Two weeks after Maria's funeral, Teaspoon and the boys were still no closer to finding the woman's killer, established to be Laura Wilson. They'd talked to the Wilsons and heard all about how Laura had been sneaking out to meet somone for months, how Maria had told Mrs. Wilson, and how the Wilsons had finally confronted Laura about her lies. It would definitely explain the message she'd left for them on the wall of their kitchen. The furor had died down a bit by now especially since there seemed to be no trace of Laura Wilson anywhere. The girl had been incredibly smart by keeping her horse on well used paths. There was no way to tell her horse's hoofprints from any other traveler's, so there was no real way to track where she'd gone even for Buck. Teaspoon had sent riders to all of the neighboring towns with wanted posters and letters to those towns' marshals in an attempt to establish the girl's whereabouts. Laura Wilson was a sick and dangerous young woman and Teaspoon's letters reiterated the importance that no one try and bring her in to justice alone. However, it looked as though Laura was long gone from Nebraska territory or anywhere where they might easily apprehend her.

She was oh so patient as she watched and waited, biding her time until the moment was right. She'd watched from her hiding place in the hayloft as the two lovers said goodbye reluctantly that morning, the others giving them privacy by standing out in the yard. She'd bit her lip until she drew blood as she watched them kiss passionately, heard their whispered endearments. It was enough to make one sick watching how well that McCloud witch had cast her spell. As they'd left the barn together, Kid's arm around the woman's waist, she'd turned and looked straight at Laura's hiding place. She'd held her breath until Louise turned back around and followed Kid out into the yard. Even though she hadn't been seen, Laura knew she had to up the anty before she was discovered watching them. Today would be the day. Today while the men were gone on another wild goose chase looking for her. Yes, today she would remind them of her. They had forgotten her in the last few weeks as they worked together, forgotten her as they made love in the darkness of the barn and her room. Well, Louise McCloud would rue her complacency today, Laura thought with a smile. She would not be forgotten.

"Rachel, I know it hurts like hell, but it ain't time to push yet," Louise commanded from the foot of the bed. How in the world did she get herself into these things? Here she was alone on a farm with two children, a dog, and a pregnant woman about to give birth with no doctor or anyone else in sight. She'd known something was going to happen today, she just knew it!

"Oh, God, Lou!" Rachel groaned as another contraction hit. "Just get this thing out of me!" Her hair was matted to her head, sticking in spots to her flushed and sweaty face. The nightgown she wore was damp as well, the bedclothes twisted around her as she writhed in agony.

Lou took her hand and wiped her face with a cool cloth. "Don't fight them, Rachel. It hurts more when you're so tense. You just need to relax as best you can and focus on something else," she said gently.

Rachel looked at her like she was crazy. "Relax?! You try relaxing when you've got somethin' the size of a watermelon comin' out your...."

"Breathe, Rachel!" Lou commanded, cutting her friend off. "Remember I've been here before. Just concentrate on breathing in and out on the next one. Forget about the pain and just think about breathing."

"In and out. I think I can do that."

When the next contraction hit, Rachel coached herself to concentrate on breathing as she clutched Lou's hand until it turned white. Lou heard the dog barking in the yard and dimly wondered what was going on before Rachel demanded her attention again.

"Let it out slowly," Lou coached in a low soothing voice, remembering how Mama Josephine had coached her through her own labor with Lexi. "That's a girl. Good, Rachel. It won't be long now."

"Lou?"

Louise smiled at the sound of Kid's voice calling her from downstairs. Finally, some help had arrived. She could send Kid for the doc and stay with Rachel. "Up here Kid!" she called back down. "In Rachel's room."

His footsteps echoed through the house as he walked up the stairs. Kid poked his head into the door and his face blanched at the sight of Rachel in labor on the bed. "Oh, God," he muttered.

As Lou rose to go to him, Rachel refused to let go of her hand. "Lou, please don't leave me alone," she pleaded tearfully.

