The Black Wolf, Henryella

[Isabella Scarborough]

Isabella Scarborough



June 17th, 1869

Bella had tossed and turn through the whole night only to wake up to Danny screaming, another one of his night terrors. It had seemed so odd he had trouble sleeping since Bella was having the same issue. Maybe he was feeding off her, babies always seemed to have a strong connection to their mothers. Getting back to her bed she curled up next to Henry wrapping her arms around him and hoping this time she could get to sleep at last. Closing her eyes again she drifted off into her dreams and tightened her grip on Henry. She curled her legs up closer to her body still wincing from their last attempt at the baby they wanted so badly and were trying so hard for. So hard in fact that Bella was starting to hurt herself. Again sleep was a difficult concept not because she was having trouble staying asleep but because of her dreams. This had been the fourth nightmare tonight and all of them were eerily similar.

Bella was again as she remembered from dreams past a light grey small she wolf with the most vibrant yellow moonlit eyes. She laid on the ground in the soft green grass enjoying the soft warm breeze. As she laid there two small wolf pups can bouncing along tackling her onto her side and nipping on her ears and face. Bella rolled around swatting at the pups and pinning them to the ground to nip back at them playfully. The pups were both lighter grey like she was with bright blue puppy eyes. They had not yet gotten their grown adult eyes just yet and they appeared very young still. Perhaps just old enough to leave the den for the first time and explore their outside world. Their shaky legs stepped all over their mother as their little stubby tails wagged excitedly at the prospect of their adventures out in the big green world. Like any young pups they tired quickly and fell down beside their dam snuggling up against her belly to take a quick nap in the sun. Birds and bugs filled the little clearing near the den with a sweet spring song and there was no sign of danger. Even with the sound of shifting grass Bella remained relaxed resting her snout on her front paws and pinning her ears back as the larger female pup let out a groan and nuzzled into her mothers fur to nurse. Little tail twitched again slowly for a minute then stopped with the needing of tiny white paws. Her ear twitched when a larger light brown and white wolf walked over to her. He had clearly been keeping his distance from the den for some time leaving his mate behind so she could lead their offspring into the world outside their cozy home where they had been born.

Even as a wolf Bella could tell the male was Henry, he just had that look about him. Surprisingly scruffy and playful like he was younger than he truly was. Gently her mate nuzzled against her and licked her affectingly on the face before prodding his nose against the squirmy buts of his pups. They wined and kicked their back legs making their sir pin his ears and look at them with his big golden eyes a little afraid he had hurt them so rather than continue his poking at the risk of having his mate snap at him he walked gingerly around her and laid down next to her resting his big head over her body. Bella panted from the head of all the bodies around her and laid her head back into the cool grass. She closed her eyes comforted by the safe scents and sounds around her and the fact her family was tucked away where nothing could get them. As soon as the exhausted mother drifted into a nice slumber her mates chest rumbled and he lifted his head letting out a deep growl. Bella lifted her head to see a large black male wolf standing there looking at her and then to the pups. Henry got up stepping over her and nearly stomping on one of his pups but moved just in time to miss the fragile little spine. The hair along his back stood on end as he approached the intruder. If the rival male didn't run then her mate would attack to protect his family and pack. Bella got up nearly dragging her pups along with her. They stood up waddling after her, their tails up in the air until she grabbed one by the scruff and carried it back into the safety of the den. Just as one pup was safe and sound she ran for the second only to have the black male run at her.

Bella grabbed her second pup and yelped when teeth clamped down into her hip. Her mate ripped the black wolf off her and threw him to the ground sending the two into a fight. Bella took the distraction as a chance to get the second pup and limp back to the den with her bloodied side. Crawling into the cool den she set down her second pup and curled up at the entrance blocking it so the second male could not get in but leaving just enough room for her mate to crawl into if something happened. Together with dirt all around them they would be safe and able to defend their pups and den. Her yellow eyes flashed with fear when the black male grabbed her mate by the throat and bit down hard. Her mate let out a yelp and broke free from the black wolf and tried to get back to her only to have the black male attack him from behind and brake his back leg between his strong jaw. Bella watched her mate fall and murdered by the black male who stood over the bloodied body in victory then turned to her. She pushed her body against the walls to keep the pups protected. They were all she had now, she had to protect them. If she let the black male kill them then she would be alone and a lone female was open to be preyed upon by a lone male in the late winter months. If he seceded by next spring she could be trapped in a den morning her mate and bringing up two black pups she didn't want. When the male approached the den Bella growled and snapped biting into his face. She would starve before she let him into her sanctuary to kill her pups. The fight with her mate had not tired him out though and the black male reached in grabbing her by the scruff and pulled her from her den. She struggled to fight against him but he pushed past her and the sounds of screams echoed in her ears.

Bella sat up straight panting, her body shaking from the nightmare, the horrid scene playing out in her head what she imagined would have happened next. Throwing back the covers Bella walked into Danny's room to make sure he was okay. Since the sun was already up she figured so was she, there was no way she could sleep after a dream like that. It turned her stomach, made her shake, made her want to cry. The thought of someone taking her family away from her killed her. She couldn't get it out of her head even as she got dressed and checked on Danny again. She kept getting the feeling her dream reminded her too much of someone. Hadn't Will tried to do that to her? He tried to kill Henry, he tried to kill Danny and why? So he could have her. Bella didn't want her husband and son to die or find the wrath of William Helms. The morning went slow, first Henry woke up for his breakfast and to get ready for work and then Ellie and Chris and last of them all Danny. Bella stayed closer to Henry that morning, something she hadn't done since she was pregnant with Danny and jumping every time one of the children dropped something or moved too quickly. Her nerves were fraying, her heart was racing and for no reason she felt frightened. When Henry got ready to leave was when Bella got worse. She looked to Henry with fear filled eyes and begged him to take Chris and Ellie, a choice she would regret later. She almost asked him to take Danny but Danny wouldn't let her go, in fact Danny was as on edge as she was. If only she had known why.

[Henry Scarborough]

---

June 17th, 1869
Henry’s Farm
Around 8am

The banker had a little trouble sleeping the night before, it had been just a few days since Yolanda had dropped Christopher off with them and it was a shame his youngest was awaking suddenly, screaming like someone was trying to kill him or burning him with a hot poker. It hurt him to hear the boy scream like that, he sounded truly terrified as Henry tossed on a shirt and crossed the parlor to the little hallway where Danny and Ellie's rooms were. Standing there in the moonlight with his hair a mess he crossed his arms sleepily over his chest and watched Bella trying to soothe the youngster. He asked her a few times if he was okay, if she was okay since she too seemed to be having trouble sleeping, not even after he had “rocked” her to sleep. Maybe she was having nightmares, he could relate to that. Bolting awake covered in sweet after panting and running in her sleep, at one point she woke up and he was just propped up watching her, asking if she was alright. During his withdrawal Henry had suffered from vivid night terrors when he awoke from them, they didn’t go away, the objects of his unparalleled fears still there in his reality haunting him. It was the same one over and over plaguing his fever ridden deliriums. William Helms had somehow found him here at Hellfire, the man had his ways of knowing certain things. He came to the house informing Russell he was a friend here to check up on him and Rusty granted him access to the room down the hall, not knowing who the man was who introduced himself as Walton Black. The banker was so out of it his blurred vision mistook the taller man as Danny, or perhaps the doctor here to check on him again, not until he had gotten closer could Henry determine who he was, by then it was too late. A heavy hand grasped him by the jaw and wrenched his mouth open, pouring the very object of his torture down his throat and then hiding the brown bottle in the room to make it look as though Henry had overdosed, “They’ll come in about the time you’re drawing your last pathetic breath Henry, and they won’t care. They won’t care because you’re a worthless human being that took his friends’ hospitality and threw it in their faces, just another useless drug addict that took too much.” it was a terrible way to go, struggling to breathe for hours as the lungs shut down, the heart pumping furiously to maintain a steady blood flow to the slowly failing organs. As Henry rolled out of bed and tried to crawl away Helms grabbed his legs and strained to pull the struggling man back and at that point the terrified banker just unleashed an inhuman scream that awoke his cousin sitting in his chair half asleep. Henry was awake but Will was still there and as Rusty fought to untangle his legs from the mangled sheets the horror stricken older man finally saw what really had a hold of him and instantly went lax as if he had passed out from the exertion.

Helms killed him in that nightmare it was sure, he would watch his victim slowly succumb to the effects of the opium overdose and then leave, telling Rusty his cousin was just fine so he would be too late to go get help when he finished reading his morning paper and went back into the room. Henry would die in the way that he feared most, alone. He didn’t care if he was mugged and eviscerated when his time finally came, sitting in an alley holding his bloody entrails in trembling hands, as long as someone was there with him he could go peacefully and someone would know what happened to him.

