed Clair out of the room where she had nursed Kitty she had handed the baby back to her. As they headed for the door, Chandrika grabbed her knapsack. She would need it. She followed Clair to the boarding house and paid for a room. *Good thing the boss gave me some 19th century money* she thought to herself. The man at the desk handed her a key and she headed up the stairs behind Clair. Now she was alone in her room. She lookde around. As she plopped down on the bed she figured she should try and prepare a plan of protection for the men, but her body disagreed. She swore she would just rest her eyes a bit as she laid down. In minutes she was asleep, the events of the day catching up to her finally.

Clair stood at the wash basin in Charlie`s room ringing the excess water from a towel. She strode over to the bedside and sat on the edge next to Charlie. It worried her that the other girl hadn`t uttered a word since the scene in the church. Laying the towel across Charlie`s forehead she asked, "Does that feel better?" Still the girl gave no answer and Clair was hesitant to touch her mind. She knew that would be the worst thing she could do to the girl at this point. "I can`t help Charlie if you don`t talk to me," she whispered.

She looked in the direction of a moving shadow, at first she thought it was just Kit. The girl was sitting on the floor with Kitty in her lap watching the babies flailing fists. Clair smiled she liked Kit and it made feel at ease to know the girl had her own gifts to contribute. The shadow moved again on the opposite wall. Clair twisted around trying to catch the movement, but was too late again.

Charlie caught sight of the shadow at the same time Clair did and knew what it was. She jumped out of the bed and watched as the shadow moved back across the room.

"What do you want from us?" She demanded, her voice strained with anger. The shadow merely kept moving.

Kit and Clair stood behind her, watching her actions, listening to her words. They knew that she knew what this thing was.

Clair moved to grab Charlie before she got to close to the thing on the wall, but Charlie's anger over rode her better sense. She jerked out of Clair's grasp and picked up the pitcher from the wash stand, she hurled it at the retreating figure. The water hissed and evaporated as it make contact with the blackness on the wall.

Charlie froze, as did Kit and Clair. The baby in Kit's arms began the squirm and whimper at the sudden loud noise. Charlie spun around to look at the two. She swallowed hard.

"It's after that baby!" She pointed at the child. "It's gonna kill us....to get that baby." She almost sounded willing to give up the child to save her own life. She turned suddenly and walked over to where the water had hit the wall. "What the hell is that thing?" She asked, not caring to hold back on the bad language that Buck had told her girls were not supposed to use. She turned back around to see the concerned faces of her companions.

"Earlier...in the church..." She stopped and looked back at the wall. "I fell asleep, and when I woke up...I realized that this thing, whatever it is, is something we have got to stop. He was in my head." She raised a shaking hand and put it on the side of her head. "As much as I want to protect that little girl, I want to live a little longer too."

"Stop right there, Charlie, don't even think about that. This little girl is more powerful than all of us. We have to protect her, that maybe the only way to stop all this. He won't kill us as long as we have her. If that was his plan he'd have done it by now. I mean after all he has no problem killing people that are in his way. Remember her parents." Clair stood protectively in front of Kit and the baby.

"Dammit, Clair! He got Buck too! Now I say we take that baby back where she came from and leave her where he can find her, and that'll be the end!" Charlie spat.

"Charlie, are you listening to me? As long as we have her he won't hurt us. He needs her." Clair spoke slowly.

"So you're just gonna let him kill us one by one? Pretty soon the whole town will be dead, right? Then he'll have her, and where will we be? Probably lying in the street with our innards on the wrong side of our bodies!" She gave a dangerous glare back at the wall. The room stayed quiet for a minute. "What do we do, Clair?" She asked looking back at the young woman, fire blazed in her usually calm eyes.

Clair stared at Charlie, knowing full well that she was afraid, and at the moment not in her right mind.

Charlie waited for Clair's answer. "Fine." She said. "I'm gonna go find it. I'm not gonna let it tear this place apart for a baby."

"Why would you do that if you're so afraid of dying?" Clair grabbed Charlie's shoulders firmly. Charlie thought for a minute.

"'Cause I just feel like a fight!" Charlie smiled quickly then grabbed her gun belt off the chest next to the door. The next thing Kit and Clair knew she was gone.

They looked at each other, both knowing what the other was thinking. Charlie had lost her mind, and she was gonna get herself killed because of it.

Buck lay in restless slumber on the hard church pew, but that didn`t keep the vivid images from his mind. Things that he tried hard to keep pushed at the back of his mind. The very things that if he thought about hard enough he`d never be able to look Chris Larabee in the eye again.

