RIDING DOWN A BROKEN DOWN trail, the gang quietly travelled to a new hideout spot. Billy had asked an elderly man if he had any water to spare and when the site blew up. The two continued to converse while Belle scanned the area, sceptically. Glancing up at the mountains, she caught a sliver of movement. With a squint, she shielded her eyes from the harsh sunbeams with her hand so she could see clearly at the cliffs.

"Ah, shit!" Belle cursed, guiding her horse the other way. "It's Pat!" She informed the men behind her. The deputized gang began shooting at the out-laws as they barely managed to escape. Billy sped ahead, the rest following him desperately. He managed to find a small trail, hidden from Pat and his men.

Belle whipped her head around to make sure Josiah was still behind her, which he thankfully was, but noticed Chevez was nowhere to be seen. "Fuck sake," she muttered, worrying for his safety but knowing it would be a stupid idea to turn around and find him.

Billy paused at the edge of a cliff, the rest following his actions. "Well, now what?" Belle sighed, clearly aggravated. A loud, bellowing yell sounded behind them prompting them to whip their heads around to see Cehvez charging at the end of the cliff. His horse leapt off the edge, Josiah quickly following his actions. Belle followed suit, wincing at the thought of her falling off her horse or if her horse would break something at the landing.

As if God was against her, both she and her bronco fell to the ground - the horse didn't make the plunge. Belle cursed as she rose to her feet. Josiah hurried to her side on his horse, extending his hand to her. Belle used his leverage to jump on the back of his horse, sorely - knowing she had twisted a muscle or even broke a bone or two in her leg. Snaking her arms around his waist, she laid her head down on his back, listening to his frantic heartbeat as she tried to calm her own. 

Belle achingly watched as the rest painfully fell to the ground after the jump or as their horses fell on their necks at the impact. 

Unfortunately, Dave's horse was not quick enough and one of Pat's men shot its neck, provoking him to tumble to the ground. Chevez slowed his steed down and helped Dave spring on the back of his. 

Once the gang was sure they had lost Pat and his deputies, they rested in the middle of a trail. 

"Sweet Mary's ass! How the hell did you get them to do that?" Dave asked bewildered and out of breath. "And what's that mean, anyway? Assay, assay?" 

"It's an ancient Navajo word. It means 'stop'." 

"Stop?" Belle and Josiah whispered in question before following him on the new trail.

-----

Belle smiled as she watched Billy and Tom race each other to a cliff. "You know, I reckon Billy loves that kid," Belle muttered to Josiah, pressing her cheek further into his back. "Maybe even more than he does me," she teased, placed her chin in the crook of his neck.

"Ha-ha," Josiah mocked in a monotone voice. "You ever gonna stop teasing me about that?"

"Maybe when you stop being so attractive when you get jealous," Belle whispered in his ear with a grin.

"I'm not jealous," Josiah muttered under his breath. Belle snorted, sticking her face into his neck. "What?" He laughed.

"You missed my point there, sweetheart."

"Oh trust me, I didn't miss the point that you get all hot and bothered at the sight of me jealous, I'm just waiting until we're alone to address it," Josiah smirked over his shoulder at the blushing blonde.

Belle tried to push away her desperate thoughts. "Ah, so you admit you were jealous!" Belle giggled.

"You missed my point there, sweetheart," Josiah mocked her words from before with a grin,

"Oh trust me, I'm just waiting until we're alone to address it," Belle smugly grinned before pressing a chaste kiss to his cheek.

Before the couple could stay in their private moment of bliss, a series of gunshots sounded from where Billy and Tom were. Billy came rushing out of the trail the two men went down, but Tom was nowhere in sight.

"Where's Tommy?" Belle asked a frantic-looking Billy.

"Man down," Billy muttered, his eyes laced his guilt, regret and sorrow before he shouted. "Move out, Pat's close."

-----

The remains of the gang had found an abandoned shack where they could stop briefly. Chevez was standing a distance away, softly signing an old Navajo ballad, while Billy rummaged through Tom's belonging that he left with him.

"I'm scared, Doc," Belle whispered from Josiah's side. "What if this is the end. If Pat is gonna kill a little kid, then he'll have no problem killing all of us, especially me and you, considering her knows we've killed before. What if-"

"Darling, I know you're scared, and you have every right to be scared. Hell, I'm scared. But, I know, as long as I have you by my side, I fell immortal, you know? You keep me alive. You know, this whole time, the only thing getting me through this is you."

Belle thought over his words. "Do you think this is the end, baby?" She whispered.

Josiah took his time answering because he didn't know the answer. He knew the answer she wanted to hear would be 'Of course, it's not the end. We're gonna get out of here and back to Charley and Richie, and we're gonna continue where we left off' but he knew that may never happen. A part of him knew the reality was that either one or both of them were going to meet their deaths, but he didn't want to say it. Part of him knew that Belle already knew that reality. So, he settled for; "I don't know, doll, but I do know that I'm sorry for letting this all happen to us."

Belle laughed. "You should be."

Josiah's brows shot up with a playful scoff. "Hey! No 'There's no need to apologise when there's been no offence'?"

Belle laughed, knowing he liked to use her little catchphrase against her most days. "Well, what if I've been offended?"

"Touché"

Billy and the rest of boys came into the worn-down cabin, taking a seat around the cabin. "I spent a lot of night in this cabin after the Lincon War," Billy admitted. "Tried to put another outfit together but it was never the same. When you guys came back, I felt like there was nothing I wouldn't do to keep the gang together, keep riding."

"What are you saying, chivato?" Chevez asked.

"You wanna know what the Mexican Blackbird is?" Billy asked, guiltily. 

"A broken trail that leads to Old Mexico," Hendry spoke up.

"It's a half-black, half-Mexican whore up in Puerto De Luna..."

"You better mean that you named the trail after her, William," Belle said, growing annoyed with the man in front of her.

"There is no trail, is there, Billy?" Josiah asked, growing equally annoyed as his wife. "Is there?!"

Belle stood up and began pacing. "So, you're telling me, all of this," She threw her hands up above her head. "Was for nothing!?"

"What about Old Mexico? You promised everyone!"

"I'd just be another Gringo in Old Mexico - it's as good as being dead."

Belle practically screamed, pulling her hair at the roots. "You are such a selfish, little brat! What about Tommy, hey?! If it weren't for you, he'd still be alive. He'd have a life! He was - what? 14, 15? And you killed him!"

"No, I didn't!" Billy shouted. "Pat did!"

"And who did Pat want to kill and who got in the way?" Belle seethed in anger.

"Belle's right," Josiah spoke, standing behind his wife with a red face. "You're starting to believe what they're writing about you, aren't you?!" He yelled. "Let me tell you what you really are. You rode a 15-year-old boy straight to his grave, and the rest of us straight to Hell!"

Josiah stepped back to grab his rifle, pointing it directly at Billy's head.

"You are not a God, Bonney," Belle seethed between her teeth.

"Why don't you pull the trigger and find out?" Billy challenged. 

After a moment of deliberation, Belle whispered in his ear. "He's not worth it, Doc."

"We've got to go home," Doc fully realised his mistake in trusting Billy's judgement. He lowered his rifle and grabbed his few belongings, Belle following his actions. Doc hurried walked out of the cabin while Belle placed a gentle kiss on Chevez' forehead. Strolling to the exit a few steps behind her husband. Her ears pricked up and her face fell at the sound of a gunshot from outside the cabin. 

It was at that moment, that she knew her world came crashing down in front of her eyes.

----

very sorry guys :(