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Ten years.
That's how long it's been since Sam Chisolm has set foot in Rose Creek.
Since the day Faraday, Horne, Goodnight, and Billy died.
Since he rode out with Vasquez and Red Harvest at his side.
If he was being honest with himself, Sam knew he was running then. Because running was easier than staying and facing the loss that cut him more deeply than he thought it ever would. Lucky for him, Vasquez and Red Harvest never questioned his decision. They just went along.
But ten years is a long time to keep running, and Sam finally had enough.
If Goody could face his demons and come back to fight Sam's war, then surely Sam could return the favor, for all of them.
If Vasquez and Red Harvest thought this any strange, they didn't say anything. They just nodded and rode with him.
The town before him now is not so much different than the one he had left behind, but it is livelier, bustling with people and sounds, happy sounds. It makes Sam smile a little to see the town thriving, it makes the loss easier to swallow.
"Mr. Chisolm!"
Sam, Vasquez, and Red Harvest turned in unison to see Emma Cullen standing behind them, a wide smile on her face as she approaches them.
Her presence has not changed - strong, determined, and commanding - though more assured and steady than Sam had ever seen her before.
Ten years is a long time, Sam thinks. A long time to grow.
They dismount and greet Emma. She welcomes them to the town, joy radiating off her person.
She pulls them to the new tavern in town and they find themselves nearly besieged with happy townsfolk, some of whom they remember from ten years ago.
They learn that Emma did not remarry, in fact, she has been serving as Rose Creek's new sheriff since the fighting had ended. When she wasn't working, she was helping Leni raise her daughter.
They meet little Anthony, no longer a boy but a man full grown, working as Emma's deputy.
They greet the Preacher, who hugs each of the three tightly, stating that he asks the Lord every day to watch over them on the road.
Sam's eyes meet with Vasquez and Red Harvest, they now all feel a little guilty for staying away so long.
It was in the midst of all this reunion that Vasquez gave a rather undignified yelp, clearly startled and looking around in confusion.
"Someone stole my gun!"
The tavern fell silent, and as if on cue, a small childish giggle could be heard.
Their eyes turned to the source to find a small boy with light hair, green eyes, and a toothy grin peeking out from behind the counter, mischief written all over his face. But before anyone could do anything, a stern voice rang out.
"Joshua, just what in god's name are you doing causing trouble again?!"
A man had entered the tavern with a solemn looking boy at his side, it didn't take Sam long to recognize Teddy Q. The younger man now holds himself with more confidence than Sam remembers, not to mention a bigger beard too.
"You give Mr. Vasquez his gun back this instant. You know better than to play with that."
The small boy, Joshua, groaned before trudging out from behind the counter, a pout on his face as he holds up the gun for Vasquez to take. Vasquez paused for a second, eyes locked on the boy, clearly something on his mind, before retrieving his gun.
"Jack, go take your brother outside."
The boy who entered with Teddy, who most definitely looked older than Joshua, took his younger brother by the hand and pulled him away. Not before Joshua stuck a tongue out at Vasquez, who now sports a thoughtful look on his face.
"I'm sorry Mr. Chisolm, he can be a handful..."
Teddy shook his head ruefully while Sam chuckled, "No harm done right?"
"You tell that to the drapes he keeps setting on fire."
At this, they all laugh. And it feels good to laugh, to know that there is a happy ending somewhere.
Teddy ends up inviting them all back to his home, says he will treat them to dinner, that they must stay for a while. On the way there, Teddy tells him the tale of how he met his wife, how she had nearly ran him over with her horse. They now run a stable looking after all the horses in town and have four children - Jack is the oldest at nine years old, Joshua is six, and the twins are four.
It takes them reaching the door of Teddy's home for Sam to catch on. Judging by the sad gaze in Vasquez's eyes when it lingers on little Joshua, the other man already knew. Sam is startled for a moment by Red Harvest's hand on his shoulder, a knowing look in the Comanche warrior's eyes and a silent nod. Sam appreciates it, more than he could express.
Teddy's wife Anna greets them warmly when they come inside. Joshua races past them, whooping and hollering as Jack chases after him and tries to get him to settle down. It seems the younger boy has an endless supply of energy.
Sam watched the scene before him with interest before sensing eyes on himself.
He looks up to find a pair of bright blue eyes staring at him inquisitively from between the railings of the stairs. A kind of look he recognizes all too well. He's about to take a step towards the stairs to say hello when he finds his path blocked by someone. The eyes on him in this case were weary and suspicious, a darker shade of blue. A clear shield for the other. He feels something inside well up at the sight. Suddenly the loss he had seemed to have skillfully avoided for so long found him, rooting him to the spot.
Even as Joshua skipped over and giggled, "Silly, Billy! That's Papa's friend! He's not gonna hurt Goody..." And then ran past Billy and up the stairs to grab Goody, pulling his younger brother to follow him.
Sam and Teddy lock gazes for a brief second, so much words pass unspoken. They both know why.
Hours later as they had finished dinner and the night was winding down, Sam watched from his position in the corner of the room as Vasquez was entertaining Joshua to no end with card tricks and Red Harvest was teaching Jack how to speak Comanche. Joshua's happy squeals countered by Jack's serious nods as he listened with rapt attention. Sam jumps for a bit when something warm presses to his left side. He looks down to find Goody - the four year old had decided to use Sam as a pillow and was already fast asleep, contented to have found his resting spot. And before he even has a chance for another thought, Billy, the older of the twins with the dark blue eyes, had settled by Sam's right leg. He too seemed to have found Sam a suitable pillow.
Sam decided it was best not to argue.
The heavy weight that had at one point threatened to crush him, it seemed to lessen more and more as he spent more time with the kids, the twins especially.
Next morning as Sam stood in front of the graves the townsfolk had erected for his four fallen comrades - Billy Rocks, Goodnight Robicheaux, Joshua Faraday, Jack Horne - he found that the words he wanted to say, they fell from his lips a lot easier.
"What we lost in the fire, we will find in the ashes - I said that a lot didn't I?" Sam sighed. He was getting his moment out here alone. Vasquez and Red Harvest both had theirs some time ago, Sam could see the bottle that Vasquez left at Faraday's grave and the arrows that Red Harvest had adorned on all four crosses.
"I'm sorry it took so long..." Sam continued, eyes mostly locked on the cross bearing Goodnight's name. Friends in his business were few and far in between, what he had with Goodnight was a rarity. More than friends, it was family. "I guess I needed time to think...running is easier sometimes..."
Maybe, just maybe, it was time to stop running and build a life, the life that he had once joked to Goody about having so long ago. The one that Goody won't have with Billy.
"But I found something in the ashes of this fire, Goody...I think I'm gonna keep it...I think I'm gonna stay..."
Reaching down, Sam gave Goodnight's cross a gentle yet affectionate tap, then tipped his hat for the others, before turning around and making his way back to town.
Not that far off in the distance, Sam could see Vasquez and Red Harvest playing with Jack, Joshua, Billy, and Goody, chasing after the kids, even playfully wrestling. Their laughter ringing across the field, carried by the wind.
In a moment of impulse, Sam raced forward and picked up an unsuspecting Goody over his shoulder, spinning around for brief few seconds before he found himself wrestled to the ground by three other small figures.
"Get him! Get him!"
The kids shouted over each other, soon enough Vasquez and Red Harvest joined in.
Ten years ago, a fire had caused them all to lose so much, but what they had found in the ashes, it was still good.
Yeah, still good.