"I'm not goin' anywhere Rachel. I'm just gonna send Kid for Teaspoon and the doc and ...."

Rachel's scream cut her off and Lou rushed back to the foot of the bed to check on her friend's progress. This baby wasn't going to wait until the doctor got there; he was coming now. Chewing on her lip, Lou ran over what to do in her mind, what she'd need. One look at Kid's face and she knew she'd have to give him something to do to get him out of the room before he passed out on her. Standing, she crossed to Rachel and took her hand. "Rachel, honey, this baby's so anxious to meet you that he ain't gonna wait for the doc to get here. We're gonna have to do this just me and you," she said soothingly.

"Oh, no," Rachel moaned.

"Shh, we can do this Rach," Lou said confidently. She looked up at Kid who still stood mutely in the doorway. "Kid? Kid!" she called to get his attention. Lou continued when he looked at her. "I need you to get some things for me. Can you do that?"

Coming back to his senses at the sight of her serious eyes, Kid replied, "Yeah, anything."

"Good. Now I'll need as many towels as you can find, some hot water, a piece of string or balin' twine, a good sharp knife, and some blankets for the baby. You got it all? I'm gonna need this stuff to deliver the baby," Lou said.

"Sure. Be right back," he said, leaving quickly to round up the stuff she needed.

"When you're done, check on Theresa and the baby!" Lou hollered after him before focusing her mind on the task at hand.

Laura watched the confusion around the old waystation interestedly. Apparently, Rachel Hunter was having her child and all attention, even that of the two dogs, was centered on the farmhouse. She'd begun to worry when she saw the marshal, Jimmy Hickok, Noah, and that Danny person ride into the yard. However, they too were caught up in the excitement of the coming birth. As she watched from her hiding place, Kid stepped out of the farmhouse and descended the steps, heading for the bunkhouse. Quietly, she crept from her place to get a closer look, knowing the children must be in the smaller building.

Theresa watched the door open and immediately ran to hug Kid as he entered. She'd heard Rachel's screams from the house and they'd terrified her. "Is Aunt Rachel alright, Kid? She's gonna be alright, right?" she begged.

Kid smiled down at the smaller girl as he knelt before her. He understood Lou's reasoning behind keeping the children over at the bunkhouse, but he had to admit, he felt bad leaving them alone with no idea of what was going on. He couldn't help brushing her bangs out of her eyes as he answered. "Rachel's gonna be fine. Lou's with her and she's deliverin' the baby. Says it shouldn't be long now," Kid replied.

"But why can't I be over there, too? I'm not a baby. I can stay out of the way and be real quiet. You won't even know I'm there," Theresa pouted, her eyes brimming. She hated having to just listen to what was going on. It was just like it had been in Denver when her sister had told her to stay in the basement with Lexi and she could hear everything that had happened.

"I know you can, Tessa, but then who would watch the baby?" Kid asked. "Lou's trusted you with a very grown-up responsibility lookin' after him. Besides, there's too many people over there anyways pacin' and worryin'."

"I guess so. But I can't even get him to take a nap!" Theresa protested, tearily. "I tried everythin'."

Kid stood and crossed to the basket where his cranky son refused to lie down and sleep. The baby was up on his hands and knees as if to crawl away, his little face red and wet from crying. Kid picked him up and began the familiar process of walking the floor with him, juggling Lexi slightly in his arms as he soothed and crooned. Amazingly, it wasn't too long before the little boy finally gave up fighting the sleep his little body so desperately needed and closed his eyes, snuggling beneath Kid's chin. When he was sure Lexi was fast asleep, he laid Lexi in his basket, covering him.

Glancing around for Theresa, he noticed that the young girl had curled herself up on a lower bunk and fallen asleep. Probably best for her, he thought, gently removing her shoes and covering her up as well. He promised silently that he'd come and wake her up as soon as the excitement in the house had died down.