Drifting back to sleep after Danny was settled down he held his wife close and didn’t awake until morning when he got dressed and went out to see to the feeding of the stock, brought in a a few pails of milk to sit out and settle on the counter so when he got home he could bottle it and take it down to the mercantile and sell it, or keep it to make cheese or butter. Bella was on edge he noted, he came into the back door, the mud room and slipped free of his boots, slamming them together to loose the soil from the bottoms and she noticeably jumped at the sound. He then retired to the bedroom after breakfast and got ready for work at the bank. His wife’s eyes had not left him all morning as he sat at the table enjoying an unorthodox morning meal. No coffee this morning, he opted for hot tea in a saucer and dipped a scone in it as he read the paper. Even Little Danny seemed upset this morning and as Henry asked his wide eyed wife time and again, with obvious concern in his voice, if she was alright he began to wonder if something was indeed very wrong. He had a gut feeling he had not felt in years, the last time being when he was hunting a man in New Mexico for bounty, after wounding him his quarry fled into a row of dark houses and Henry had to go in and search for the man. He knew at any moment the wounded Mexican could leap out and shoot him or cut him so deep he would bleed to death in minutes. It was the sickening fear his Bella was putting into him now, especially as she begged him to take the older kids with him. Chris quickly protested, “You don’t hafta take me with ya Dad I can hold down the fort, I’ll be the man while you’re gone, take care of Bella an’ Ellie an’ Lil’ Danny.” he offered, that typical swollen confidence of a child. Henry smiled weakly but the look in Bella’s eyes frightened him and he did not even entertain the idea, simply told Chris to get in the wagon. The boy looked disappointed but uneasy at the tension in the air and wanted ask what was going on but refrained, considering it a form of back talking which would have been disrespectful. Henry took his wife’s face in both hands and kissed her a little more intimately than he normally did before he went to work, “I love you, see ya in a few hours okay, maybe we can have lunch or somethin?” he offered and gave her another peck on the lips, “Feel better alright?” he smiled reassuringly with that notable touch of unknown fear and concern betrayed by his eyes as he pressed his forehead to hers and slowly withdrew from the doorway, walking backwards as if afraid to take his eyes off of her. Chris watched his father come to the buckboard, taking a few glances over his shoulder at Bella in the doorway, waving goodbye to Danny before boarding the wagon, a saddled and bridled Wabash tethered to the back. He would snap the reins and leave his wife and youngest child alone with an inescapable feeling of trepidation settled in the pit of his stomach that would ultimately proof to be well founded.

[Isabella Scarborough]

Isabella Scarborough



June 17th, 1869

William waited an hour after Henry normally went to work before riding through the back woods towards the farm. With Henry long gone the fox felt more than comfortable coming out here himself and he had no intentions to leave alone. He had a train ticket and fully intended to take himself and Danny far from here. He meant to keep his promise, it was either her or the baby. She could always have more with her bastard husband but it seemed those posabilities were decreased as he road along the fence line and spotted the grave site of the child Bella had lost. Tethering his horse outside to post William walked towards the window knowing soon she would be alone with the children though this time it seemed the only child in the house was the boy. Everything was working out perfectly. He couldn't have asked for more. Better yet she tried to get the fussy tired toddler down to bed again so he could sleep a little more. Danny had gotten as much sleep as his mother which hadn't been much. He tossed and turned fighting her when she put him back into his crib and tried to tuck him in. William crept closer to the window just keeping out of sight while Bella sang to Danny and rubbed his back leaning over the crib to calm her fussy son. He was twice as frigidity as he had been a few minutes ago.

While Bella attempted to put her baby to sleep William watched her thinking back to the last time he had gotten her alone. That terrified look in her eye, the way she struggled beneath him and then that perfect moment. Pure and utter submission, pure power over a woman who played being strong and almighty. That ability to control her made him feel nothing in the world could stop him. That same satisfaction one got from breaking a wild horse no one else could tame. As he thought back on his last event with Bella he found himself become excited and had to look away from the window, just in time it seemed too. Bella had gotten Danny to close his eyes and the bay mare came trotting over sniffing the air, that familiar bay creature William once owned before she was liberated from him. Calypso pawed at the ground and kicked up her legs screaming at him. Once Cal noticed her strange behavior he pranced over to investigate and with one sniff roared at William. He remembered that smell, he remembered that monster. Bella's attention turned to the window and Helms moved around to the door. If he didn't strike now he would lose the opportunity. Just as Bella looked out the window there came a knock at the door. Every muscle in her body tensed up, no it was nothing, just someone at the door. There was nothing to be afraid of, it could very well just be Darla...or Danny.

Moving through the house quietly she reached the front door and turned the handle looking first at the ground and uttering half a sentence before she went stiff again and noticed the visitors face. "He....WILL." Bella froze in terror until he smiled at her with that wolfish face, those black eyes so dark she could see her own look of fear on her face in their reflection.

"Morning Bella." William pushed by her and laughed. "My you do keep a tidy house. You are very busy I know, a stay at home mother and everything, I didn't expect you to start something like that. I hear you and Henry are getting better now. Everything working out in the end, well that is good however this isn't why I am here...small chat." William folded his hands behind his back and rocked onto his heels for a moment. "You know I am a man of my word Bella. I came for something and I think you know what. You took from me...now I take from you." From in his room Danny could hear William's voice and sat upright letting out a whine to alert his mother. Bella and William seemed to both glance at the hallway together where her child was sleeping and she understood what he was here for. He meant to take her son away. Before William could take a step closer to the hallway and her child Bella shot off blocking the entrance like she had in her dream. Dammit she would die protecting her child. William moved forward slamming her into the wall and trying to get past her but Bella dug her nails into his arm and pushed him back with all her strength. He wasn't going to stop, moving down the hallway more Bella pushed him back and blocked the door, he wasn't opening that door, she wouldn't let him. No matter what he did to her she wouldn't let him. "Get the hell out of my way Bella." He growled and tried to push her.

Bella fought back once more looking at the scar on his face and digging her nails into the already tender flesh. She dug her nails as deep as they would allow until skin ripped up beneath them. William let out a scream and held back his attack just long enough for Bella to jump forward and bite his shoulder. William yelled and slammed her back into the door making Danny scream with fright as he did in the night. "You little f***ing bitch." William howled at her nearly knocking her out but Bella still had fight. He reached for the handle of the door and she did the only thing she could to save her son. Putting her body between the door and William Bella put her hands around his neck and leaned in to kiss him. Pressing her lips into his William was distracted just long enough for her to think of a better option.

"Please take me instead, take me William just leave Danny alone. I don't care I'll go with you, you can have me. Just leave my son alone." Will smiled at her running a hand along her face. Her heart was racing, she felt faint but she had to keep strong for Danny. It wasn't until William wrapped his arm around her that she panicked again. That look of terror flooding her eyes.

"Just know you asked for it Bella...but then again...you're damaged goods. Why would I want you?" He laughed at her cowering and shaking at his touch, the way he ran his hand over her face. Without warning Bella Slammed her forehead into his nearly knocking herself out int he process. William let her go and stumbled back, his laughter growing by the second. "Darling now you are just asking for it." He reached for Bella but the woman danced out of his reach running towards the kitchen for anything she could use against him. His fingers laced around her arms pulling her back into him and then with a wicked grin he threw her back into the table knocking over the flowers Henry had gotten her and watching the vase crash to the floor. "You always break things Bella, you are so clumsy. Here let me help you up." He took hold of her short hair dragging her up to her feet again while she screamed out in pain. "You do look tired Bella perhaps you should lay down after all." Throwing her forward he tossed her back on the ground and pushed over a chair. His heavy boots moved across the floor as Bella pushed herself up again. She tried to keep from throwing up, her stomach turning at the memories and the thought of what might happen. "Again my dear...you are so pathetic."

He stepped between her shoulders and pushed her to the ground again holding her down tight under his boot so she could hardly draw a breath. "Like a roach beneath my boot. One must simply apply force to stomp out the pest." He pushed on her harder making her squeal in pain. Her ribs hurt, any more and he could break one, puncture a lung, kill her. He meant to kill her. Getting down at her level William took his boot off her and pulled her up straight to look at him. "Look at me when I talk to you." He screamed in her face. "I want to see the fear and the pain in your eyes when I take away your son and the last of your dignity." He pressed his lips into hers again sliding his tongue into her mouth. Bella bit down on the thick muscle and made he retract from his kiss quickly, spitting out the blood in his mouth and glaring back on her. Making his hand into a fist he hit Bella hard in the jaw. Her teeth crashed down into the side of her mouth making her bleed and splitting her lip. Pushing her down on her back William clamped his hands around her neck and choked her as hard as he could until she squealed and gagged. "I could kill you, it would be so easy, so enjoyable but why kill you when I can force you to live...knowing...you could have saved him." He let her go ripping the front of her dress and pinning her under him. "I'll teach you you're place whore."

Holding her hands down above her head with one hand he hiked her skirt up with the other. Bella struggled knowing what he would do next. She wouldn't let it be so easy this time. She wasn't going to give up so easily. When her skirt was pushed up to her hip William unbuckled his belt and pulled his pants down just enough to do the deed. Before he could even act Bella crossed her legs and clenched her jaw trying to hold him off. She believed if she held on just a little longer someone would come for her, they had to. "Don't be so difficult." He laughed and pressed his lips into her neck and trailing down to her chest. As she tried to push him off he worked to untangle her legs but Bella wouldn't budge. "FINE, you want to be difficult?" William pulled her off the ground and threw her on her stomach pinning her arms behind her. "Try to fight me now you little bitch." He growled into her ear and bit down on her neck. Bella jumped forward and screamed at the top of her lungs and the hot burn against her skin like someone had set her on fire. No one was coming for her, it was going to happen again, it was going to happen and he would take Danny and kill her. There was no way out of it, she just wanted it to be over fast so she could curl up crying in shame like she had once before.