Buck gripped the rough railing as he looked out over the eerily familiar landscape beyond the corral. The same corral that he`d helped Chris build when he`d first settled the place. As he ran his hand over the rough logs it dawned on him the wood wasn`t weathered at all. He hesitantly glanced back at the trees past the corral, they were the same as the last time he`d seen the place. At that moment he knew what he`d find if he turned around, but his body turned against his will. He stood starring at the house Chris had lovingly built for Sarah. Buck instinctively knew there was something wrong with what he was seeing. The scene before him stood still, waiting, as if to be set in motion. He blinked several times to clear his vision. This can`t be real,he thought to himself. A voice came from beside him. "Oh on the contrary Mr.Wilmington, It`s more real than you could ever imagine."

He was about to turn to see who the intruder was that had snuck up on him, when an icy touch grasped his shoulder."Now...now Buck, I wouldn`t want to spoil the suprise," the voice taunted. Buck tried to turn his head but couldn`t seem to make his neck cooperate. He was still starring strait ahead at the house when little whiffs of smoke rose from under the front door.

"Watch carefully you don`t want to miss this. I can`t imagine why you try so hard to hide from it," the voice continued. Flames waivered through the glass window, and heated the glass to the point of explosion. A spray of broken glass flew in all directions. That`s when the screams began. "Oh god no,stop this!" Buck pleaded.

"Now what makes you think I have the power to stop it,or that I even want to?"

Buck tried to make his legs work,to get to the house. If he could get to the house he would save Sarah and Adam,even if it meant losing his own life. His legs failed him and he remained rooted to the spot. "Why save them now? After all it`s your fault they burned to death, left as nothing more than scattered ashes. If not for you Chris would have been home to protect his family. Isn`t that right Buck?" the voice whispered close to his ear. "Just think of all the things you cheated your friend out of. Watching his son grow to be a man, and holding his daughter for the first time." A loud gasp slipped past Buck`s lips, and he wanted to block out what he was hearing. "Oh that`s right, you don`t know. Sarah never had the chance to tell Chris. It was a suprise for when he returned. Another child....she was carrying another child. Well no matter,what`s done is done. One more death makes no difference. Your friend Chris blames you for it all. Oh and does he know how you lusted after his wife? To be sure he soon will, I`ll see to that."

Buck tried to shake his head to deny the charges, but he knew in his heart it was the truth. Chris had never said it, he didn`t have to Buck knew where the blame lay. "No he would never say it, but his anger is building. It`s growing out of his control. Soon he will turn on you, and he will take your life. To me that hardly seems fair, one life for three. I think he will take your dear niece too. That evens the number a bit," the voice prodded.

"No, Chris would never do that. Charlie is innocent, she had nothing to do with any of this!" Buck`s voice was raw with emotion.

"When the time comes it won`t matter. She is of your blood, and that`s what Chris Larabee thirsts for. Enough of this talk, I grow tired of it, I only came to warn you. Do with it what you will. Do you still wonder who has come to bring you this warning?" the voiced asked. Buck`s head whipped around to focus on the hand that had him anchored in place. The finger were black and rotten. The flesh giving off a sickening stench. As he watched the flesh melted away from the hand and left the bleached skeletal remains. Not being able to stop the morbid fascination with the creature he moved his gaze to it`s face, and immediately wished he hadn`t. It had no eyes - it looked to Buck as if they had been clawed out. Where his mouth would have been was a gaping hole, only a fragment of jaw bone made it distinguishable as a mouth. Buck`s mind had reached the breaking point, nothing more could penetrate it. He began screaming, "No...No...No..."

Buck sat bolt up right in the church pew, still screaming. He felt rough hands on his upper arms, but to him they were the hands of the corpse. He could do nothing but try to fight the creature that threatened to steal his very soul, and still the words about Chris echoed over and over in his mind.

Casey stood just inside Gia`s room a hesitant smile graced her face. She watched as Gia spread a deck of brightly colored cards across the bed. "Wh...what are those?" Casey stuttered.

"There tarot cards.I can tell your future with them. Want me to tell your future Casey?" Gia smiled.

"I don`t know. I`m not to sure I want to know my future."

"Come on it`s fun," Gia prodded. Casey walked to the bed and sat gingerly on the edge.

"What do I have to do?" she asked.

"Nothing, just listen." Gia fingered the cards. She slipped one from the deck, and turned it over. There was no mistaking the change in Gia`s expression, something on that card had made her eyes go hard as granite.

"What is it?" Casey whispered.

Gia shook her head. "No Casey, you don`t want to know."

"What is it Gia, tell me!" Casey demanded.

The other woman held the card up and turned the face towards Casey.

"It`s the death card."

Charlie made her way down the dirt street, toward the livery. She strapped on her gun belt as she walked, making no effort to hide her mood. Anger showed clearly on her face, in every steps she took, in every move she made. As she entered the livery even the horses knew she was angry and upset.

