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"ALEX! ALEX!" THE REGULATORS BARGED into the Macsween's residence in Lincoln, holding their rifles high to their faces.
Belle caught sight of a confused and startled Susan Macsween pressed against the wall, her hand clutching her dress over her chest. Belle rushed over to her, bringing the older woman into a small hug.
"Alex! Let's go, the word's out. They're gonna come kill you," Billy breathed out, holding his rifle up to his face.
"Damn it, Billy," Alex groaned in despair. "I told you not to come here. I'm not leaving my house!"
"Alex, if you stay, they're gonna kill you. And then I'm gonna have to go around and kill all the guys that killed you!" Billy countered. "And that's a lot of killing!"
"Alex, maybe," Susan tried to persuade Alex but he cut her off immediately.
"You heard me!"
"Well, we can't just stay here and hope that the good Lord saves us from all-out -"
"Susan," Alex whispered lowly. "I'm sick, I can't go to old Mexico."
Belle and Josiah looked out the window to watch a group of men pull a wagon to the front of the home. "Don't fret, Alex," Josiah stated, drawing the curtains together. "The trip's postponed. They're coming around the front,"
"Shit," Billy whispered, moving towards another pane with Josiah and Belle following with their guns ready.
"Chavez?" Belle called out. "How is from the East?"
Chavez glanced out the window. "Murphy men,"
"Charley! How is it all about you? Can we break?" Billy shouted. After not hearing an answer after a moment of silence, Billy called out to him again, successfully gaining his attention.
"It's John Kinney!" Charley finally announced after a few seconds of stutters.
"I think the word you got was just a trap to get us all together in the same place," Alex declared. Belle closed her eyes in momentary annoyance and despair. "My God, look at them all. It's gonna be a massacre!"
The strawberry blonde girl opened her eyes, staring fondly at Josiah's profile. Reaching her hand up, she gently brushed her thumb against his cheek, turning his face to turn to her.
"If anything happens, I want you to know that I love you, and even if we never got married, I'm glad I got to call you my love," Belle whispered, moving her palm up to his hair, running her fingers through the golden locks softly.
"I love you too, doll. But nothing's gonna happen, ok? I'll make sure of it. After all of this is done, we're gonna get married and settle down and start our own little family. Just us," Josiah placed his palms flush against Belle's cheeks, pulling her face closer to his own.
As their lips moved in sync, Josiah's hand fell to Belle's waist, pulling her even closer.
Although, their moment was interrupted when Billy pulled the two apart. "Nows not the time to make babies, alright?"
"Shut up, Billy," the couple mumbled in unison.
"Bonney!" A voice yelled out from outside. "We got you Billy the Kid! Take a look at the firepower down here! You all come on out! Real slow! You up there, Bonney?!"
"Let's have some fun, Doc," Billy smirked, preparing his gun on his shoulder. "Yeah, I'm here, you bastards!"
A second had not even gone by when dozens of rounds of bullets pierced through the windows. Belle was pulled back against a wall by Billy, his arm holding her back from the bullets. Both falling towards the floor, Billy kept his arm in front of Belle, while Belle buried her head in the crook of her arms.
When the shots stopped, Belle hesitantly rose her head, while Billy lowered his arm back to his side and grabbed his pistol.
"Billy, what the hell are we gonna do now?" Josiah exasperated from his spot on top of the wooden chest that he had fallen on.
"We're gonna show these guys they've finally met their match," Billy answered back, raising his gun by his head. Belle shook her head in despair, lowering her head back to her knees. "Hey, Peppin!"
"I'm hearing you, Bonney!" Peppin replied from outside the home.
"I see you got Charley Crawford down there with you!" Billy called out, rushing up to shot out the window, sending a bullet through Charley Crawford's head, resulting in a series of gasps and shouts to erupt from outside. The bullets of the men continued their path from outside and through the broken windows. Belle crawled over to Alex and Susan who had slid down from their position behind a door to the floor.
"Are you ok, Susan? Alex?" Belle asked shakily, running her hand up and down Susan's arm. Billy began ordering people to go upstairs. Belle took hold of Susan's hand, hauling her up gently. "Come on, darling, we need to get you upstairs, ok?"
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While upstairs, Belle gently placed Susan beside Alex, wrapping a blanket around the couple and walked over to Josiah. "Baby? You're bleeding," Belle hoarsely spoke, reaching for her once white, now grey handkerchief, and dabbing it on the cut on Josiah's cheek.
"I'm sorry," Josiah suddenly spoke, staring up at the blonding girl.
"What for, Doc?" Belle furrowed her brow, kneeling down by his side and halting her movements on his small wound.
"For persuading you to join us. I was stupid, I ruined your life," Josiah pulled Belle's hand away from his cheek, lowering back down to her lap.
"Are you kidding me, Josiah?" Belle asked, her voice strained by the threat of tears about to spill from her eyes. "Yes, it's been hard. You know, losing my father and Dick, and watching all the deaths and destruction, and not having nice food, and not having the chance to wash properly," Belle paused, a smile gracing her features, even though Doc didn't see as he lowered his head at Belle's confession. "Although I had to go through all of that, if I didn't join you, I wouldn't be the betrothed the most amazing, handsome, compassionate, loving man that I have ever meet. Christ, if I hadn't joined, who knows what could've happened to me back at the ranch, all alone,"
"You would've been safer there than here," Josiah weakly argued back, not daring to look up at Belle.
"I feel safe whenever I'm with you, sweetheart," Belle placed her hand under his chin, lifting his head so she could look into his eyes. "There's no need to apologise when -"
"When there was no offence," Josiah finished off, a genuine smile finally adorning his features.