[Henry Scarborough]

---

June 17th, 1869
Henry’s Farm
Around 9:30am

The banker arrived to work about forty-five minutes before he opened, as was his usual. After settling the kids into Bella’s office where a bin of toys awaited them in the corner he left them to their fun which may last them about twenty minutes before they got bored. If they got too tiresome of their usual games he would send them across the street to the school house where they could play on the playground and he could watch them from his window. He looked forward to his children attending that school, he could watch them every day, watch them grow, explore and learn. Maybe someday next year they would be expecting another, girl or boy it didn’t matter Henry just knew he was ready for another kid, someone Danny could grow up with since they would be closer in age than he and Ellie or Christopher. Thinking of Danny he was not too sure he would tell Bella the mystery surrounding their son’s conception or not. A brief, and possibly stupid ‘on a whim’ decision that had led to the child’s existence would either send her into a rage or she would be happy for them. Either way he was terrified of the likely repercussions and so far had not gotten the gumption to tell her, something would have to trigger it, making the sharing of such information necessary.

He should have been chipper like any man that had a good night with his wife, all smiles with that dreamy look in his eye, energetic but mellow. But the way his wife had been acting this morning and last night had him in a funk and he was confused and concerned for his family’s wellbeing. Something was not right and every time he got focused on his work his stomach would roll in uneasy tension, pitching and turning until he thought he might be coming down with a virus. Visiting the pot in the corner of his office Henry bowed his head into the junction of the two walls, musing his hair into the aged wood and wondering if he should go and check on Bella. Slipping back into his suspenders Heck grabbed his jacket, tossed it on and walked down to the office at the end of the hall, passed the one where womenfolk and children had barricaded themselves when confronted with bounty hunters back in February, “Chris, Ellie c’mon let’s go.” the oldest mentioned that they had just gotten here, looking at his father strangely, sensing the urgency as Henry clearly hadn’t the time to explain himself, moving into the room to usher the children out. He didn’t feel right, nothing felt right, everything was wrong, what was happening? If he had been a dog the hair on his neck and down his back would have been standing straight out at this point. Stopping by the livery Henry instructed the stable boy to get his horse ready and that he would be back in a few moments to fetch him. The boy looked very reluctant to have to deal with the bullheaded stallion but would find that the paint was unusually cooperative this morning and very alert, “Dad, what’s goin on . . . you’re scaring me.” Chris finally admitted, “Everything’s gonna be alright son I just, I forgot somethin back at the house, I’ll be right back.”
“Well, where are we going?”
“You’ll both stay with a friend of mine till I get back, I’ll be right back I promise okay?” the trio strode into the sheriff’s office, “He’s got lots of stories t’tell an’ never shuts up, you’ll get along fine I’m sure.” the boy was instantly mesmerized by the man behind the badge who was propped up in the corner cleaning a rabbit ear shotgun, “Are you a sheriff?” he asked with wide eyes but before Davion could answer Henry unloaded his request for the marshal to watch the kids while he ran home real quick, “Uh, Rooster this ain’t no daycare, cain’t just drop young’uns off any time ya want, why cain’t ya take em home?” Henry simply told Marshal Murphy he couldn’t do that, he just couldn’t but also couldn’t explain why and rushed back out the door. Murphy looked at Chris’ beaming face and then Ellie’s, “Who the hell is that?”

Henry walked briskly back down the street, that black haired hawk watching him from the saloon balcony with the sharp eyes of a seasoned man who knew trouble when he saw it, Sam could tell by the way Henry was carrying himself that something was amiss. Tossing a coin to the stable boy Heck swung up on Wabash and nudged him into a canter, when they hit the trail he shook the reins at the ex-racehorse and encouraged the stallion to break into a steady ground eating gallop back to the house, Davion Murphy watching him depart with trepidation building in his belly. The banker had left his kids with a man that had a reputation for taking no shit from anyone, if there was a man in town handy with the steel and willing to use it, it was Murphy and Henry was confident with his choice of ‘babysitter.’

Wabash ran on, his stripped hooves pounding the packed soil until that white lathered sweat built up under his tack and smeared into his black coat. Henry pulled him up twice for a breather before loosening the reins once more and the closer they got to the house the faster the horse ran seeming to sense the urgency of his rider who never once asked him to speed up. About a quarter mile out from the house, horse and rider topped the final rise and were met with level ground where the black paint stretched himself out and broke into a full gallop with his signature twenty-one foot stride that seemed impossible with his smaller stature. The wind screamed in Henry’s ears, almost drowning out the thunder of hooves and blowing of the spread nostrils from his loyal mount as he gathered his legs under himself and kicked away up the road. A ring of bright pink surrounded the watery blue of Wabash’s eyes as he completed the three mile journey only to arrive at the house and be pulled up so fast he reared back on his hind legs, shaking his head at the pressure from the bit. Henry spotted the strange horse, saw Bella’s saddlers circling in their paddock like a flock of frightened birds and then he heard the bloodcurdling scream. As if to return the cry of terror Wabash wheeled round on his heels and roared while his rider unsheathed the repeater from the scabbard of his saddle and slung it over his shoulder. Bella unleashed an almost inhuman cry and now it mixed with the hysterical wailing of Danny locked away in his room in their sanctuary that had instantly become a living hell when the devil himself waltzed in. But William Helms knew nothing of perdition and today death was not riding a pale horse.

Thumping his heels into the dancing paint’s sides Henry leaned forward to compensate for the lunge as Wabash sprang forth and gunned for the house at full speed, Henry holding his rifle more like a knight would carry his lance astride his war horse. In a single bound the white legs cleared the porch and the small stallion made good use of the open narrow doorway, his hooves striking the hardwood and sliding to a halt in a clamor that resounded in the house about as loud as the barking Yellowboy as a tongue of flame left the barrel and sent a bullet directly into William Helm’s sternum just below the heart, paralyzing his diaphragm. It would be a slow death, for Henry Scarborough would not spare another bullet to the suffocating man’s head as he dismounted and knelt beside his shuddering wife. The smell of blood and gun powder quickly filled the room and Wabash curled his nostrils, still blowing hard from the ride and flicking his ears around to the sounds of the screaming baby, the retching woman, crunching of broken vase under his flinty hooves, the gargling of a dying man sucking his last breaths and Henry’s soothing voice speaking to his shaken wife.

[Isabella Scarborough]

Isabella Scarborough



June 17th, 1869

Just when she had lost all hope there came a loud banging from the door and gunfire. William tightened her grip on her shoulder and his eyes grew wide looking down at her. That look of power, the black gleam in his eyes turned to fear and pain. For a moment she thought he had been struck over the head until his mouth dropped open and he spit blood down onto her shoulder. Bella sat up pushing him away from her and pulling her strap back onto her shoulder as William fell to the ground kicking his back legs and gasping. Blood bubbled up from his mouth past his eerie gurgling and gagging. The sight of the struggling man made her shake all the more and the smell of his blood caught her. All the stress and fear seemed to sink into her stomach until Bella leaned forward and released the content of her stomach onto the ground. Her arms were shaking as she held herself up hearing William claw at the floor boards and roll over onto his stomach gasping. He put a hand over his chest choking again and spitting up more blood while he took in a deep breath but to no avail. The air wouldn't fill his lungs, her eyes wide with that look of fear while the glazed over. William was suffocating, struggling, kicking. He didn't even have the ability to cry out for help. Outside Callaway and Calypso had calmed down after the sound of gunshot but now Williams race horse gelding was prancing around and striking at the tie up post.

When Henry first touched her Bella jumped and screamed until she realized who it was. Moving away from her own vomit Bella threw her arms around Henry and burst into tears holding him tight and watching as William rolled and pitched gasping for air. Finally the mans struggle stopped and his limbs fell limp. His chest shuttered while his mouth opened and closed resembling a fish out of water. That final shutter and his whole body shook in his final death throws. William's head slumped over to the side, his dark brown eyes now cold and empty, purged of all life that they once held. Bella looked long and hard into those eyes realizing it was all over though somehow she feared he couldn't die. His hand would reach up and grab her and drag her to hell with him. Her grip on Henry tightened as she watched William depart from his painful death, one he deserved more than anyone else. She let lose of Henry only once more and leaned back towards the ground throwing up once more. With her stomach empty Bella grabbed hold of Henry again not wanting to let him go. She had never felt so terrified and yet safe in all her life. Bella took in her first breath she had taken in what seems like forever. Her body still shaking she squeezed Henry around the waist and cried out his name. "Henry."

With the beating of her own heart dying down Bella could hear her baby boy screaming in his room. She let go of Henry almost instantly and pushed him back dashing to the bedroom and threw open the door. Danny was standing up in his crib holding to the bars and screaming at the top of his lungs. Bella walked over to his crib and picked him up holding her close to him until she realized William's blood covered on of her shoulders. 'It's okay baby, it's okay you're safe now. I got you Danny I won't let anyone hurt you." She ran her hand through Danny's little curls and pulled him tight to her again despite the fact both her own and Williams blood had gotten on the little boys shirt. Her legs buckled beneath her weight and Bella dropped back to the floor nearly missing the rocking chair behind her where she use to rock Danny to sleep. Now Bella leaned against his crib holding her son tight and sobbing. Her son's face was bright red from all his crying and the baby continued to choke and cough from his tears. "It's okay Danny he can't hurt us now. He will never hurt us again." The realization of what had happened finally settled and Bella knew William was never coming back. He was gone for good. Now they would have to figure out what was going to happen to them. What were they going to do about the body?