Quietly closing the door of the bunkhouse, Kid looked down at the two gray and white dogs waiting expectantly on the porch. He reached down to scratch them both behind the ears. "Guard the kids," he commanded. He knew from experience that Terror and Tendra would let no one but the family past that door, keeping the two children as safe as if he were there himself.

Laura had anticipated the dogs in her plans. After Kid had re-entered the farmhouse, Laura slowly crept from around the corner of the bunkhouse where she'd watched Kid's interaction with the children inside.

Terror's head lifted as he smelled the unfamiliar person, his hackles raising and a low growl emerging from his throat.

"Easy boy," Laura said softly. She pulled her hand from behind her back, holding the dead rabbit. The dogs' noses twitched at the scent and a smile crossed the mad woman's face.

An hour later, a very tired Louise McCloud descended the stairs of the farmhouse to plop herself in the nearest kitchen chair, rubbing her eyes. Rachel had given birth to a beautiful baby girl she and Teaspoon had named Rose Louise. Lou had left the proud parents alone upstairs to get acquainted with their blonde-haired, blue-eyed daughter. Her back was sore and her eyes felt ready to pop out of her head. The labor hadn't been long, but it had been intense and nerve-wracking as the baby had turned itself halfway down the birth canal. Then, suddenly, like a miracle, Lou felt strong fingers kneading the stiff muscles of her shoulders and neck.

"Mmmm, perfect," she muttered, her head lolling on her shoulders.

Kid smiled at her ecstasy. "You want some coffee?" he asked.

"Mmmhmm."

Chuckling, Kid moved over to the small stove and poured some coffee into a waiting mug for his hardworking love. He set the cup before her and then sat down across the table as she sipped the hot brew. He couldn't believe she'd delivered the baby singlehandedly. The doctor had only just arrived about fifteen minutes before to check over mother and baby and clean things up. They sat like that in silence for long minutes, the two of them, Louise sipping her coffee and Kid just watching her, a mixture of respect and sadness on his face.

"Where'd the others go?" Lou asked, suddenly realizing that there was just the two of them there.

"To take care of the horses, then Noah and Jimmy were gonna go relieve Buck and Ike so they could come see Rose."

Several more minutes of silence went by, before Kid's staring got to Lou. "What?" she asked, curiously. "What's the matter, Kid?"

He sighed deeply and shook his head slightly as if to clear it. "Just sittin' here realizin' that I missed this for Lexi," Kid said softly. He looked down at his hands as they rested on the table, remembering how anxiously Teaspoon had reached out for his newborn daughter. "I missed the first important moment in my son's life and I can never go back to it."

Lou reached across the table for his hand, her eyes misting. "Oh, Kid. Honey, it wasn't your fault you couldn't be there! It was mine, because I never told you about 'im comin'," she said.

"Tell me about it. Tell me about the day he was born."

She could tell by the intense look in his eyes that it was important to him. Lou smiled, thinking about how much she'd wanted to share those moments with him. "Lord, I was huge with Lexi!" she laughed, thinking about her pregnancy. She held a hand out about a foot from her flat stomach to indicate her size. "I was still thin everywhere else, except this huge bump in front of me. Looked like I'd stuck a pillow or a sack of grain up under my blouse."

Kid stroked her hand with his thumb. "I'm sure you were absolutely beautiful," he assured her.

Well, I certainly didn't feel beautiful, she thought wryly, but said nothing aloud, merely blushing and ducking her head at the compliment. "I'd been anxious and nervous for about two days just needing something, anything, to do. I cleaned as much as Tanner and Mama Josephine would let me and had gotten underfoot so many times in the kitchen that poor Josephine had barred me from it altogether. After two days of havin' ants in my pants, I woke up one morning with a backache that just wouldn't go away no matter how long I was up or how much I rubbed at it. Well, I wasn't about to let a little backache slow me down so I headed out to inspect the new foals and take care of a calf with colic."