She entered her horses stall and without hesitating began putting the saddle on him. She moved quickly, checking everything to make sure she'd put on his bridle right and tightened the cinch. When she was done she led him out of the livery and into the dusty street. She looked him in the eye and made sure they had an understanding that he was to give her no trouble whatsoever. She finally reached up and grabbed the pommel, throwing herself into the saddle. The sun was setting, Charlie smiled slightly as she felt the warmth of its rays fall across her face. She felt a difference come over her as she watched it sinking lower. A voice inside of her kept telling her she needed to get back out to that farmhouse. Though something else told her to avoid it, she couldn't resist the newer voice. It told her she'd have her questions answered, her fears abated, her mind released.

She urged the horse forward and started back toward the Taylor place.

Josiah rode the ridge line above the Taylor`s farm. He`d searched everywhere else for Jen and she was no where to be found. The Taylor place was his last hope before heading back to town. Josiah turned his horse down the steep hill, and was hit full in the eyes by a bright reflection from below. He threw his hand up trying to shade his eyes from the blinding light. The light disappeared just as suddenly as it had appreared. When his vision had cleared he got a glimpse of what had caused the reflection. The harness from a plow team, a team standing idle in the field. He searched his mind, he was sure it was the Taylor`s that Nathan and Vin said had been murdered. What was a team doing in the field, he asked himself. There must be some mistake. Vin and Nathan had to be wrong, it was another family. He spurred his horse into a quicker gait, wanting to know exactly what he was seeing. As his horse took the final step to even ground he saw Mrs.Taylor, standing at the threshold of the homestead, through a break in the trees that lined the bank on both sides of the creek. He had to take a strong hand with the horse to get it to move forward, the animal balked at crossing the creek. Finally the animal proceeded across the creek and through the break in the trees. Josiah was greeted with the sight of the Taylors going about their daily routine. He breathed a sigh of relief knowing that his friends had been wrong.

He lifted his arm and gave a wave to greet the family. He was stunned when they appeared not to even notice him. His horse shied and he pulled hard on the reins bring the horses head around. The animal turned itself in a circle, turning until it reached the spot it started from. After gaining control of his mount Josiah looked back to the Taylor`s home. To his horror it was all gone, the Taylors, the house, even the team was gone. The house was a pile of burned out rubble just the way Nathan and Vin had discribed. He didn`t have long to think about what he`d seen - he was distracted by a noise from the trees behind him and the horse shied again. The sound was distinguishable as sobbing as he drew closer. He urged the horse into the trees. Huddled behind a boulder beside the creek was Jen, shivering and covered with dried leaves and grass.

"Jen, what are you doing down here, and where`s your horse?" he demanded. The girl looked as if she might not answer. "Jen!" he shouted. She pulled her head up to look at him. "Your horse...where`s your horse?" Josiah tried again.

"He spooked and ran off and I been hearing these awful noises Josiah." She jumped to her feet and made it to his hoses side, throwing the animal into another series of paniced side steps. He grabbed Jen`s arm and tossed her up behind him with effortless ease, to avoid the nervous animals had hooves. He gave the animal it`s head as it tore threw the creek and up the waiting hill. He reined the horse in as they crested the ridge, allowing him a brief glance back at the Taylor place. It was as they had left it, the burned out house and a deafening silence.

Kit and Clair stared at each other after Charlie had stormed out, knowing they were sharing the same thought, but both unwilling to voice it Kit finally broke the silence. "We've got to go after her."

Clair nodded. "She's in a dangerous place. She's unstable. And if we don't help, she could go crazy." Clair looked at the infant in Kit's arms. "What about her?"

Kit thought for a moment, then grinned. "Well, she's not coming with us, and we're not leaving her alone. I know the perfect babysitter."

"Who?" Clair asked, quickly thinking of all the people in town, and wondering who they could trust with the child.

"Jack."

"Jack?" Clair looked at her like *she* was losing her mind, now. "You can't be serious! What makes you think he'd..."

"Instinct," Kit interrupted. Clair looked skeptically at her for a moment, then nodded.

"All right," she said, reluctantly. "I'll meet you at the livery." Kit opened her mouth to say something, reconsidered, and closed it quickly, turning with a nod and leaving the room.

She padded silently towards Jack's room. Kitty lay quietly in her arms, and Kit prayed she wouldn't wake up before she got there. The baby was silent as Kit tried the handle of Jack's door, and she was mildly surprised that it turned under her hand. Kit knew she should have knocked, but the last thing she wanted to do was risk attracting attention from the boardinghouse's other patrons. She could hear quiet snores coming from the room as she pushed the door open, and slipped quietly inside.