[Henry Scarborough]

---

June 17th, 1869
Henry’s Farm
Around 9:40am

Henry stood there, his cursed rifle now responsible for the death of fourteen people still held firmly in his grasp. This was the first time he had felt accomplished for killing a man, watching him squirm and claw at the floor and his ruined chest, sucking for breath but unable to satiate his desire to breathe as his heart pumped sporadically. A spreading pool of dark crimson crawled across the floor boards seeping into the wood and Henry knew it would never come out no matter how hard he scrubbed. They could cover it with a rug but the fact remained that it would still be there and so Henry was already planning on ripping up the boards and burning them, maybe replace them and then cover it over with a rug. It took all of five agonizing minutes and then Helms’ limbs went ridged as his muscles spasmed and then slowly relaxed, his head lolling over and that familiar fading of the eyes Henry had seen so many times before.

The banker had knelt in front of his wife, carefully lowering the rifle to the floor he reached out and just barely brushed her face with his thumb and she flinched, coming out of her daze and then they could embrace, rejoicing in the end of an era of debilitating fear. This relief Bella was probably feeling may have been what Henry could have felt had he killed his father, that living in constant fear finally over. Wrapping his arms across her back he held her tight, a hand cradling the back of her head as he tucked his chin into her shoulder, “Shhh, I’m right here Bella I got ya.” their racing hearts beating against one another as the adrenaline died down and the pounding in their heads quieted, opening their ears to other sounds, like Danny screaming in the other room and the clatter of Wabash moving the bit in his mouth. The stud lifted his head when both Henry and Bella ran into the hall and opened the door to Danny’s room, the wailing of the toddler spilling forth to fill the house and the black tulip shaped ears swiveled forward. There he was standing in his crib, mouth wide open and drooling and crying, his face red as a beat and it was clear the child was distraught. Bella took him into her arms and slid down into the floor, Henry in the doorway watching, almost afraid to leave the body in the dining room, fearing that somehow it was going to disappear or something. Henry came in and sank to his knees in front of his shaken family, a look of regret on his face. He hated to see someone he loved so upset, from the purging Bella had done she was very, very upset. The banker leaned forward and pulled Bella into his arms and together, father, mother and son tried to collect themselves so they could be in the frame of mind for whatever they needed to do to get passed this tragic event in their life.

He didn’t know how long he held them, maybe long enough for the marshal to start wondering where the hell he was and when he was coming back to get his kids. He may have even talked them into getting into a cell by now and locked them in there because Davion liked to f*** around like that. Withdrawing his seemingly never ending hold on Bella, Henry sat back on his heels caressing her face in one hand and looking at the damage Helms had done, her lip was pretty well busted and her teeth were stained in blood, he wondered if she had even noticed because normally the sight of it sent her into hysterics. Those million what ifs ran through his mind; what if he had not trusted his instinct and stayed at work, what if he had been a little late, what if Wabash had not been fast enough, what if his rifle had jammed, what if Will had killed Bella and taken Danny, what if he had shot Henry the moment he came in the door? That would have been the worst, shot him and Bella and left them to die, left them to watch Will ride off with their son. Henry would have crawled across the floor to hold Bella’s hand so they wouldn’t have to be without one another and hoped like hell he wouldn’t die before her, leaving her alone. Someone would come and find them dead on the floor holding hands, he knew he had good friends, if anything happened to them they had people that were fiercely loyal to them that would run William Helms to death and they would get Danny back.

Looking away from Bella’s bruised face Henry seemed to speak to the wall, “I think you should come t’town with me, stay with Mary until I can get this cleaned up . . . I dunno what the marshal’s gonna do.”
“I ain’t kiddin Henry, I smell even a rumor o’you f***in around you’ll be in jail before you can blink.” or that was the gist of what Murphy had told him when he released him after his “murder trial.” Did this count as him ‘f***ing around?’ What if he could just hide the body somewhere, sink it in the river for the fishes, burn it, don’t bury it they always found it when you buried it. He had no idea if the man had family that would begin to wonder where he was, surely he had business partners that would miss him, might even send someone to come looking for him, might be angry and looking for the man that had killed him too. Shit, what if this was not justifiable, looking at Will earlier Henry hadn’t seen a gun or any other weapon on him, what justified the killing of an unarmed man? This may be a stickier situation than what he thought and with Davion now knowing about him and Mary he may not be so lenient this time. At the birthday party it was the first time Henry and Davion had seen one another since the shootout, not counting when he visited Hellfire when Henry was withdrawing, huddled under the bed like a beaten dog. Mary had smiled and waved at Henry and he had waved back, immediately noticing Davion giving him that scary fake smile, coming over to take him by the shoulder and give him a stern talking to, smiling the whole time to play it off, “Does Bella know?” Henry had laughed and then looked rather serious and told the marshal she did not, “You wanna keep it that way? . . . don’t try anything stupid.” why did everyone think he was so apt to cheating?

Casting that remorseful and sympathetic look on his wife, Henry appeared on the verge of tears himself but so far was holding up like a stoic oak for his family, “I hafta go tell Davion, an’ I won’t leave you here, I’ll leave you with someone I trust more than just about anybody in town.” except Bella of course, “And, she’s handy with a gun so that’s a perk.” his ploy at a little awkward humor and he cocked a nervous smirk and cast his eyes back down to the floor.

[Isabella Scarborough]

Isabella Scarborough



June 17th, 1869

Bella flinched again when Henry settled beside her and there son. He wrapped his arms around them embracing them and helping to calm their frightened toddler. Danny pressed his face into Henry's shoulder when Bella got closer to him and hid her face. "Thank you Henry...thank you so much. If it wasn't for you I...I don't even what to think about what might have happened to us. He wanted to take Danny. I tried so hard to stop him and when he wouldn't leave him alone...I made him turn on me. I'd rather he killed me than touched our son." She couldn't tolerate the pain of the lose of another child. Not after Elizabeth, not after Alex. If anyone touched her children she would murder them or die trying. Henry told her she should come to town with him and stay with Mary while he cleaned things up. His fear over what the Marshal may do was indeed concerning and realistic. Then again the Marshal had no right to touch Henry over this. He had only tried to protect his family. What else should he have done? Let William rape his wife and take his child away? "I don't think the Marshal should do anything to you. He wanted his proof that William Helms had raped me and now he has it. You were protecting your family Henry. Had you not killed him he might have done worse to me."

If Davion so much as raised his voice to Henry she would slap him and then he would have to throw her in jail. she wasn't letting that man take away her husband for defending her. She continued to hold onto Henry and noticed their son was doing the same. He had both his parents in his grip and was tucked safely between them trying his best to hide from anyone who may come across the little family. Bella had never felt so clingy to Henry in all her life. Well perhaps she had once just after William had raped her the first time but Henry had left. This time Bella wasn't ever letting him go and from the looks of it neither was Danny. He shook like his mother holding tight to his father and whining. Bella looked down at his balled up fist wrapped in the fabric of Henry's shirt and couldn't help but laugh. It was all she could do to keep from crying. "Look at your son Henry...god he loves you...I love you." Despite his mothers attempt to make him feel everything was alright Danny didn't let Henry go and didn't pull his face away from his shoulder. "I'll go back to town with you Henry. What are we going to tell Ellie and Chris? Who's even watching them right now? I can't...I'm covered in his blo..." She let got of Danny and sat back looking over the dark red mark on her shoulder where he had spit up his blood over her.

Funny thing about Williams blood. As she had watched it run from his body she could have sworn it was black as night. Feeling the damp blood on her shoulder she pushed herself away from her son and ripped her own sleeve off her body trying to rid herself of the damned fluid. Bella slapped her hands over the stain in an attempt to remove it from her skin, it burned like acid or at least it had in her mind. Worst of it yet was not only the fact she had blood on her but the fact she had HIS blood on her. The blood of the man who had tried to ruin her life twice now. The blood that she had feared some time would run through Danny's veins. The blood that had committed crimes, the blood that had spilled on her when she had hit him for nearly killing her and her unborn child. The blood she had posioned. Looking to Danny's shirt she knew this blood was on her son as well, something that turned her stomach as much as being raped by him while pregnant with Henry's child. Eyes wide with fear she looked back to Henry for aid. "Get it off...get it off, for god sake get it off of me." Ripping the already damaged dress she pulled the top half of her dress off leaving her in nothing but the bra around her chest and her skirt. She settled a moment taking in a deep breath and running her hands through her hair in an attempt to calm down and remain rational.

"Henry get that shirt off our son I don't want his blood on our child. Any blood but his blood. I never want that man to touch him again. Not his memory, not his spirit." She imagined those blood sucking spirits from Greek lore than murdered children and lurked beside the bedsides of women about to have their children. Those dark spirits who wished the living harm. Bella imagines William was such a creature and even without his earthly body he would haunt the creature of his obsession. No she couldn't think like that, she couldn't fear him anymore. Grabbing Henry's arm her eyes watered again and she rested her head against his shoulder taking another deep breath. "It's over now...he's gone...forever."

[Henry Scarborough]

---

June 17th, 1869
Henry’s Farm
Around 9:45am

The shaken and bloodied Italian thanked her knight and all Henry could do was smile and hold his family tighter as Danny pressed himself into his father, his chest still hitching with the remnants of his hysteria, “Thank you for keeping our son safe, Bella. I’m proud of you, ya did great an’ I’m sure Danny thanks you too.” he stated with utmost gratitude trying to keep his voice level and calm, the vibrations in his chest radiating through the boy between them, those same vibes that put the boy to sleep when he and Henry were on the couch and Danny refused to take a nap. The banker would lie there humming a tune of some sort, rubbing circles in Danny’s back and eventually his father’s voice would lull him to sleep.

