Chapter Text
Almost three weeks had passed since their duel in Deceit.
It was damn cold and the handcuffs made it even more uncomfortable. Jed had made his threat come true, when Heyes tried to escape earlier in the day. He had snatched his cousin before he got away too far.
“You gave me your word!” Jed burst out, while he rolled up the lasso.
“I gave you my word to stay until we find a solution,” the ruffled outlaw explained gently. “I never promised to go with you to visit the law in Wyoming.”
“Quit trying to split hairs!” the young marshal growled while he had closed the handcuffs around his cousin’s slender wrists. “You don’t trust me...”
The harried expression in his eyes was not lost on Heyes.
“I trust you, Jed,” he assured him in his low, dark voice. “I just don’t trust the law of Wyoming.”
Jed sadly shook his head. “I still can’t believe I had to lasso you!”
The shoulder that had heavily hit the ground ached like hell, but Heyes relinquished complaining. Luckily, the bullet wound hadn’t reopened again. It felt sore, but he felt no blood seeping out. To check for any further damage, he would have had to have a closer look, but he wasn’t able to do it himself. And he would be damned if he would ask.
As if he had read his mind, Jed checked on Heyes’s wound. Without any words, he partially removed Heyes’s shirt, as well as the bandage, and scanned the injured upper arm. Strong fingers poked into the muscle and moved the joint.
Heyes flinched but made no other motion. His first impression had been wrong for Jed took his bandana off and blotted away some blood.
With a discontented snort, Jed applied some of the ointment Dr. Martin had handed to Heyes for further treatment. Energetically, he massaged it into the injured limb before he bandaged it again.
“Get some rest,” he growled and shoved Heyes down roughly onto a fallen log. “We’ll move on tomorrow. Maybe your shoulder will be better then.”
The young marshal pulled the shirt in place again and checked the handcuffs once more, before he turned around to accomplish the necessary preparations for the night.
Heyes endured the gruff handling without protest. He knew, in a way, he had asked for it. Restrained, he had to watch Jed Curry building up the camp alone. The water in the pond nearby was muddy and their meal tasteless. It became a bleak and silent evening. Neither of them was in the mood to talk to the other.
-o-o-o-
As the night fell, it came with the first promise of an early winter. Soon the air was crisp and cold and neither the campfire, nor the bedroll, could banish the cold that kept hold of Heyes. The metal of the handcuffs seemed to bite his sensitive skin. His restless turns made it even worse. With every turn, the blanket slipped away. It wasn’t easy to get it in place again with bound hands, so the cold found new ways to make him freeze.
In some ways it reminded him of the first nights on the road alone. It had been cold and he'd missed Jed’s company. He felt lost and lonely, always on the run, not knowing about his future, just knowing he couldn’t return.
Heyes had turned for the umpteen hundredth time, when he heard quiet footsteps behind him. Then his blanket was lifted. A strong and solid body eased down behind him. Heyes startled. Dark memories tried to get hold of him.
But it was Jed, Heyes reminded himself, only Jed offering his warmth. They had shared a place to sleep a hundred times in the past. But now they were not boys anymore, they were grown men. Some things had changed.
“Jed...?” he asked.
”Huh?”
“Have you ever been married?”
“You have to ask that now?”
“Uh-huh.”
“Nope.”
“Why?”
“Heyes,” Jed groaned, “you keep silent the whole evening, but now you have to talk? Go to sleep!”
Silence spread, expectant silence.
Finally, Jed gave in. “There was no opportunity.”
“Why?”
The young marshal rolled his eyes and sighed. “No savings, low income, dangerous job, travelling a lot – not the best base to raise a family.”
“Ah!” Heyes nodded, still thoughtful. “But you like girls?”
“Heyes!” Jed’s Curry-temper arose. “Sure, I like girls! Everybody likes girls! What’s biting you?”
“Nothing...”
Jed snorted and shifted a little bit before he spread both blankets over them. Heyes moved instinctively closer. His body shifted naturally into a comfortable position, regardless of the fact that they should be strangers to each other after all this time apart. But, nothing strange was felt.
Warmth spread. Heyes relaxed and his angular features softened. For the first time in years, he felt safe and secure. Soon, he fell asleep.
-o-o-o-
When Jed eased himself down beside his cousin, he knew very well about the risk he took. He had seriously reflected this step before he moved. After all, the man beside him was still Hannibal Heyes - outlaw, safe cracker and lock picker. He had no doubt, that handcuffs wouldn’t hold him back, when he really decided to leave. Jed suspected that Heyes had at least two lock picks handily hidden inside his clothes. Now he brought the keys into his access range as well as his sidearm.