"So when did you figure out the baby was comin' that day?" Kid asked, not at all surprised at her reaction. Lou'd never stopped working unless she was too sick to get out of bed.

"I had a few twinges out by the corral, but I did my best to hide them from the men. Then I had one major pain that was so hard it doubled me over and I couldn't breathe. I must've made a sound or somethin' because all of a sudden Danny'd grabbed me up and started for the house hollerin' at the top of his lungs for Josephine. My water broke while he was carrying me, completely soaking his entire front," Lou said. She grimaced in embarassment at the memory. "It started so fast and hurt so much that I was sure something was wrong. Then, everything slowed down and I remember wondering if I was dying. All I felt was pain after pain for so long that I thought it'd never end. Josephine told me I was crying and cursing and threatening to castrate every man I knew. All I remember was wanting you there and having never felt quite so alone before."

Kid said nothing, merely brought her small hand to his lips.

He looked so angelic, so innocent lying there sound asleep in his basket. Smiling gently, Laura reached out to touch the baby's soft hair, heedless of the blood from a second dead rabbit she held in the other hand which stained her hands and clothes. When she'd caught it, the rabbit had struggled and squealed making such a horrible racket that it had angered her. Seeking a quick end to the annoyance of aggravating sound, Laura had reached for the fillet knife she still carried and started stabbing until peaceful quiet had been restored. With a deliberate gentleness, she slowly picked the child up, trying not to disturb its rest and cuddled him close to her chest, dropping the dead animal inside the basket.

"Your new mama's gonna take real good care of you Alexander," she whispered. With the still sleeping baby in her arms, she moved to place her note in his basket.

Theresa didn't know what woke her up exactly. She just knew one minute she was sleeping peacefully and the next she had the feeling that something was wrong. Rolling out of the bunk while rubbing her eyes sleepily, it was a few moments before Theresa opened her eyes. When she did, she wished she hadn't. There stood Laura Wilson, her vanished former teacher, covered in blood and holding Lexi like some bloody madonna.

Instinctively, Laura turned her head and found herself face to face with Theresa McCloud. The two stared at one another for long moments, each deciding what the other was going to do. Just as Laura thought the girl was too traumatized or shocked to do anything, Theresa opened her mouth and began to scream.

Theresa's scream echoed loudly through the farmyard, reaching the ear of every one of them. In the Hunters' kitchen, Louise heard the sound and horrible flashbacks of Denver ran through her mind. "TESSA!" she yelled, throwing herself from her chair. Faster than Kid had ever seen her move, Lou dashed out the front of the house, grabbing Rachel's shotgun from by the door as she went.

Filled with fear at what she could face charging into the bunkhouse, Kid scrambled over the tabletop instead of going around it and followed. "Lou wait!" he called after her, drawing his pistol automatically as he ran.

Knowing the child's scream would bring them all running, Laura quickly weighed her options, deciding she needed to live to rescue the baby another day. Theresa's scream also awakened Lexi who began to cry fearfully at the top of his lungs, discovering that he didn't know the woman holding him. As she heard Louise's call through the yard and the sound of the farmhouse door banging open, Laura quickly deposited Lexi back into his basket and turned to make her escape. She threw open the bunkhouse door. As she did so, she ran headlong into Louise and both women went down in a jumble of skirts and limbs. Luckily the shotgun never went off in the tumble and Laura scrambled up quickly, her eyes locking a moment with Lou's before she ran off into the almost dark night.

In the one moment their eyes met, Lou saw more hate than she'd ever seen before in anyone. The woman's eyes were dead almost as if they were a doll's eyes made of button. No humanity, no life lived within those orbs and Lou felt herself shudder in fear. Shoot her, her mind said, but Lou couldn't bring herself to raise the gun to her shoulder as the blonde spectre ran to the corral. Laura opened the gate, loosing the horses as she shouted at them. Somehow, she managed to mount one bareback and rode off into the night.