Marshal Murphy had been quite the mess when Henry had first met him, going to the brothel they would actually meet one another as one was leaving and another was going. Heck knew Murphy was seeing Mary at the time and it made no sense to him that the marshal was also visiting the whore house when he had a woman at the saloon that obviously cared something for him. Then of course there was his drinking problem, he was always bellied up to the bar with a tumbler of whisky when it looked like he’d had far too much already. There was the whore after that, Miss Lottie who was no more than seventeen at the time, twenty-two years younger than him. She walked to the saloon holding her skirts up from the dirt and politely told him she was carrying his baby, hell to this day no one knew what she was trying to accomplish there, just let him know? Or did she want something in return, what was the point in telling him? Either way, he denied fathering the child and after she slapped the shit out of him Davion threw her to the ground yelling in her face and was probably about to beat the hell out of her if Mary hadn’t tried to kill him from the bedroom window. Henry hadn’t been there but according to witnesses Mary was wearing no more than a large shirt and a gentle breeze was all it took to show onlookers the goods, that was a badass woman right there. It was rumored that Davion had somehow beaten that girl and caused her to miscarry soon after the altercation, which she did lose the baby, but it was a week after the marshal left on business, gone a whole nine months.

But after that trip and coming home to find that he was the father of Mary’s child he had changed substantially, maybe because he was now a husband and father, or it may have been because Sam had barred him from the saloon so he couldn’t get drunk anymore. But after all that shit the lawman had straightened out, turned over a new leaf and was actually doing his damn job now, “I’m sure he’ll understand, I mean the man is in my house dead on the floor, I think I have all the proof I need to claim self defense. But he’ll probably have a few questions for you too, can you handle that?” he asked with a sly look on his face, knowing Bella could not stand that man. The rumor of Davion beating Lottie was not a rumor to her when she had been in direct contact with the girl.

Henry’s hand almost covered Danny’s whole head when he cradled the boy to him, a broad smile on his face at the loving kid. It was unconditional love from a child that made Henry so proud to be a father, he knew his kids would go on to do great things, make the country a better place, “I love you too.” he was just happy he had such an amazing wife, a woman that laid down her life today to spare their child, saving him from a madman, “I left Chris and Ellie at the sheriff’s office with Murphy.” Bella may not have liked the man, but all because Davion was an asshole didn’t mean he couldn’t be trusted, “Chris might have finally met someone that can run his mouth more than he can.” ever since the boy had arrived he was nonstop jibber jabber, “Did you know an oak tree doesn’t produce acorns till it’s fifty years old? Did you know that blue whales are the biggest animal in the world, their tongue is bigger than a elephant!” did you know, my daddy killed a man today?

Bella finally seemed to notice she had blood all over her and the expected reaction finally materialized as she proceeded to become quite distressed. But he had not been expecting her to rip half her clothes off, he thought she liked that dress, oh well. Taking Danny in one arm Henry went over to the changing table where a basin of water and a rag sat out on the bedside table. While he was there he sat Danny down and pulled his shirt off very carefully to avoid getting any more blood on him. But it had seeped through the thin shirt and a smear of pink on the child’s chest made Henry feel even sicker as he cleaned the toddler off. Bringing the dampened cloth back to Bella he pondered handing it to her but instead began to gently dab away the “evil spirits” himself. She pressed her face into his shoulder again almost in an attempt to hide her swollen face. Helms must have hit her pretty hard and that burned him up so bad he wanted to march back into the dining room, turn the table over and beat the living hell out of the corpse sprawled on the floor. There was a saying about beating dead horses but Henry was not so sure about beating a dead man. After cleaning Bella up Henry looked at her face sadly wishing he could somehow help her more but time would have to heal that. The once olive toned skin was beginning to darken and bruise. He put Danny in a new shirt and put his own jacket on Bella to cover her up.

“Can you walk? I could certainly carry you both but the wagon’s in town, we’d hafta take Hero Horse.” Henry smiled warmly as he thumbed over his shoulder at the black and white stallion still standing in the parlor biting the pillows on the couch in his never ending curiosity, “Ya shoulda seen ‘im Bella, I’ve never seen ‘im run that fast, not even as a three year old when we were racin ‘im, I never even had t’ask, it’s like he knew.” of course complimenting the amazing horse was difficult when he was trying to eat the couch.

[Isabella Scarborough]

Isabella Scarborough



June 17th, 1869

Danny's little heart was still racing as Henry thanked her for protecting their son but he was starting to calm down now. At least he had stopped crying and relaxed enough to to loosen his death grip on his father. She couldn't think of why Henry was thanking her, honestly any mother would protect her child like she had protected Danny. It was her job, it was in her nature. "I would die a thousand painful deaths before I let anything happen to our son. I never want anyone to harm him or take him away from me. Even when he is a grown man and can protect himself I will still defend him." Just like her grandmother. That woman had stood up for her son so many times and even smacked around a few boys in the name of defending her baby. Bella was no different. Even as an adult when Danny stood before a foe he would have Bella backing him up, ready to fight for him until her last breath. She would do just the same with Ellie and any other child she ever gave birth to. "It's never wise to get between a mother and her child. I was even willing to have William take my life in place of my son. There is nothing I wouldn't do for him." She rubbed her hand across his back and leaned forward pressing her lips against the top of his head and kissing his curls. He had calmed down more now. His heart rate finally slowing down while he closed his eyes and stuck his thumb in his mouth.

Henry told Bella he would understand what he had done. She certainly hoped so. She didn't like that man and if he tried to pin something on Henry that her husband didn't deserve she would bring hell upon him and ruin his career. Despite Mary being her good friend or not no one was taking her husband from her without paying a dear price. It was obvious he would need to ask her some questions and as much as she wanted to forget about this event, about William Helms she would have to suffer through it to save Henry. "I would be alright with that. He needs to know in detail what has happened here. Only this time he has his proof that William meant me harm. He was armed with a knife even and had put it to my throat. He meant to rape me and I am sure kill me when he was finished." It wouldn't take a genius to find the knife looped into his belt. He had tucked it there after undoing his belt and trying to pull her knees apart. His pants were still down in fact. One didn't need an imagination to know what he was attempting. Henry had every right to kill him and she was glade he had. Though nightmares may still haunt her and Danny for a while they would fade into nothing until one day they both forgot the whole thing and continued to live their lives in peace.

Bella relaxed a little more until Henry had told her he left the children with Davion. Her back went stiff again and she sat up straight looking Henry in the eye. Bella wouldn't trust Davion with her children let alone a cat. He would frighten them or lock them up or forget about them and let them walk out into the road where they could get run over by a horse. Children died every year from being trampled. "Alone? You left my daughter alone with Davion Murphy? He killed a baby how could you trust him with my daughter?" Bella had killed babies too, intentionally. It was a little hypocritical of her but she didn't like Davion and she certainly didn't trust him. He had been one of those men who despite his relationship with a woman he claimed to love Davion still visited the brothel and still paid for his whores. Bella was ashamed to know she had served him a few times and after the ordeal with Lottie Bella swore if he ever came into the brothel again she would beat him to death. "Well I hope for their sake all they are doing is talking. If he puts my daughter in a cell I am going to beat him like a dog."

With her mind clouded by the panic attack from the blood on her and Danny Henry took the lead and changed his son out of the dirty shirt and washed him off. Once he was free of that devils blood Henry took the wet washcloth and washed the blood off Bella. She slipped out of the rest of the dress leaving the white slip skirt on underneath. Free from all blood herself she could breath easy again and kick the dirty fabric away from her. "Burn it, I never want to see that dress again." Ironically that had been the fate of the red jacket Bella had been wearing when William had raped her. She had loved that coat more than anything else in the world before that day and in the winter months you would never see her without it but from the night on Bella started walking around draped in shawls and a woolen red cape until the man who had taken it upon himself to watch her got her a new coat. A long black coat that replaced the red one but it had never been the same. It just wasn't as beautiful as her old coat. The buttons were not as decorative, it didn't have the same silky lining, and it certainly wasn't as form fitting. More than anything the color wasn't right. Perhaps one day she would get a new red coat. Henry put his jacket over her shoulders which was nice since she now sat on the floor half naked.

With Danny dressed and some form of cover over her own body Henry asked if she could walk and Bella gave a slight nod of her head rolling up the long sleeves of his coat a little. She walked back into the living room with her husband skirting around William's blood and trying not to get any on her shoes before she looked at Wabash chewing on her sofa. He told her how he had run as fast as possible without so much as a word and despite being a little pissed to see the stallion eating her furniture she could not help but shed a few tears and walk over to him. Bella cried into his mane and hugged the stallion whispering to him under her breath. "Thank you, thank you so much Wabash. Not just for me but for Danny as well. Thank you for getting him home." Her watery eyes looked back to Henry and she forced a smile on her face. "We need to get into town soon before his body starts to smell in the heat. Davion will need to help you move him. We have to explain what happened here so he won't arrest you."