Jack was sprawled on top of the covers in his new wardrobe, shoes and all, his jacket and dirty clothes in a careless pile to one side. His hand twitched once, and Kit grinned. *Okay, Mr. Malone. Now you're dreaming!*She edged up to the bed and whispered, "Jack?"

He have no response, so she tried it again, a little louder. "Jack? Wake up." Kitty fidgeted restlessly in her arms, and Kit rocked her slightly, soothing. *Don't go squalling now, Kitty, please?* she pleaded mentally. Cradling the baby in one arm, she reached out with her free hand and shook Jack's booted foot. "Come on, Jack. Wake up."

He was awake in a flash, rolling off the far side of the bed and landing in a battle-ready crouch on his feet with a swiftness that surprised Kit. She took two involuntary steps back as he looked around the room with eyes that were alert and wary, and Kit was impressed by his reflexes. "Boy, you sure do come up swinging, don't you?" she asked.

Jack saw her and relaxed his stance, wincing as the pain from his battered ribs made itself known through the rush of adrenaline. *It's just Kit, you idiot. Relax.* "What are you doing here?" he asked in exasperation.

Kit looked uncomfortable and nodded at the infant she carried. "I need a favor." Jack frowned, looking at Kitty.

"Is she okay?" he asked, concerned.

"She's fine. It's just that I need to... run some errands, and I was hoping you could watch her for me for a little bit."

"Time out, wait a minute, back up." Jack put his hands together in the form of a crude "T". "How did you get hold of Kitty? Where's Milk-momma? Chandrika?"

"I'm presuming she's asleep," Kit replied.

"Yeah, well, that makes one of us," Jack grumbled, running a hand through his hair and looking at the rumpled bedclothes.

"I'm sorry." Kit tried to look apologetic. "But I didn't know who else to trust with her while we're gone."

Jack looked up at her. "'We'? Who's 'we'?"

*Whoops,* Kit chided herself. *Shouldn't have let that one slip!* Somehow she wasn't in the mood for the scoffing she was sure he'd provide if she told him she and Clair were going in search of Charlie. "Jack, do you remember when I said that there was big trouble?" He nodded. "Well, I need you to look after Kitty so that none of that big trouble finds her. Please?"

Jack looked at her skeptically. Kit wasn't telling him everything and he didn't like being kept in the dark. Thinking of dark, he noticed the only light in the room was coming in from the hallway. He scanned the wall for a light switch then remembered the lamp on the bedside table. Wanting to make Kit wait and squirm a little for waking him up after what couldn't have been an hour of sleep, he slowly walked around the bed, brushing past her, and reached for the lamp. He held the lamp wondering how to turn it on. From the sloshing and smell he knew it was an oil lamp, but he didn't have the faintest idea how to light it.

Kit was starting to get impatient; she needed to meet Clair and get after Charlie before she got into any trouble. Plus Kitty was starting to wiggle more in her arms.

"Here," she commanded, thrusting the little girl at Jack and grabbing the lamp. She lifted the glass and lit the wick quickly, making Jack shield his eyes from the sudden light. "Hopefully we'll be back soon."

"Wait a minute," Jack stopped her, still trying to get Kitty in a comfortable position. "Who is 'we' and where are you going?"

Kit didn't answer as she turned and headed for the door.

"Come on," he almost pleaded, grabbing her arm. "If there's trouble maybe I can help."

Kit looked him over. His clothes were rumpled, he looked like he was trying to curl in on himself and like he hadn't slept in a long time. In short, he didn't look particularly helpful even if his eyes were earnest. "Just take care of Kitty."

"No," Jack said standing up straight and towering over her. "I'm not going to just sit here with a baby while you and whoever else, probably Charlie or Clair since you don't have any reason not to say who 'we' is if it were those 'Magnificent Seven,' go running off into the night to face some 'big trouble.' What kind of trouble is it anyway?"

Kit smiled a little then walked away.

"Hey, come back here!" he called as he followed her down the hall. Kitty started to cry and he stopped his pursuit to quiet her. When he looked up again Kit was gone. Running down the stairs and out on to the boardwalk, he couldn't see her anywhere. With a growl and a hard kick to the door jam he turned and went back inside.

Chandrika slowly got up. The familiar tingling she felt immediately told her that Kitty was hungry. She sighed and got up slinging her long dark hair into a half-ass bun with her srunchie. She let her body lead her to where Kitty was, stopping in front of Jack's door. She knocked. Jack whipped the door open his eyes a bit hard.

"What?" he asked sharply. Chandrika cocked her hip glaring at him, her hand at her hip.

"Don't get snippy with me little man. Kitty needs to be fed," she said. Jack grunted and let her in. Chandrika scooped the baby out of his arms and walked to where he couldn't see her so she could start nursing the baby.