When Laura was out of sight. Lou scrambled to her feet and ran inside the bunkhouse, her eyes searching for both children. Her eyes fell on Lexi, crying desperate, sharp screams that made the hair on the back of her neck stand on end. She rushed to him intending to cuddle and soothe her frightened child when she noticed. There in the basket lay the dead, bloody rabbit right next to her baby. Lexi's white gown had been stained brownish red by Laura's bloody handprints.

Out of breath from running after Lou, his knee smarting from having tripped down the porch steps in his hurry, Kid entered the bunkhouse. "Lou, what...." was all he got out before an unearthly wail came from Louise. "Oh, my God."

Kid could only stare for a moment as Lou fell to her knees and scooped the baby up into her arms, sobbing. Lou was absolutely hysterical as she ran her hands over her baby's body, checking for injuries.

Noah and Jimmy, burst through the door, guns drawn at the ready. The two men were ready to come in on some wild animal attacking the children or some man trying to force himself on Lou. When there was no apparent enemy, however, and the hysterics continued, both men felt their blood run cold, the worst going through both their minds. Lou sat on her knees on the floor, rocking the screaming Lexi as she sobbed. Theresa was curled up in a ball in a corner on the floor, hiding her face against her knees as Kid stood not knowing who to tend to first or what happened.

"Kid, what the hell's goin' on?" Jimmy asked.

"We heard screaming," Noah insisted.

At the sound of his friend's voices, Kid was snapped into action. "Jimmy, see what you can find out from Theresa while I try and calm Lou down," he said. "Noah go see what happened to the dogs and find out where the hell they were!"

Noah rushed outside as Jimmy moved to coax Theresa out of her defensive posture. The little girl was incomprehensible between her sobs as Jimmy tried to ask what had happened. After five minutes, he gave up. He lifted the frightened girl up in his arms and sat down on one of the lower bunks soothing her.

Cautiously, Kid approached the distraught Lou, trying to get a look at his son. "Lou, let me see him. Honey, I can't see if he's hurt unless you let go," he said softly. Coaxing her gently and quietly as if she were a skittish horse, Kid convinced Lou to let him look at the baby. He tried not to focus on the blood covering his son's nightshirt as he looked for signs of injury. Strangely enough, as Lou sobbed and sniffled next to him, Kid could find no cut or scrape that would explain the hand-shaped blood stains.

"The blood's not his. The blood ain't his, Lou; he's alright," Kid soothed, relieved, wrapping his free arm around her.

"Then where'd it come from?" Lou demanded.

Before he could answer her that he thought it might have been Laura's, Noah returned. "Found the dogs," he said. "Looks like she baited them into the shed and then locked them in there so they wouldn't alert us. Everybody alright?"

"We will be," Kid replied.

Seeing the blood on the baby's basket, Noah walked closer to look inside and noticed the remains there as well as the note. "Holy, hell," Noah muttered, disgusted. Quickly, he removed the dead rabbit and threw it outside to the awaiting dogs. Reaching inside the basket once more, he removed the note and looked it over. "Kid, you better take a look at this!"

Kid stood, whispering in her ear when she clutched at him. "Shh, sweetheart. It's alright, I ain't goin' anywhere," he soothed. He picked her up in his arms, baby and all and carried her toward another bunk. "Let's go lie down, baby. That's a girl. Just rest here a second while I check things out."

He moved to go to Noah and Lou's arm reached out to hold him back, her eyes huge and frightened, her whole body shaking in a way Kid had never seen before. "No, don't leave us...." she pleaded.

"I'm just gonna go talk to Noah over there. You can watch me the whole time to make sure I don't go anywhere," Kid assured her. Knowing she watched every step, Kid made sure he and Noah were within her clear sight. "What'd you find, Noah?"

The dark skinned man held out the white paper to his friend. "Looks like she left more than just that rabbit as her calling card," he said.

Kid examined the page, the handwriting familiar. There were also bloody prints on the note which read: "I'm still here."