[Henry Scarborough]

---

June 17th, 1869
Henry’s Farm
Around 9:50am

Henry smiled as Bella confessed her undying need to protect her children and Henry should not have been surprised but he never knew a mother could be that devoted and loving, since his mother had not been. The only reason she even assisted in keeping him out of trouble was for the sake of the family name. But he could understand such love, not long after Bella told him she was with child he had thrown himself between her and an armed man and taken a bullet, and had very nearly taken another when the hired gunman grabbed a fistful of his hair and jerked his head back, putting the barrel of that smoking gun to his forehead with every intention of blowing his brains out. He also would have died a thousand times protecting them, he would give his life for theirs anytime, “If I had t’take a hundred more bullets for you I would. I love you.” during the shootout Mary had gotten the bright idea that if they wanted to spare the innocent lives of the people in the bank, they would have to leave them. The marshal had to practically drag Henry down the stairs while Mary implored to Bella to take care of Evelyn if anything happened to her or Davion. As they ran into the livery Dolan spotted them and opened fire, only to hit and mortally wound Mary’s horse, Manny. The chestnut saddlebred died later the next day much to the barmaid’s remorse. The scorned outlaw turned bounty hunter ran into the stables as soon as it was clear and fired out the back at the three retreating figured and kept shooting through the walls as they turned and fled through the paddocks. Henry’s adrenaline was pumped and he didn’t feel the lead he took to the shoulder, but Dolan followed the blood to the rear of Hanna’s Mercantile where he shot through the back door hoping to hit someone, only for Mary to return fire and put him down. Then of course she turned and dug that slug out of Henry’s shoulder, which was the worst pain he could have ever imagined, the sound of the metal blade scraping against his broken rib and collar bone didn’t help either. He had taken that pain and that bullet to lure the danger away from his wife and child. The opium addiction afterward was not very rewarding however.

Hearing what Bella speculated William had planned for her only made him more grateful that he had made it in time, thank god for fast horses and gut instinct, “God Bella I don’t even wanna think about it, I’d be so lost without you, I’d be dead inside, I would just die.” that waver returned to his voice, he would cry later when it was all over and he was alone, Henry didn’t want to breakdown right now, not in front of his wife, she had to know he was stronger than that. Some would say it took a strong man to cry, but he would hold off on it for now, blinking away that familiar sting as the subject of their conversation turned to another man Bella did not particularly care for. The banker rolled his eyes with a little smirk, “I trust him, like every man he’s made his mistakes an’ everyone offered ‘im a second chance, everyone deserves a second chance . . . I’ve had countless second chances.” he reminded her. She forgave him for leaving, she forgave him for drinking, she forgave him for the “affair” with Warrick, she forgave him for his opium addiction, his strange behavior, the mustache . . . oh good lord the mustache.

Henry assured Bella he would put the shirt and tattered dress in the trash pile behind the house, “You don’t wanna change first, ya can’t exactly ride into town like Lady Godiva.” no she hadn’t the hair for that, “But you an’ Mary are the same size, though her ass is substantially bigger, I’m sure she has something you can borrow.” the marshal was always gawking at that woman’s butt, he needn’t any other butt to look at when his wife’s was so attractive. Henry on the other hand didn’t normally find that part of a woman very eye-catching, he looked at hair, eyes, smile, the sound of her voice and of course her intelligence, she had to be smart.

Carrying Danny into the parlor after helping Bella to her feet they walking into the room where the paint horse was nibbling on the couch, he was clearly just intrigued by the strange texture and how his teeth sank into the cushions but it sprang back into form and didn’t tear or break. The stallion was evidently fascinated. Lifting his head and swiveling his ears around, his shoulder twitched under the delicate touch of his master’s wife as she embraced his neck, cocking an eye at Henry almost questioningly or in a “you owe me” sort of way. Yes he would be getting treats later, if he were a dog Henry would have gladly cooked him a steak. The banker nodded at his wife’s words, straight to the point and ready to be done with this. He moved the coffee table over for her to step up on and mount the mahogany saddle, then handed Danny to her and took the horse by the reins, leading him to the porch and carefully maneuvering the stairs with the precious cargo. Once outside, Wabash stopped and pricked both ears toward the paddocks that held the other horses, almost as if to let them know all was okay but he didn’t whinny to Callaway like he normally did, just turned and they headed toward town, “What d’we do about the bay?” Henry wondered as he regarded the gelding tied to the fence. It may have been up to the marshal to decide, but since the animal was no longer owned by anyone and on his property, it looked like they may have just inherited another horse. Chris and Davion were probably talking up a storm with Ellie just standing around being awkward and bored out of her mind, they had better hurry.

[Isabella Scarborough]

Isabella Scarborough



June 17th, 1869

"I would take a bullet for you too Henry. I mean...I took a bullet for two complete strangers." Bella still remembered the sound of that gun going off and the way she had jumped and looked at the mugger with wide eyes. She had grabbed her stomach the second the gun went off and raised her hands seeing her fingers covered in blood. Bella couldn't remember what she had said, if she even knew she had been hit but she fell. She remembered the ground getting closer to her and finally crashing down curling up and passing out. By the time she had woken up they had already removed the bullet but work to save the baby and herself. Little had they known the baby was already dead and her body just...did the rest. She never wanted to get shot again after that especially since it would kill her but if it meant she had to live without Henry then that bullet would be the kindest friend she had ever known. She felt bad knowing Henry was frightened by the thought of what William could have done to her. "But it didn't happen, I'm still here darling and I'm not going anywhere. I'm never going to leave you dead or alive." She wanted to hug him but she couldn't force herself to do so when she had William' blood on her.

Henry told her he trusted Davion and that everyone deserved a second chance. She certainly had given Henry plenty but that was different. Bella loved Henry of course she would give him second chances but with everyone else they only got one. Perhaps she was a little too harsh but she didn't care. What he had done to Lottie, how was she ever going to feel safe having her children around him? With nothing but her underskirt and Henry's jacket Bella was more than ready to get out of this house and away from William's body though Henry seemed a little bothered to have Bella riding around with nearly nothing on or more so the fact she would be going to town with next to nothing on. Not to forget a lot of the men in town had slept with her while she worked at the brothel and despite Danny her body hadn't changed much since then aside from the fact she was still fairly thin. That and due to less fat her abbs were a little more visible than before...along with her ribs. "I...I just want to get out of here Henry. I can't be around his body any longer." Bella grabbed her skirt and gripped the fabric trying to get the memory out of her head what William had nearly done a second time. "I am sure Mary will lend me a dress for a day, my lack of hind quarters will not be an issue."

In all reality Bella was lacking a lot right now. She was shrinking down everywhere with her decreased body weight. Everywhere but her bust though now that she wasn't breastfeeding they were shrinking as well. At least back to their original size. Bella was a little shakily getting into the saddle and even more so nervous holding Danny in her arms. She had never ridden Wabash before and hoped he behaved with all three of them sitting on his back. The pain in her face finally hit her and she turned to Henry grabbing her jaw. "I think he hit me." Bella seemed a little confused, at some point he had struck her yes, he had struck her hard enough to make her see black for a minute. Hard enough she didn't even remember he had hit her. The rest of her body was certain to start hurting just the same once she calmed down more and it would be nearly impossible to ignore the fact she had been tossed around her own house. Henry asked her what they should do with William's gelding and Bella remembered how many horses he had. What would happen to all the horses now that he was dead? Would they all find good homes? A lot of those horses were truly brilliant race horses just like the gelding tethered outside, surly someone would buy them all.

"I...I don't know. We should ask Davion what we should do with him." Bella was half tempted to say they should keep him but what would they do with a race horse? True Waby was an ex race horse as well but he was also Henry's mount around town. Holding tight to Danny Bella pulled the toddler up closer to her chest. He was so shaken up he didn't even realize if he would have fussed over Bella feeding him right now there wouldn't have been much she could have done about it other than close up Henry's jacket and glare at him. If anything he was sick to his stomach like his mother. "What do you think will happen to all the horses now? Will someone inherit them? Did he have any family? I hope they end up in good homes."

[Henry Scarborough]

---

June 17th, 1869
Henry’s Farm
Around 10:15am

He wished she hadn’t. Henry was still somewhat flustered with the fact she had not only gone to New York because of him but then stepped between two people she did not even know and an armed man and got shot. They lost their baby, the baby he had not even known about and he wondered what had happened to Alex’s murderer, had Gio had him hanged like he had the McCoy gang? It wasn’t as though he didn’t have the power, that man could do anything, except find that thirteenth boy apparently. He smiled when she promised she wasn’t going anywhere and that sad but hopeful expression cascaded across his worn features and his wind blown hair as he remembered something he had said to her a while ago. That day she had come for him at the inn and found that he no longer lived there and then passed out. He had told her he purchased the bank and wasn’t going anywhere for a long time. Then of course he got her pregnant and was planning on a wedding and then in some insane display of something he still could not fully explain, he ran away for two months without a word. Maybe it was the escapist part of him, not wanting to deal with what atrocity had just been committed to her, but he liked to think he was afraid he would do what he had just done, walked up to William Helms and blown his brains out without provocation. Then instead of enduring two months without him, Bella could have watched him swing and lived the rest of her life without him, “I’m not going anywhere for a long, long time. I wanna grow old with you, and I’m looking forward to it.” he spoke softly and slowly, remembering to speak with some civility, not like a heathen like he had been slowly turning into since leaving the east. It was no secret he had lost a fair amount of his accent, Yolanda had even pointed it out.