In the end it was all a matter of trust.
Jed had followed the ‘career’ of his cousin for years. He had always hoped Heyes would realize one day what destructive trail he had chosen, which spiraled him deeper and deeper to the bottom of society; that he would turn around and return. But he didn’t.
Jed shifted slightly and Heyes’s body responded instinctively. And that was exactly the point - it still was there, he was there. The bond between them had been stretched out to its maximum but not torn apart. Heyes wasn’t the boy anymore whom he knew so well, but he wasn’t a stranger either. Han was still there; hurt, beaten, hidden, but still present.
And he still was talkative! Jed Curry rolled his eyes and grinned inwardly. Would he never shut up? How could his gang endure him?
He pulled both of their blankets in place and soon he sensed the accumulating warmth.
It was up to Heyes if he’d seriously take the chance to change his life, to realize he really had a chance. If he chose the hard way back to get straight again, he wouldn’t have to walk this way alone. Jed would be with him, to provide the time and support he needed to pull it through.
The blond marshal was tired. The day had been long and exhausting. He had to at least take a short nap if he didn't want to take the chance of falling asleep on his horse the next day. Gradually his mind drifted off.
When the sun rose, it found the cousins sound asleep, side by side.
-o-o-o-
It was about noon the next day when Jed Curry changed the direction of their route.
“What are you doing?” Heyes asked. “We had to turn eastwards at the crossing.”
“Nope,” Jed contradicted. “Your shoulder’s still aching. We have time enough for a little detour. You know the hot springs at the foot of Hawk’s Hills?”
“Yeah, sure.” Heyes nodded.
“I thought we could rest there tonight. Getting warm and cleaned up in hot water. Wouldn’t hurt your shoulder either. What do you think?”
A brief smile appeared on Heyes’s face which had lately been much too serious. “The best place in miles,” he confirmed.
“Thought so,” Jed responded and returned the smile.
Today, they didn’t speak much, but yesterday’s awkward silence had changed into a kind of comfortable company – apart from the fact Heyes was still handcuffed. Jed Curry wouldn’t admit it, but after a second day in silence he already missed his cousin’s lively chattering.
When they arrived at the clearing which was meant to be their camp tonight, Jed helped his friend to dismount.
“What now, Jed?” Heyes asked him. “Same procedure as yesterday?”
“Well, that wasn’t my choice, Heyes,” he was answered gently.
“C’mon, Jed. It will be much easier for us if you take them off.” Heyes raised his bound hands.
“Yeah, easier for you to escape.” Jed turned to face him, secretly expecting what he would be offered. “What’d you suggest?”
They stared at each other for long moments.
“I’ll give you my word - again,” offered Heyes, sounding a little bit contrite.
Jed laughed. “You think I'd trust you - again?” he asked sarcastically and shot him the look. Jed’s special glance was reserved to express disbelief and mistrust as well as seriousness and amusement at the same time.
“You can always trust me, Jed,” Heyes stated quietly. He looked serious and his cousin would have pleasantly believed him.
“Yeah, I can’t trust you as far as I can throw you...”
Heyes asked himself when his cousin had developed a favor for sarcasm. He did pretty well, every shot hit. Jed’s mirthless smile didn’t suit his amiable face and showed clearly his grade of disappointment.
Again, they faced each other in silence, one as hurt as the other.
“I promise you, I won‘t leave you without asking your permission.” Heyes stated earnestly after a while.
Jed stared thoughtfully at him, asking himself how desperate his cousin might be. One day, he had to make a leap of faith. They’d better be clear about their positions before they arrived in Cheyenne.
The marshal fished the keys for the handcuffs out of his pocket. “You won’t make me regret this, will you?”
“No, I won’t, Jed,” Heyes assured him and smiled.
The marshal nodded and took the irons off. Instinctively, the outlaw rubbed his wrists and relaxed.
Together they built the camp pretty fast, even if Heyes couldn’t resist starting a playful argument about the best practice while doing it.
“You can’t be serious, Jed, here? The campfire will be visible for miles! It’s much better over there.” Heyes pointed towards some bushes close to the hot ponds.
“Heyes, that’s not important,” his cousin replied. ”You’ve been too long on the run!”
“But it’s warmer there, too!”
“Yeah, warmer. Haven’t you noticed the draft?” Jed countered.
“Sure, I have. The air bears the warmth of the springs. That’s why it’s warmer there!”
