Judge Travis had wired to say he would be arriving earlier than anticipated. Josiah read the telegram with a sense of resignation. "Tomorrow."

"Yep." Chris leaned his head against the saloon wall and closed his eyes.

"Soon as Gerard gets wind of Buck and Ezra he'll likely be sending someone here to watch us." Josiah looked up as Molly entered the saloon. "And that's if he hasn't got men already in town."

"That'd be my guess." Chris opened his eyes as Molly made her way to their table. Once she was seated, he wordlessly handed her the short message.

A few choice curses later, Molly stood and left the building.

"Guess it's unanimous." Josiah sighed.

"I raise you five." Standish drawled.

Buck's eyes narrowed as he tried to decide if he were being bluffed. "Wait a minute." He placed his cards face down in the dirt and scouted around for the three pebbles he was short. Grunting with satisfaction as the he came up with his stake, Buck turned back to the smiling gambler. "Call."

Spreading his cards out in front of him, Ezra smirked as his friend's face fell at the sight of three threes and two deuces.

"Damn you, Ezra." Buck tossed his cards at his friend.

Both men pulled their guns at the sound of an approaching horse, relaxing as Rafe rode into view. From the grin he sent their way, Buck and Ezra concluded his eavesdropping must have borne fruit.

Dan had two beers poured before Vin and Nathan could reach the bar. He had come to know the drinking habits of most of the townsmen, especially a certain group of seven men.

"Thanks, Dan." Vin took a long pull on his beer, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. Two more sips and he turned to meet Chris Larabee's gaze. With a quick nod he told his friend that Mary and Billy were safe. Nathan had already moved to join Chris and Josiah, but Vin remained at the bar. He needed to think about the situation some more before joining his friends.

The night before he had spent some time talking with Molly, filling in the blanks of the past couple of years and going over the situation with Marcus Gerard. Molly was determined to catch, maybe kill, Gerard, but her rage was of a colder sort than Larabee's. She'd told him enough about their prey to make him realize that Chris was in a great deal of danger if he couldn't keep his anger in check. Vin had seen Chris fight for control before, and win. He had to trust that he could do so again.

Vin closed his eyes and tried to think of a plan that would keep them all alive, yet still bring Gerard down. He shot a glance at the table where his friends were sitting, deciding that whatever was to come, he would make it his job to keep both Chris and Molly alive.

"…ride out to meet the stage. Just like we done with Mary an' Billy." Nathan said confidently. He wouldn't mind seeing Rain again.

Vin sat down at the table, smiling at Nathan. "Gettin' to be a habit."

"Could be trouble, if Gerard knows the Judge is on that stage." Chris rubbed a hand over his eyes. He hadn't slept well in the last couple of days.

"Chances are he don't. An' if he does, don't mean he'll try to take the stage." Vin leaned back in his chair and studied Chris' face. He could see the frustration getting to his friend. Chris hated the unknown.

Making his decision, Chris looked at Vin and Nathan. "You two go, take J.D. with you. Head out at first light." He nodded to himself, as if in reassurance.

Josiah had not missed it. "It'll be fine, Chris. The Judge will be safe." The Preacher tried to soothe his erstwhile leader.

"Maybe. Maybe." Chris frowned as he though of the different ways the Judge could be endangered.

The three men left Four Corners shortly after the sun crept over the horizon. Few townspeople were about at such an early hour, and no strangers among them. It seemed they would arouse no suspicion.

From the second story of the boarding house, a man peered out and smiled. He began to mentally prepare the telegraph he would send in a short while, but it could wait until he had eaten.

Molly ate sparingly at breakfast. When Nathan had informed her of Chris' plan she'd been angered that she wasn't included in the escort party. She'd later grudgingly admitted that the man had a point. She, the Judge, and Larabee himself were targets. Best to keep them separated rather than together.

Finishing her third cup of black coffee, she looked up as Chris and Josiah entered the hotel dining room. They made their way to her table and sat down.

"The boys on their way?" She knew the answer already, but didn't know what else to say.

"Yep." Josiah smiled broadly.

Molly thought he seemed terribly cheerful, all things considered. The big man was an enigma to her. He was both an optimist and a fatalist. Josiah made her nervous.

"Left at sun-up. Should make good time." Chris waved the waiter over.

After the two men had placed their orders, and Molly had embarked on her fourth cup of Arbuckle's, an uncomfortable silence descended over the table. Josiah was remembering the crows of his dream, Chris was wrapped in thoughts of Eagle Bend, and Molly pictured her father dying at the hands of Gerard's hired killers.

Their breakfast was interrupted by the arrival of Red Hays.

"Mr. Larabee? I'll likely lose my job for this, but a stranger sent this out not fifteen minutes ago. I thought you should see it." Red handed over the telegram he'd sent.

Reading it carefully, Chris rose to his feet and began to swear. "Any idea where this man can be found?"

"No sir. I haven't seen him around." Red looked distinctly uncomfortable.

"Alright. Thanks, Red." Chris dismissed the man with a toss of his head.

Josiah cocked his head to one side. "What is it, Chris?"

"Gerard did have spy here. He sent a wire to Gerard about the boys leaving town, and that me and Molly were stayin' behind." Chris crumpled the paper in his hand.

Rising from her chair, Molly loosened her Colt in its holster. "Don't like the sound of that."

Chris eyed her with amusement. He had the feeling that when push came to shove, Molly would live up to her reputation. Vin's testament to her ability was enough to convince Chris that she wasn't a liability.

It was J.D. who spotted the stage first. "They're attacking!" The easterner's excited voice called out.

Without further comment, the three men spurred their horses toward the beleaguered stagecoach. They could see the smoke from pistol and rifle, and saw the shotgun fall from his perch, lying still in the dust. The driver was already slumped in his seat. Long before the trio was in firing range they witnessed the Judge being removed from the coach's interior, bound and hauled onto a waiting horse. Vin began to fire his rifle, Nathan and J.D. followed suit. The distance was too far for accurate fire, but Vin still succeeded in dropping one of the attackers.

By the time they arrived at the coach, Nathan discovered that all his potential patients had expired, and the only other passenger murdered as well. As he examined the shotgun rider's body, it occurred to him that now they would never know what Cassidy's voice sounded like. Climbing into the saddle, he exchanged hard looks with his companions and the three men turned as one to follow the kidnappers.

Nathan turned his head back to call out a question to Vin at the exact moment a bullet exited the tracker's forehead. Vin's body slumped over in the saddle, his horse breaking into a gallop as a second shot grazed its flank. Nathan trained his gun on his friend's killer, the man was partially hidden by a rock outcropping immediately behind them, but not hidden well enough. Nathan's aim was true, and the man fell mortally wounded.

J.D. reined his horse in, torn between staying with Nathan and going to Vin's aid. He sensed what had happened, but turned frightened eyes to the healer for confirmation. "Vin?"

Nathan Jackson looked at his young friend, then beyond to where Tanner's horse was fast disappearing, its burden still in place. Nathan shook his head. "Nothin' anybody can do for Vin."

"What do you…" J.D. clamped his mouth shut.

"He's dead, J.D. That bullet went through his head. I saw it." Nathan kept the tears at bay, focusing on the here and now. "We'd best go tell Chris and Molly what's happened." Pulling his horse's head back in the direction of town, Nathan waited for J.D. to join him.

"Dead." J.D. muttered tonelessly. Tears rolled down cheeks that were impossibly white. He didn't seem to notice their fall.

Wiping a pair of tears from his own face, Nathan uttered the last word either of them would speak until they returned to town. "Dead."