“Okay, I’m sure she has plenty she can’t wear anymore, bein’ pregnant an’ all.” again. She and Davion used to roll around in that bed at the inn until plaster flaked off the ceiling downstairs. Maybe this baby would look more like Davion, it would be nice to have a girl that looked like her mother and a boy that looked like his father, Henry always imagined it that way. Just two copies of the parents, that would be just lovely, a normal life with a family and normal friends, living in the same house day in and day out. Nothing too exciting of course, like random shootouts and bank robberies.

After helping his wife into the saddle she exclaimed that she thought William had struck her as Henry handed their son to her and then led the paint stud out of the house, “Yeah, he definitely hit you, which makes me wanna shoot ‘im again.” to be perfectly honest Henry wanted to shoot him again, goddamn he wanted to shoot him until that repeater was out of ammo and just clicked over and over again. But after that first volley of lead and seeing Helms struck down, writhing on his back and groping at the air for a breath that would never come, dying slowly and painfully, he couldn’t bring himself to shoot the man again. Instead Mister and Mistress Scarborough stood by and watched him die, an object of unadulterated contempt for them both.

The object of their conversation turned to the horse tethered to the fence, “Well he is tied to my fence so I guess Dav-O will say he’s mine until they find a will . . . Will’s will.” he would need to be sure the animal was bedded and properly groomed when he got back, no sense in leaving him tied to the fence saddled and bridled in the sun, that would be cruel. From afar the horse looked like one of those old English paintings of champion racehorses, in fact the shiny copper coat and white markings reminded him most of Wabash’s dam sire, Lexington. It would be interesting if they were related. In Great Britain the Lords were looking over this extraordinary stud with upmost scrutiny, saying his damline was “suspect” and in coming years would ban horses from their stud books including Lexington in their bloodline.

As he led his horse down the trail, opting to walk next to his faithful animal rather than ride him and put anymore strain on the valiant, but tired steed, Henry listened to his wife as she expressed her concern for the late William Helms’ animals. Looking up at her as they departed the house and scene of the crime, the banker squinted into the late morning light and tried to give her a reassuring grin, “Given Calypso’s condition when she got here, I’ve always been worried about his animals. He had plenty of servants, maids, butlers . . . one of ‘em’s gotta know where his last will an’ testament is, or whether he had any next of kin.” he had no idea why she was talking to him on this matter, she knew Will far better than him. The longest conversation they had ever had was the one preceding Henry beating the son of a bitch’s teeth in. About halfway into town Henry now wished he had just grabbed the gelding and ridden alongside the black paint, it would have been faster. But oh well they only had about a mile to go and what was another fifteen minutes? Of course Bella was always welcome at Mary’s place and the flirty barmaid had made it very clear. But at noon everyday like clockwork she sidled on into the First Chance Saloon, donned an apron and worked until nine everyday but Sunday. So he and Davion only had two hours to clear this up.

It was funny Bella was afraid of the woman’s husband, every time Henry laid eyes on Mary Murphy nowadays all he saw was her silhouetted figure in the dark street that night of the shootout after a wounded Dolan shot at her and the marshal as they left the mercantile. They all thought he was dead after she had returned fire out the window, they heard him holler and then stagger off, assuming he had laid down and died somewhere like the dog he was. But when she opened the door and smiled at the Scarborough’s standing outside her house in town all he could see was her swinging that shovel after she and Dolan both ran out of bullets. The enraged barmaid grabbed a spade off a wagon parked on the road and beat the man to death until he was nothing more than a bloody pulp in the mud. He wondered if Bella would beat a man to death if she thought he had killed her husband. Davion had doubled over and gone down to his knees and the smell of blood seemed to set her off like a wild animal and she went on the attack, might have even been the hormones as she had been with child at the time but no one else knew.

“Well hiya Henry, what brings ya . . . oh my god.” the happiness at seeing an old friend dropped off her face as she looked past the banker and spotted Bella astride Wabash with Danny in her lap, “ . . . I uh, I need t’see Davion.”
“He’s in the sheriff’s office with your kids Henry . . . are y’all alright, the f*** happened t’Bella’s face?” she asked after Henry’s obvious absentmindedness, asking where the marshal was when he had just left his kids with him, “I’ll uh, I’ll let Bella explain that, right now I need t’see Davion.” she could see fear, uncertainty and just a general sense of anxiety in her friend of three year’s eyes. Finally she nodded and came down the stairs, turned him by the shoulders in the direction of the sheriff’s office, “He’s in his office, you send the kids on over here too okay? Bella, come on down, I’ll take Danny let’s go inside, let me get a look at that.” Henry came over to the paint as well and helped his wife down as Mary took the toddler, the banker pulling his wife closer to him and kissing her on the forehead, promising to be back soon before heading on across the street.

[Isabella Scarborough]

Isabella Scarborough



June 17th, 1869

"I couldn't picture growing old without you. It would be so lonely." And it would, who would care about her as her youth faded? Who would still tell her she was beautiful? Who would remind her she was still a wonderful woman? Without Henry Bella would be forgotten. True she would still have her children and maybe grandchildren but only if they came to visit. Otherwise Bella would be alone like Abby. She would sit in some little cabin out in the woods and die alone. Abby would die alone because the only man she had ever loved was hanged in front of her. She would die alone because her only child died too young. She would die alone because she had nothing left to live for, nothing but Bella and her children. Bella was her last chance for a family to call her own. Abby did her best to stay in the woods still. She didn't trust the people of Buffalo just yet but perhaps some day she would and Bella would be right there beside her helping her fit into the community.

Henry opted to walk beside his wife and the paint stud as they made their way into Buffalo. She held his jacket shut and listened as he mentioned Mary likely had plenty of dresses she could wear since she was currently pregnant. It reminded her of Alex. Bella and Mary had most likely conceived in the same month and were possibly due the same month. Bella had been pregnant during the shoot out though she hadn't known until a little while after. At that point Henry had already been falling apart and she couldn't tell him about the baby. Now Mary was going to have her baby and Bella had nothing. Seeing Mary alone would remind her of what she wouldn't have and Bella worried more and more each day there would never be another baby in the house again. Still holding onto Danny she slipped her hand into her jacket and rested it over the scar on her side where the bullet had struck her. Bella could tell this month they likely were not going to be having a baby since her monthly flow was only two weeks away and if she wasn't with child yet she likely wouldn't be by the next week and it meant now she had to wait for July and cross her fingers again and possibly get let down for another month. "I am sure she does have a lot of dresses to spare then. Maybe I should give her some of the ones I had when I was pregnant with Danny. I'm not sure if I will ever need them again."

Rubbing her fingers over her busted lip Bella felt the hot spot on her face where William had struck her and knew it was swelling now. "He's already dead shooting won't do anything to him now." Soon it would bruise due to her bleeding condition as would her back and possibly around her neck where he had choked her. The sight wouldn't be pretty and Bella knew she may very well be wearing a scarf for the next few days to hide the finger prints embedded into her throat. Henry told her since the gelding was in their yard he belonged to them until someone else could prove otherwise with a will. William use to talk about his family back home. If he had a will she wondered who back 'home' was going to get his farm and horses. "I can't remember his name but if we can keep him perhaps he can be with Cali. She might remember him. What would we do with him? He's a racehorse...and a gelding." Though William had told her he was a very nice racehorse. One of his better ones even, faster than his brother who was his now stud but whoever had purchased the gelding from him had gelded the animal out of spite for William. Wasn't hard to imagine it now.

As they got into town Danny started fussing and moving around when he noticed they were not home anymore. He had drooled on Bella's shoulder a little. Poor baby had fallen asleep on the ride over, if only she could have done the same rather than sit on the back of a horse with nothing but her husbands jacket on and a white slip. They walked over to Mary's house and Bella tried to hide her face a little so she wouldn't notice the busted lip. Mary's voice went from one of joy to concern as she took Danny and Henry helped his wife off the horse. her back was starting to hurt now along with the rest of her body from being tossed around. Bella kissed Henry back and wished him luck. She didn't know what she would tell the children once they got here but the moment Henry was out of sight and Bella was inside the house she collapsed back on the floor and burst into tears again. The jacket fell open and dropped off her shoulder a little while she curled up hiding her face in her hands. "God help me...why does this always happen to me?"

[Henry Scarborough]

---

June 17th, 1869
Henry’s Farm
Around 10:25am

He had given her that warm smile when she said she could not picture growing old without him and god he hoped he lived that long. From the ways he had abused his body not thinking he would live to see next week, he was years past his life expectancy and turning around now to repair the damage, may be a lost cause. He hadn’t been to a doctor for a physical in god only knew how long, he wondered how his liver and kidneys were holding up, how was the notorious killer Scarborough ticker doing? Heart problems had taken his father and his father before him, but his mother’s family was long lived and healthy as horses so Henry hoped he had inherited a bit of that. Reaching up to her hand on the horn of the saddle Henry gave her that fond squeeze and then turned back to walking the horse up the trail.