*Nice attitude,* Jack thought sarcastically as Chandrika grabbed Kitty and headed across the room. His head had started to pound again as soon as she came to the door. *This headache is getting annoying.*

"What's the matter with your room?" he grumbled quietly as she sat down facing away from him. If she heard him, she didn't aknowledge the comment. With a sigh he walked back to his bed and plopped down on it. *At least I can go back to sleep now.*

His mind drifted to the dream he'd been having when Kit woke him up. He had been watching himself. It was dark and hard to see, but he could feel everything the him he was watching was feeling. He was moving and it was bumpy so he was probably in a vehicle of some kind. He could also feel the the pain of a gunshot wound in his leg. The watching Jack was worried he was about to wake up to the harsh reality that he was being driven to his death, if he was lucky, when Kit had grabbed his foot. It was an unsettling dream, or moment of near consciousness, he wasn't sure which, and he didn't want to think about it any more. After a few minutes of trying not to think of anything, the soft sounds of a baby nursing started to make him uncomfortable with the silence. "So," he began. "We haven't really been properly introduced. You're Chandrika, right?"

"Yes," was the soft reply. Jack waited to see if she'd say anything more but she didn't.

"Unusual name, nice you meet you. I'm Jack Malone," he told her. Again there was silence. *Apparently she doesn't want to keep a conversation going.* He, on the other hand, was unwilling to be silent with a stranger in his room. Feeling almost like he was talking to himself, he continued. "What brings you to town?"

"I have a duty,"she finally answered. This man wasn't making nursing Kitty any easier and he was starting to bother her.

"What kind of duty?"

"To protect certain people in this town."

"Hmm, you don't say." She didn't say anything more and Jack was starting to get annoyed. *If she's going to take Kitty the least she can do is leave the room or be a little more entertaining while she's here.*

"Sooo, you don't dress like most people here in town."

"I already told you I'm not from this time, and we both know you're not either."

Jack sighed, he didn't feel like having this conversation. Unfortunately Chandrika had different plans. "Why are you here, how did you get here?" she asked. She could tell Kitty was starting to get drowsy and would be asleep soon.

Jack stayed silent, concentrating hard on making her disappear. It hadn't worked with flying but maybe concentrating would work to get rid of this woman. Realizing it wasn't working, he finally replied. "I don't know."

"You should figure it out."

"You don't say," he said sarcastically and turned over.

Kitty was finished nursing so Chandrika stood up. She walked over to the bed and kneed him in the back when he didn't look at her.

"Hey!" he exclaimed turning toward her.

"Shh. She should be okay for a while. I'll be back if she needs me," Chandrika told him quietly as she handed him the sleeping baby.

"You're not keeping her?" he asked, surprised. He didn't mind the idea of watching Kitty, he was quite attached to her actually, but he'd assumed she'd play babysitter, she was obviously better qualified.

"No, I've got some things that I need to get done."

"But what..." The question died on his lips as she headed out the door, closing it gently behind her.

"Looks like it's you and me again, short stuff," he whispered to the baby.

Chandrika began to walk back to her room. A cold shudder crossed over her as if someone had run a finger down her spine. She heard a sinister laughter. She turned around looking for where it came from. She couldn't find anything. The laughter grew louder and Chandrika's heart began to pound faster. She felt something behind her. She turned in time to see something heavy coming toward her head. She felt and heard the loud scream leave her throat, then everything went black as she fell to the floor, blood seeping from the wound on her head.

Jack watched Kitty as she slept and was soon overcome with drowsiness himself. He held her close, protectively, and slowly drifted toward sleep. A startled scream tore through the boardinghouse. He was up in a flash, looking around the room for any danger then headed for the door. Opening it cautiously, he held Kitty back in case there was anything in the hall. Nothing seemed out of place. Scratching his head he stepped out of the room. Kitty didn't seem to have noticed what was going on and he wasn't particularly eager to wake her up, but he couldn't just let a scream go unaccounted for when there was 'big trouble' brewing. He smiled at Kit's dire warnings and started slowly down the hall.

*Didn't anyone else hear the scream?* he wondered as he passed closed door after closed door. *Maybe I imagined it.*

He turned the corner in the hall and a small form in the shadows caught his eye. "Chandrika," he whispered as he leaned over her. She seemed to be bleeding from a head wound, but he couldn't guess how she'd gotten it in the few minutes since she'd left. He could see she was breathing and reached out to touch the blood, checking to be sure it was real. *Yep, that's real.* Panic rushed through him for a moment. What should he do, he needed to help her, but he couldn't just put Kitty down on the floor. The moment passed as his more logically side kicked in. He ran back to his room and grabbed the blanket and sheet from his bed. Laying them in a pile on the floor he gently placed the sleeping baby on it and turned his attention to the bleeding Chandrika.

