NOW SEATED IN THE DINGY bar, Belle watched Josiah and Steve play a small and friendly card game. Josiah, Steve and Belle were sat at a small, square table located in the corner of the saloon, with Billy hovering behind one of the seats. Chevez was at the next table over with a young, pretty girl latched to his side, playing with his hair.

"Darling, when a man rides 200 miles to do a job, you just bet your Spanish land grant he's gonna get that job done," a well-dressed man with long brown hair announced to the woman at the bar, loud enough for everyone in the area to hear him. "Now if this Billy the Kid's around town like people say, he is 200 dollars flat dead on this bar."

"You can't kill what you can't catch," the woman teased with a fading Russian accent. "You know, these 'mestizos' they say that Billy's half horse half devil. But who knows. Maybe a strong big Texas man like you could do it -"

"Are you really gonna kill Billy the Kid?" Billy cut the woman off. The man and woman didn't look at the boy, instead remained to look at each other, lustfully.

"Does a horse piss where she pleases?" The man asks, causing Billy to smirk and laugh. Billy turned back to the Regulators with a teasing glint in his eyes. Josiah sighed quietly, reaching for his gun and placing it on the table, just in case, Steve following his actions.

"Is that the gun you're gonna shoot him with?" Billy asked, playing the excited kid role very well. "Can I touch it? Please. You know, Sir, I do admire you, and I sure would like to touch the gun that's gonna kill Billy the Kid," Billy's sentence was cut short as the man pulled his gun from his holster, twirling it around his finger before offering it to Billy.

"Go ahead. Have a look," He said with a proud smirk. Billy took the gun, admiring it for a second as the man looked back to the prostitute. Belle watched as Billy fiddled with the bullets, removing them all from the gun, before handing it back. "Ok, pass it back now, son. You stroke a gun like that, you might as well be stroking a man's woman. Pass it up," Billy began to hand back the gun but flipped it so it was aimed at him. Billy laughed, handing the gun back. "You best be on your way before you get hurt." The man laughed, slightly embarrassed.

"I'm leaving right now and I wanna know what to look for in case I run into him," Billy said, feigning enthusiasm.

"Well, he's a good looking kid, a way with women, he dresses dandy and he's a left-hander," the man listed. "And people say he's fond of whistling sad ballads. Now if you see anyone who fits that bill, you just come whispering to me."

"Okay," Billy whispered back. Billy turned to the mirror behind the bar, seeing his reflection clearly. "Hey! I see him! Right there! Don't you see him?"

"Is that so now?" The man asked. "Look here, boy, I'm getting pretty tired of you wise lip, Now you, you get yourself someplace else before I have to drop your britches in front of all these fine ladies and spank you little bottom blue."

"Billy's just asking to be shot at this rate," Belle whispered in Josiah's ear, him humming in agreement, while Billy began whistling a sad ballad. The man raised his gun, aiming it towards Billy. He tried to fire it but nothing happened.

Billy also raised his own pistol, shooting the man through the chest, causing his body to fall back into the wall. Blood splattered the poster-filled wall. Steve and Chevez both seemed shocked at Billy's actions, while Josiah and Belle sighed in defeat. Josiah put his gun away back into its holster.

"Hey, Doc!" Billy called between his laughter. "How many does that make? 25?"

"5," Josiah hesitantly corrected, holding his hand up to show the number more clearly than his voice did.

"We'll call it 10, 10 even, how'd that be?" Billy lowly spoke.

"Whatever you say," Josiah nervously laughed, smoke puffing out of his mouth. Belle rubbed his arm, comfortingly, sending a small glare in Billy's direction.

Charley burst through the door suddenly. "It's John Kinney!"

--------

The group had managed to just slip away from Kinney's grasp and were now just a couple yards ahead of him.

The Regulators sped down to a large cluster of dying bushes, making it very difficult for Kinney and his men to find the group. Finding a narrow and hidden passageway, the group managed to slip further away from Kinney.

Belle took a quick glance over her shoulder to see Kinney's men had managed to trapped themselves in the maze of branches.

With a relieved laugh, Belle pushed her horse more, speeding further and further away from the bounty hunter.

-------

"His hat was covered with gold and jewels. It sparkled and shone in a dazzling and blinding manned when one looked upon it!" Billy read from the daily newspaper that was describing himself.

Belle was stood, comforting Charley, while Chevez tried to remove thorns from his bottom with his knife. Chevez was digging his blade gently into Charley's flesh, flicking the barbs out on his body. Charley began to squeal and flinch. "I know, I know! It breaks my heart too!" Chevez mocked, drenching the skin in alcohol to numb it.

"It'll be over soon, don't fret," Belle tried her best to suppress her giggles but the smirk on her face made Charley more embarrassed. Belle laughed at his distressed face, throwing her head back in a fit of chuckles.

"You know, you're not helping, Belle," Charley muttered.

"Alright, I'll go, suffer alone," Belle giggled. The ginger girl walked over to Josiah who was currently sat bare in the small pond, unravelling his bandage on his hand, but not too successfully. "Do you want some help there, darling?"

Josiah looked up to see Belle smiling down at him. Josiah took a moment before answering, taking in her beauty. Belle's long light ginger hair was beginning to brighten, turning slightly more blonde due to her exposure to the sun. Her once fair skin was now slightly red and freckles were scattered over the bridge of her nose and across her cheeks. Her hair was now loosely tied back in a low ponytail. Her once white blouse was now darkened to a grey tone from being unwashed and was stained with blood and mud.