When Bella expressed her doubt in them ever getting pregnant again Henry gave her that sympathetic look, “Bella, we haven’t been tryin that long, I know it’s hard but, try t’stay positive alright?” he had a hard enough time remaining optimistic but her downer attitude wouldn’t make it any easier. If it made it impossible he didn’t know what he would do, hopefully not fall back to the drink again but he doubted that would happen. The mere thought of alcohol made him want to gag, he couldn’t even stand the smell anymore. Luckily he had never been subjugated to the coal tar treatments that some lawmen resorted to to make binge drinking impossible. He had heard the jail keepers in Carson City talking about it, mentioning if Henry showed up twice more they would pour that sticky, foul shit down his throat. It would coat the stomach and every time the treated alcoholic took a shot of whisky it would react violently with the alcohol causing the drinker to immediately purge to the point of nearly passing out. Which was of course a truly horrendous thing to go through and often turned a man sour on the drink, ultimately “curing him” until of course the tar cleared his system, “I’m here for ya, I’ll be here for ya either way.” if she got pregnant, great. If not well she still had his stupid grin to wake up to every morning telling her how beautiful she was.

Talking about the horse, Henry didn’t want to say it but he didn’t think he would be able to ride the animal, not that he had a problem with the horse just the fact that William had rode him to the house with the explicit purpose of doing his family harm, “If we end up keepin ‘im I want his papers, name, date of birth, pedigree, I need t’know everything. I don’t even buy a horse unless I know all about ‘im, let alone just take one in.” maybe Calypso’s papers were at Will’s place too unless Bella somehow already had them. Henry kept all his important documents in a small safe in his office at the bank, including Wabash’s papers, pedigree and racing and breeding records. He also had a scrapbook in there of the stallion’s offspring’s newspaper articles where they won races. It was a little too early to tell if he would be a good broodmare sire but so far Wabash had proven to be about as successful at throwing females as the Scarborough’s. One of his sons was gelded and still running so Henry was keeping up with that, a big grey gelding named Hobart who had showed in a race in California last week. It marked the sixty-third race for the five year old. When bred to a full blooded Thoroughbred, Wabash’s get were just ten percent quarter horse and eligible to run with fellow Thoroughbreds in lower class races.

Holding onto Bella’s hand as Mary ushered her inside, Henry watched her vanish into the Murphy house and turned to walk across the street with his horse in tow. He didn’t hear the kids immediately but finally pinpointed their location within the sheriff’s office, back in the land officer’s quarters that used to be occupied by Daniel Helm, a man that would not fair so lucky this week when he lost his child to a miscarriage. Running his fingers through his hair to comb it back, Henry parted the door with that look on his face that probably made Davion think the banker was about to vomit all over the floor, he was pale and appeared to have aged considerably within the past hour, “Jesus Henry, where ya been? It’s been an hour I was about t’bring em back t’the house.” the banker swallowed thickly and pushed the door open the rest of the way to see Chris and Ellie playing checkers on the floor by the desk, a tin of thumbtacks nearly cleaned out as it appeared the marshal had been illustrating all the places he had been, “Chris, Ellie . . . could you go on across the way t’Mrs. Mary’s please?” Ellie knew the way and was not a stupid child, she could cross the street and with Chris growing up in New York he should have too.

Meanwhile Mary was knelt in the floor with her arms around Bella, leaning back to lift her chin with one finger, looking her in her watery eyes, “Bella, I know this is hard, I dunno what happened but you’re a strong woman okay, women kick ass, you remember that now.” she said seriously, “We’ve both experienced childbirth, we’re made of some tough shit, takes more’n a beatin t’break us . . . I want you t’be honest with me hon, who hit you? The bastard better be dead or I’ll kill ‘im” the barmaid inquired as she hauled Bella to her feet and walked her over into the spare room then put Danny on the guest bed next to her as she turned to fetch a wet cloth, “Yer daughter an’ ‘er little friend’ll be over here in a few seconds, I dunno if you want Ellie t’see ya like this or not?” Evelyn was playing in the next room, busily without a care in the world, used to being an only child she could entertain herself for hours. By the time she had come back with the rag Chris and Ellie had come on in, not knocking as usual since Ellie was always welcome here in Auntie Mary’s house.

“I just killed William Helms . . . in my house, he was beatin my wife.” the marshal’s face went from concerned to vaguely intrigued, almost impatient like he didn’t really want to deal with this today, “Henry . . . I been waitin for you t’say that for over a year.” the banker’s expression didn’t change, “How’s Bella?” there it was, that sudden tightening of the man’s jaw muscles, Henry was an angry man, “Now that the shock’s wearin off, she’s in a bad way, he hit her in the face . . . what would you do if somebody hit Mary in the face?” well nothing obviously because she would blow the bastard’s brains out. The marshal set his hands on his hips, “I’d send the son of a bitch straight t’hell.” Henry remained quiet and finally inquired as to how to go about this situation, “First I need t’get t’the morgue, report the death an’ get a pine box o’course, you got a wagon we could borrow?” Henry was a little dazed and the marshal had to ask him again and he finally nodded, “Is he in the house, ya didn’ move ‘im or nothin?” he shook his head, “Shouldn’ be too hard t’prove home invasion.”
“And justifiable homicide, for raping my wife last year . . . I want that on the record, we all know it happened I don’t care if we can’t prove it the motherf***er’s dead now, what difference would it make? He came into my home, attempted t’defile my wife again an’ then beat ‘er because he was tryin t’take my kid, so attempted abduction too.” Davion could understand if Henry was upset but he was going at this with a fiery passion and he hoped the man could conceive of the irrationality of his charges on a dead man. If anything the marshal could definitely stick the invasion and assault charges and could only get the invasion to stick if Bella testified that she did not permit access to the home to William Helms, “I’ll do everything I can, but I need t’ask her a few questions . . . alone.” Henry narrowed his eyes and tilted his head, “Why . . . you think maybe, somebody else beat ‘er?” he asked incredulously. The marshal shook his head and Henry scoffed in disbelief, how in the hell could anyone think he would lay a finger on that woman?
“But someone else, say a jury . . . might think otherwise with your . . . record.” if Henry hadn’t looked sick before, he damn sure did now, “Let’s go, I wanna wash my hands of this.” Davion responded with a chipper, “Yes Lady MacBeth!” and grabbed his hat on the way out the door.

[Isabella Scarborough]

Isabella Scarborough



June 17th, 1869

It was hard trying to calm yourself down even as reality hit her and it all sank in. William was dead, he was gone. So what was she so afraid of now? Losing Henry? Mary asked her to tell her who had hit her and for a minute Bella wondered if she thought Henry had done it. That man had never even raised his voice to her let alone his hand. Henry was incapable of striking her. "It wasn't Henry if that is what you are thinking." Bella paused at looked at her son laying on the bed curled up with his thumb in his mouth. "It was William...he tried to...he tried to rape me again." She leaned in closer to Danny wrapping her arm around him and holding him close like someone was still out to snatch him from her. "He tried to take Danny away. I was so terrified. He had me pin on the ground, I couldn't move and then Henry came and he shot him. Mary Henry killed him. I don't want him to get in trouble. All he was doing was protecting me. He was just protecting his family."

Mary listened intently and Bella knew she may feel the same way she had when Henry had shot the bastard. The blonde then went to go fetch a washcloth to wipe the blood off Bella's face. Taking the cold cloth from Mary Bella pressed it to her lip first feeling the cool sensation against the hot wound. "No, no I don't want her to see me like this." She looked at herself a moment and remembered she wasn't even wearing a dress. Pulling the jacket back on her shoulder. What the hell was she going to tell Ellie if she asked? What was she going to do? How could she explain this? Ellie hadn't been around the first time this had happened and then there was Chris as well. He grew up in a brothel and might know what rape is. He might even feel guilty since he had wanted to stay back to take care of Bella and Danny. She didn't need the boy feeling like he was somehow to blame for this. Jesus his father had killed a man, what were they going to tell the children?

Running her fingers down Danny's back she handed the wet cloth back to Mary and ran her fingers through her hair. Without so much as a word Ellie walked into the house and somehow knew right away something was wrong. She could feel it in the air. Quietly she walked through the house heading back towards the bedroom where she assumed Mary would be but rather than seeing her 'aunt' she found her mother sitting on the bed with a big red mark on the side of her face. "Mom?" Ellie tried not to wake her baby brother who she noticed was fast asleep on the bed. "Mom is there something wrong?" Bella looked up at her daughter with watery eyes only to turn away and try to hide her face but Ellie had seen that look already. She knew something was wrong, very wrong. Bella didn't need to say a word. not even fully knowing what had happened Ellie ran to her mother and threw her arms around her breaking down into tears like the Italian woman sitting on the bed. Danny rolled over and opened his eyes again looking around the room in confusion. Had Bella not been there on the bed he might have fallen into a fit but instead he crawled over to his mothers side and rested his head in her lap. "Mommy are you going to be okay?" Ellie looked back at Bella then rested her head against her mothers chest holding her tears back only when Bella brushed through her curls and hugged the frightened child back.

"I'm going to be just fine Ellie. I'm alright now/" Bella's attention turned to Chris and she felt her heart racing again. Hopefully the little boy didn't panic. Danny sat up a little more trying to push Ellie away from their mother so he could curl up in Bella's lap but Ellie refused to let Bella go. It might have been more terrifying to Ellie. She had spent all these years without a mother and wasn't ready to lose Bella now. Not when she had finally met her and realized how much she loved her real mother.

"Mommy what happened?" Bella didn't know how to answer her. She just looked at the ground and then back to the top of Ellie's head and down at Danny.

"Nothing Ellie, you don't need to know."

"Did someone hit you?" The little girl sounded so concerned but damn she was good. She was such an observant little thing and Bella couldn't lie to her even if it did make her feel better. Ellie would know it was a lie.

"....yes. It was William."