"I'm just not having a good day," he sighed as he turned her to lay flat on her back. Checking her over it didn't look like she was hurt anywhere else. *That just leaves that nice head wound.* He ripped the sheet and dabbed at the cut. It looked like the blood was already clotting.

*I need something to clean it off with.* He didn't want to go back to his room for the basin and water so, checking to be sure they were still alone in the hall, he wiggled his fingers over her head and water began to drizzle down on the wound. He didn't need to wiggle his fingers, but he liked the effect. *What fun are unusual powers if you can't entertain yourself with them?* he smiled as he watched the blood wash away. He toyed with the idea of making some hydrogen peroxide but figured he didn't need to impress himself further with his creating prowess and no one else would know or care what he did. Taking another strip of sheet he started to wrap it around her head and the cut. He was almost done when he felt a sharp pain in his head. It was like the headaches he'd been having all afternoon, but ten times worse.

With a strangled cry he grabbed his head to keep it from exploding. *What's going on?* he wondered as he moved to Kitty in case this was part of the trouble he was supposed to be expecting.

A deep laughing voice seemed to come from all around. *I haven't even done anything yet,* it mocked.

Jack picked up Kitty and held her close then moved back toward Chandrika to protect the unconscious woman from whatever danger they were facing. "What do you want?" he asked the air, trying to ignore the pounding in his head.

*Oh, I'm just checking out the competition,* the voice seemed to sneer. Jack's eyes darted wildly around the hall, trying to find the source of the voice. A stabbing pain shot through his head and stayed there, like someone was twisting a knife or probing around up there. His first reaction had been to drop the baby but he curbed it and held her closer. *What is this?* he tried to think through the searing pain. He felt like he might lose consciousness but held on to it, he couldn't give up.

*My, my, you have quite the weak constitution,* the voice ridiculed and sent another sharp pain through his mind.

"Show yourself," Jack gasped in near convulsions. He didn't know what was going on but he didn't like not being able to see his opponent.

*What's the sport in that?*

Just as quickly as it started, the pain stopped, leaving only the comparably dull thudding that had been in his head off and on all afternoon. *I gotta figure out what's causing that,* he panted as he uncurled himself.

He looked at Kitty and she seemed to be sleeping happily, totally oblivious to his trials. "I need a nap, too," he whined quietly. Beside him, Chandrika groaned softly.

Chandrika groaned. She slowly tried to open her eyes but the harsh light made her close them again. She could vaguely make out Jack next to her. She groped with her hand colliding with his leg.

"Jack we need to get out of here," she mumbled before the darkness took her again.

He sifted through the thoughts of the two prone figures, gleaning any information that might be of use later. Time-walkers were very rare, and at least three of them were in the small town at the moment. Most creatures (including demons) were well advised to avoid Cronos's wrath for messing with the temporal order. Humans seemed to be the most fool hardy about doing so. Perhaps because they understood the consequences least of all.

He shrugged. It didn't really matter. The pieces that he picked up about the future would provide ample entertainment after this game was finished.

He checked one last time for tidbits about his opponents. One never could tell what would be the winning play. Recreating a long forgotten nightmare, exposing some secret shame, or (as he had done earlier with the man he had marked as his in the meadow) realizing a greatest fear.

The male time-walker did not even realize what he had done to get here. Thought it a dream, in fact. That singular determination to deny the reality of the situation could prove useful if properly exploited.

Perhaps it was time to check in on the other players. His own team could definitely use the practice against the raw and untrained power that was presently gathering in the small town.

He would visit the Mayfaire next. See if her feminine charms had won any information that terror had not.

"Get out of here where?" Jack asked. So far, other than the boardinghouse, Jack knew where the saloon, the bathhouse, and the church were and none of them were calling to him nearly as loudly as his bed down the hall. With a sigh he slumped back against the wall. "And how am I supposed to get all of us out of here?" Chandrika didn't have any answers for him.

With a self-pitying whimper he put Kitty back down on the blanket. "I think you have the right idea," he told her as he stood up stiffly. A wave of dizziness passed quickly and he tried to focus on how to move them all. Chandrika didn't look very heavy but right now Jack didn't think he could carry much more than Kitty without it hurting.

*Suck it up,* he thought as he tied off the bandage around her head. *You don't want to be sitting around waiting for the voice to come back.* Thinking about it, the voice reminded him of Clair, not how she sounded, just how it felt. *Is there a connection?* he wondered. He'd have to watch himself around her just in case.