“And what happens when night falls? Hot, damp air, cool ground - everything will be wet before sunrise!”
“Well, there you have a point!” Heyes admitted. “But if we store our belongings close to the fire and keep horses and saddles...”
In the end, they found a compromise and soon they headed for the steaming pond nearby.
Without any fuss, Jed Curry stripped off his clothes and plunged headlong into the hot water. Snorting, he surfaced again in a splash and shook the water off his hair.
“It’s marvelous!” he moaned pleasurably.
Heyes still stood hesitantly beside the hot spring.
“What’s wrong, Heyes? You gotten shy recently?” Jed teased him.
Heyes shook his head, but still refused to move.
Jed grinned and was about to send a splash of water towards his friend when he noticed the look on his face. Instantly he went serious again and tilted his head. His questioning glance crossed Heyes’s worried eyes but earned no verbal response.
Jed raised and moved his athletic body back on dry ground.
“What is it?” Jed reached out for Heyes’s shoulder but it was withdrawn. He frowned. “Shall I leave you alone?”
Heyes nodded seriously. “Yeah.”
To receive just one single word of the silver tongue troubled Jed more than anything else. He picked up his clothes and headed for the campfire. When he turned his head for a short look back, he saw Heyes stripping off his Henley shirt.
He couldn’t help but notice the countless number of scars covering Heyes’s back from the shoulders down to his waist. His chest constricted. He had noticed before, that Heyes’s back ached now and then, but had blamed it on the long days in the saddle or the uncomfortable posture caused by the handcuffs. He had never seen something like this before and he wasn’t eager to see something similar again.
He forced himself to turn towards the fire and continue on his way. When Heyes wanted to keep it secret, he had to respect it. Jed tried to keep his face unconcerned, but when Heyes returned, he knew instantly what had happened.
“You saw them” he stated, lowering his eyes for a moment, just to face Jed a moment later again.
Jed nodded in silence.
“Couldn’t be avoided, I guess,” Heyes continued and showed a lopsided grin. “In fact, I was surprised you hadn’t noticed them earlier. I would have expected it, considering your fabulous reputation...”
“You don’t have to talk...” Jed began but was interrupted by a small gesture of Heyes’s slender hands.
“Oh, yeah? I don’t have to, but you'll probably ask me continually with your innocent and worried puppy eyes!” he snapped with a good amount of sarcasm in his voice. “You ever heard about something called ‘privacy’?”
The remark caused Jed to shoot a disgruntled glare at him.
“C’mon, we’re not kids anymore,” Heyes stated, “even you should have noticed that!”
“You’re right, we’re not kids! We should talk!” Jed blurted out.
“But I won’t! It wouldn’t change anything, anyway!” Heyes snapped back quick-temperedly. “Why should I tell you tales about something I’d rather forget? It still hurts! It still haunts me! I’m marked for the rest of my damned life! I can never forget!”
He snorted while pain lurked in the depths of his dark brown eyes. “I can’t even prevent it from happening again. I gave you my word...”
Suddenly Jed recalled rumors he had heard; rumors about the habits in some Territorial Penitentiaries. His blood went cold.
“It happened in Laramie?” he asked his cousin seriously.
“As I said: it’ll make no difference, Marshal,” Heyes replied.
Jed raised and stepped closer, laid his hands on Heyes’s shoulders, and exchanged a long glance with his cousin.
“It makes all the difference, Heyes,” he assured him. “It will never happen again. I’ll take care of it.”
“Don’t make promises you can’t keep…”
“Heyes, have I ever let you down?” he asked gently.
“No, Jed – but that’s not the point,” Heyes admitted.
“So, what is the point?” Jed dug deeper.
Heyes hesitated. He wanted nothing more than to believe Jed’s words, but the young marshal appeared so innocent to him. He still seemed to believe in the rightness of law and the good in men.
“You don’t look at me like others do.”
Jed frowned. “Why?”
“Don’t ask me! Maybe ‘cause you’re an unworldly idiot!?”
“Yeah, an outlandish world view seems to run in the family. That’s why it was so easy for me to capture you!”
“Come on, Jed. I don’t know ... maybe ... some might say I was a really bad boy lately.” Heyes showed a lopsided grin when he presented his flattering understatement.
In fact, Heyes had robbed everyone who challenged him - may it be bank, railroad or the idle rich! He had fooled every lawman who crossed his path and enjoyed it! Well, all except Jed. None of them would forget or forgive that easy. Who would be willing to pardon someone like him?