Even though she looked exhausted and a mess, she still managed to put a grin on her face.

"Darling?" Belle asked again, snapping Josiah out of his daydream.

"Sorry, doll, what did ask again?" Josiah bashfully asked.

"I asked if you'd like any help with your bandage there, you look like you're struggling," Belle smirked down at her partner.

"Ah, yeah, that'll be great, love," Josiah nodded. Belle sat down behind him on the rocks. Belle gently grabbed his wet hand, unwrapping the grubby cloth from his palm. Belle ripped a section from the bottom of her blouse off and wrapped his hand again with that.

"The shoes worn by this young left-handed prince of the plains were low-corded, with patterned silver spurs on the heels," Billy continued to read out. "I ain't even left-handed."

Steve popped up from below the water, scaring Belle in the process. "Jesus Christ, Steve, you could've given me a heart attack!" She laughed gently.

"Billy, I was thinking about our course, and it looks like we've just done a big circle twice," Josiah announced to Billy once he finished reading.

"And?" Billy countered.

"It also looks like we're going back into Lincoln, I know we can't be going back into Lincoln so -" Josiah continued.

"We are," Billy answered. Everyone went silent, as they stared at Billy as if he had three heads.

"Ain't a good idea, Billy," Steve commented with a mouth full of tobacco.

"Christ in Heaven, Billy, what are you thinking?" Josiah continued.

"Are you insane, Billy?" Belle asked, still fiddling with Josiah's hand.

"Billy, we're lucky to be alive!" Charley emphasised. "Going back to Lincoln, that's crazy!"

"Lincoln's where we'll find the rest of the men who killed John," Billy calmly stated.

"It's a hundred against six!" Josiah argued.

"It's a hundred against six!" Billy mocked. "We take Murphy and the Ring falls. We take him, we win this war. Then it'll be over."

"Billy, don't you think we've done enough. Josiah's right, it's a hundred men against five men and one lady, we wouldn't stand a chance," Belle countered Billy's argument.

"No one asked you join us, Belle, you should've stayed on the farm and done what a lady's meant to do," Billy raised his voice.

"Doc asked me to join!" Belle stood up, standing directly in front of Billy now. "And I would've liked to have seen how you would've been without me here. No one would cook for you. No one would make sure you're sleeping No one would make sure you're doing alright. No one would care for you if I wasn't here. Hell, you might even be dead if I wasn't with you!"

"I highly doubt that!" Billy narrowed his eyes at the girl, Belle returning the gaze.

"I didn't see you doing much at Henry Hill's arrest. All you did was shot the man - something you were not supposed to do!" Belle quarrelled. "All you do is drag us down into trouble, William H. Bonney," Belle seethed, a single hot tear ran down her face. She rubbed it away viciously.

The two continued to stare the other down in pent up anger until Chevez interrupted them. "It's not just a hundred man, there are the bounty hunters too everywhere we go. But not west."

"Oh Christ, here we go again!" Billy muttered.

"No, I followed you, I chose your way chivato, but I don't trust it anymore. California's where we have to go," Chevez said.

"What are you on about, Chevez?" Belle asked, stepping away from Billy.

"When you and Doc left for the night, I told Billy that I was planning to leave and build my people again, but Billy stopped me," Chevez explained.

"Billy, why would you do that?" Belle sounded genuinely shocked at the information.

"Are you telling me you wouldn't care if Chevez up and left us?" Billy asked.

"Of course I would care, but I know what happened to him, and I know what my father told him to do about his situation, so I would've told him to go do what he needed to do," Belle replied. "Why?"

"Billy, here, convinced me if I left, that you'd be heartbroken, especially so close to Dick's death," Chevez confessed.

"I see," Belle muttered. "Well, anywhere sounds better than here, so I'll join you on your way west, chivato,"

"Same here," Josiah said.

"Damn with the money, I believe in that spirit world stuff, Chevez. Let's go!" Charley declared. "Yeah, California sounds about right to me."

"You're all scared," Billy deduced. "And you're gonna fail the test."

"What test?" Josiah asked.

"You have to test yourself every day, gentlemen. Once you stop testing yourself, you get slow. And when that happens they kill ya. You fellas don't feel that? Upon John Kinney's riding up on your ass and the balls are flying and the blood goes right to your head?" Billy said, pulling out his gun, firing it into the distance. "It's quite a sensation."

"Yeah, I bet it is," Josiah uttered. "And I'm sure in your mind you hear trumpets sound and angels sing a fargin', and I shit my goddam breeches!" He shouted. "Okay? We've taken enough goddam Murphy's scalps! We cannot win this war, not the five of us!" There was a brief moment of silence before he continued. "Do you understand? Now, Billy, you want to get the President's attention? Go ahead. You wanna keep on testing yourself? Fine. Let me tell you something. Tonight I'm riding at the border, I'm gonna get myself a hot meal and a good night of sleep with my finacé. Come morning I'm a Mexican," Josiah finished. The rest of the boys agreeing.

"Mexico, huh? You're all testing yourselves and you don't even know it. Trying to make it all to Mexico, that's a hoot!" Billy laughed. "They'll be covering every possible which way in from Texas to Arizona. John Kinney knows everyone down along the border. There's a full day's ride through them thorns we all love so much which also make a good hiding place for scalp hunters and renegade Indians. The chances to make it all to Mexico? Well, that's the test of all tests, if you ask me. I'm in."

Billy smiled mockingly at Belle, before walking away to his horse.

"I'm really not liking him," Belle announced to Josiah.

"Agreed."