With a grunt and a groan he threw Chandrika over his shoulder. He wasn't sure he'd keep his balance but after a moment everything seemed okay. He leaned over to scoop up Kitty, groaned again and headed for the stairs. *This dream is just getting better and better.*

It was dark outside with fires every so often lighting the street and light pouring out from some buildings. Jack looked across the street at the saloon and decided they must be having a good time. *Wait until tomorrow morning.*

He felt funny walking down the street with a woman over one shoulder and a baby on his other, but the street wasn't too busy so the startled expressions were kept to a minimum. *Just get to the church, get rid of the baggage, and go to sleep,* he repeated to himself as he kept walking.

A rider came pounding into town but slowed as he approached the church. Chris Larabee was used to seeing some unusual things in town but in the low light he wasn't sure what he was seeing on the boardwalk. As he got closer he recognized Chandrika was slung over some man's shoulder and saw the blood that was still on her. "Stop where you are," he commanded drawing his gun.

"Now what," Jack sighed as he turned around to face the person who'd given him the command. Seeing Larabee getting off his horse, his sigh of agrivation became one of relief. "Mr. Larabee, how nice to see you," he called.

Chris recognized the face and voice of Jack. "What are you doing?" he asked, keeping the gun trained on him.

"She had a little accident and I was taking her to the church," Jack answered, unable to keep the sarcastic tone out of his voice. Something about that man just rubbed him the wrong way. Apparently the feeling was mutual since Jack realized there was a gun pointed at him. "Hey, I didn't do any--," he started but was cut off.

"Put her down nice and slow."

Jack wasn't sure how he could do that. He could drop her but that wouldn't be nice or slow and there weren't really any other possibilities as long as he was holding Kitty.

"I said put her down." The menace was clearly heard in Chris' voice.

"I have my hands full right now, but feel free to come take her." An unspoken threat was in Jack's voice as well. *Ooo, that wasn't the right way to say that,* he thought as it looked like Chris was about to shoot him.

At the sound of hoofbeats, Kit looked out of the livery door, Tim's reins in her hand. She immediately recognized the silhouette of Chris Larabee across the treet, and the Colt Peacemaker in his hand was aimed purposefully at someone before him. Kit went to the livery entrance to watch, her insatiable curiosity getting the better of her yet again. She started in surprise at the target in Chris' sights. Jack stood in the middle of the boardwalk, feet planted firmly, Chandrika draped over one shoulder and Kitty curled in the other arm. "What the..." she breathed, eyes widening.

"I said put her down," she heard Chris growl. She'd heard that tone from Chris before, and looked at Jack, worried.

"I have my hands full right now," Jack replied, and Kit flinched. His voice was nearly as threatening as Chris'. "But feel free to come take her."

*What are you, crazy?* Kit thought. She could see the subtle movement of Chris settling his weight on his feet, his eyes narrowing slightly in a face that settled into harsh planes. "Uh oh," Kit breathed, dropping Tim's reins and running into the street. "Mister Larabee!"

Chris glanced her way, his aim never wavering from Jack. He scowled at her as she stopped between him and his target, and he turned the barrel of his Colt away from her chest. "Get out of here," he said in a low voice. "This doesn't concern you."

Jack looked at Kit's back in front of him in disbelief. *What are you, crazy?* he thought. *What are you doing, running into the line of fire like that?* "Kit..." he started.

Kit didn't turn. "Shut up, Jack," she muttered loudly, her eyes never leaving Chris'. "I'm sorry, Mister Larabee. But it does concern me. I promised Mister Jackson that I'd look after him and keep him out of trouble, and Nathan'll skin me alive if I let you put a bullet in him." She kept her voice level, trying to keep it light, in spite of the voice inside that screamed at her to shift, to change into her half-coyote form, to fight. She knew she could shift into crinos and have the strength in that humanoid, coyote-headed shape to overpower Chris in spite of his gun. But fighting was always the last trick of the Nuwisha, when all others had failed.

"Out of trouble?" Chris asked, mocking. "What do you call that?" He indicated Jack and his burden with a toss of his head.

"Hey," Jack snarled from behind her, "I told you she had an accident and I was taking her to the church, Marshal Dillon."

A muscle jumped in Chris' cheek as he clenched his teeth, his eyes frosting dangerously. His hand gripped the revolver more tightly. "Jack, you're not helping," Kit said. She wasn't too concerned that Chris would actually shoot - Jack was unarmed and the gunslinger was more ethical than that - but Chris would definitely rough Jack up and the newcomer was already hurting.

"I'm not helping?" Jack exclaimed. "It's trying to help that got me into this mess! *I* was just trying to get some sleep when *you* came in and asked for my help, remember? And when I heard Chandrika hollering in the hallway, did I hide under the covers and mind my own business? No! I went out to try and *help*, and nearly got my head exploded for my trouble! And now when I'm trying to get her some medical attention for her, Wyatt Earp here threatens to *shoot* me for trying to *help*!!"

"You're walking around with a bleeding woman over your shoulder," Chris shot back. "What am I supposed to do? Assume you're taking her out for an evening stroll?"

