Brian stretched as he woke up from his restless sleep. He was never able to sleep very good. He was lucky if he got four hours of sleep at the most, and he was a very light sleeper. Of course, that was a good thing in his profession.
As he got dressed in his jeans and shirt, he thought about Chris. They had been close at one time. Their families had lived close to each other, and he and Chris were always playing together and hanging out.
His Aunt Mary and Uncle Simon, Chris' parents, hadn't liked how Joan and Jack had treated him and Claire. Mary had tried to talk some sense into her sister, to get her to take him and his sister away. But, Joan believed that divorce was a sin and refused.
When Jack had killed Claire, Chris wasn't allowed around him anymore. He couldn't really blame his Aunt and Uncle, they were looking out for their son. And, there was nothing they could do to stop Jack's abuse, it wasn't illegal to 'punish' your children. And, what happened behind closed doors was nobody's buisness.
Then, when Brian had left, him and Chris didn't see each other for a few years. When they had finally run into each other, it was in Tombstone, Arizona. Chris was called out and shot a man, dead, in a gunfight. Brian found out about Chris' wife and son, and was truly sorry to hear about it. They had talked all night and caught up with each other, but that had been the last time they had seen each other. Until now.
As Brian pulled on his cowboy boots, he shook his head. The past was the past. He and Chris were on diiferent sides, now. And, he wasn't about to change his life. He loved what he did for a living. Making sure that he had the room key, he closed and locked his door, then walked down the stairs into the saloon, below the rooms. Seeing his friends already seated at a table, he walked over to join them.
"We were talking about heading to that restraunt across the street. Wanna come?" questioned Michael.
After a pause, Brian nodded. "Sure."
As they walked out of the saloon, Michael decided to broach the subject that he and the others had been wondering about. "Shouldn't we be getting out of town? With your cousin being a lawman and all?"
Brian's voice was firm as he said, "No. I'm not running away."
"But, what if he and the other lawmen decide to arrest us? We are wanted, ya know," whispered Ted.
Brian nodded and whispered back, "I know that Theodore. But, I refuse to run. And, I refuse to be arrested."
Without Brian coming right out and saying it, they all knew what he meant. He would kill anyone that tried to arrest him, even his cousin. They all loved Brian, they were their own little family. But, they all also knew that Brian Kinney could be a cold bastard when he wanted to be. Even though he didn't like to kill, Brian never lost any sleep over it.
As they reached the resturaunt, a they heard and saw a wagon entering town. There was a young girl in the back, an old woman on the passanger side of the seat, and a young blonde at the reins. Brian couldn't tear his eyes off of the blonde. Seeing Brian's reaction, his friends smirked. Shaking his head, Brian lead the way into the resturaunt.
After sitting down, they all ordered a plate of eggs and bacon, along with coffee. They were idly chatting when Brian's attention was caught by the blonde entering, along with the old woman, the young girl, and seven other men. His cousin being one of them. It didn't take a genius to figure out that the other six men were the other peacekeepers. 'Great,' Brian thought.
WITH THE PEACEKEEPERS
When Justin entered the resturaunt, he inwardly grinned when his blue eyes locked onto hazel eyes. He was glad that he had let the others bring him to breakfast to welcome him to town. He had seen the handsome man outside, and had hoped to see him again. He didn't know what it was, but he felt a connection to the man. The man that he didn't even know.
As he and his companions sat down at a long table, Justin couldn't help thinking that he hoped to meet the man soon. He sent the man a small smile, before turning his attention back to something that his Aunt was saying.