"No," Jack gritted through clenched teeth, "you could ask questions first and shoot later." Chandrika's weight on his shoulder was beginning to hurt, and Jack worried that he was going to end up dropping her in spite of himself. "Better yet," he continued, "you could take her before she lands on her head..." Jack couldn't help but stagger as his strength started to give out and he listed to one side. Chris pushed past Kit, holstering his Colt and taking Chandrika's limp body from Jack. He looked down at her and saw the blood in her hair.

"We'd better get her to the church," Chris muttered, turning.

"What do you think I was trying to do?" snapped Jack in frustrated irritation. Chris ignored him as he strode down the boardwalk, spurs jangling in the evening air. Kit watched him go for a moment before turning to Jack.

"Are you *trying* to get yourself killed?" she demanded, eyes flashing.

"If I was I could think of some faster, less painful ways," he growled back at her. His sides were aching but he didn't want to double over in front of her. *No need to show weakness in the face of anger.*

He wanted to walk away from her, but couldn't decide where to go, back to bed or to the church. Bed meant sleep, but maybe another visit from the voice. Church meant annoying people, but possible protection from the voice. Of course there was the other option, jumping off a cliff to see if he could wake himself up. *That one is looking pretty good right now.*

"What happened?" Kit asked a little more softly.

"I don't know, she tripped or something. I just found her laying in the hall. She said we needed to get out of there."

"Did anything else happen?" she pressed.

Jack thought about it. He could tell her he was hearing voices and have her laugh at him or he could not mention it and it might end up being something important. The voice had said it was checking out the competition, the competition for what? Laughter or death. Mocking laughter or head exploding death.

"Nope, nothing," he smiled.

Kit raised an eyebrow. She could tell he was hiding something big. "Are you sure?"

"Nope," he continued to smile as he turned back toward the boardinghouse. He didn't want to deal with anyone but the sandman.

"Does that mean that there is something else or not?"

"Weren't you supposed to go out with someone somewhere? Some kind of big trouble?"

Kit could tell from his expression that he was playing with her, she just didn't have any idea why.

"If something else happened it could be important..."

"The only important thing right now is getting back to bed."

"Jack, this isn't a dream!" she exclaimed as she grabbed his arm to stop him and turn him around. "I know it's hard to accept, but there is real trouble here in town and if you know something--"

"What kind of trouble, huh?" he interrupted. "You never bothered to explain that." Kit didn't look like she was about to explain it so he continued. "You want me to believe this isn't a dream, well the reality isn't possible. People just don't get sucked back in time over a hundred years. Sorry to disappoint you, but you are just a figment of my imagination like everything else here."

Kit stood stunned for a moment. *Over a hundred years in the future?* She'd seen the dates and the pictures and the strange contraptions on the coat, were they really from a hundred years in the future? It was hard to believe but, strangely, it was the only thing that made sense. "I am not!" she finally replied.

"It's hard to accept, isn't it?" he smirked.

"If this is a dream, you could make something appear out of no where," Kit smirked back. *Just like you could fly.*

Jack smiled, he didn't need a dream for that. "Like what?"

"Something that you wouldn't find in this time."

"Can you be more specific?"

"No, I don't know what it's like in the future," she said with exasperation. Clair had left without her and she needed to catch up to her sometime tonight, she didn't have time to play games. *Just try to make something, fail, and believe this isn't a dream,* she urged him mentally.

"Hmm, how about a yoyo."

"A yoyo?" Kit let the word roll off her tongue.

"Sure. I don't think they were around in the US until the 1920's. One yoyo coming up."

Kit felt her hair stand on end as though there were a gathering electric charge. She saw Jack's eyes change from the stormy gray they had been to a clear blue that seemed to glow for a moment. Kit looked away from his eyes to his outstretched hand. After a small flash of light an unnaturally bright orange circle with a string wrapped through it appeared in his palm.

"Here," he said offering it to her.

"What?" Kit looked dumbfounded at the object in her hands. "How did you... Where did this..."

"Shhh, it's a secret no one can know," he smiled at her and continued walking down the boardwalk. Turning back for a moment, he added. "I'd have to kill you if you told."

Despite his joking tone, she could tell there was some truth to that statement. She looked back and forth between his retreating form and the object in her hands. She'd have to wait until later to figure out how he made it appear and what had happened in the boardinghouse that he wasn't telling her about; now she needed to get to the Taylor's place and find Clair and Charlie.

Jack regretted making the yoyo, not because of the expression on Kit's face, *that was definitely worth it,* but because he felt totally drained again. *A little water and a yoyo and I'm ready to pass out,* he berated himself as he went into Maggie's. *At least Kitty's still asleep so maybe I can get some sleep, too.*

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