Dare to gamble in sin.

Chapter 7 - In the morning light

Serena watched the sun rise pour over the desolate landscape. Maybe it was not fair to deem the rust colors of the land before her that way but she wasn't much in the mood to be fair. True the west had not had a hand her losing her home back east, but it seemed that from the moment the lush green landscape had given way to the billows of dry mountains and consuming heat there had been nothing but hurt in her future. She had been west of civiliation for only two months and in that time she had been kidnapped, abused, cleaned to be sold, traded in a card game, chased, shot at, and on the run for her life. It was so hard to understand, so foreign to her and yet without all that she wouldn't have found him.

The man who was in her thoughts most of the last two months moaned quietly behind her, she heard him shift again, restless agains the fever that burned him. His large body was tangled in the sheets, he was fighting through the sickness, even down as he was he knew nothing more than to fight.

He confused her even at th best of times. He was a constant stuggle within himself. He often had said on their adventure as she called it, that they would part in Mason. What she couldn't figure out was how a man could say that in the daylight but love her so fully underneath the stars. And he did. No matter what he said, in those hours he loved her, he belonged to her. He had put a frightening brand on her heart and soul that said should he leave, she would never be rid of him.

I love you, Serena thought...Please survive.

Carefully she washed his face again, crooning soft words into the still morning air. He seemed to calm, the tossing about eased as she washed his body. The healer had said the cool water would help ease the fever. She took her time across him body, a foolish and embarressing thing to do but she couldn't stop touching him. Reassuring herself that he was here, real, and god willing healing.

"How is he?" the healer asked softy, closing the door behind her. Serena looked up, surprise must have shown on her features. She hadn't heard the young woman come in, so focused on Darien. Not a surprise, he often took much of her focus.

"I don't know," she answered honestly. The bullet was out, his side stitched together, but the fever burned high and hard. Even taking that away they had a set of outlaws on their tails and she did not even know how to contact Mina now that they have made it to Mason. She also feared leaving Darien alone long enough to try.

"Have you slept?" the healer asked, brushing her think black hair from her eyes. So dark in seemed blue.

"No."

"You should," she said on a sigh, "It takes a lot to heal and to help heal another. You must think of yourself. I'm sure your husband would be upset to know that while taking care of him, you didnt take care of yourself."

Serena flushed guility. She had continued the charade in town of telling others that they were married. She knew the world, it was one thing for a wife to travel across the country, even this country with her husband. It was another for his bed mate. Wives made decisions and she was the only one here to do so.

"You're right of course...," she trailed off, having completely forgotten the young womans name. She flushed anew with embarressment. Here she was drapped across Darien in the "hospital house" for lack of a better name and couldn't remember the womans name would had so graciously helped her.

The healer laughed, sweetly brushing aside her memory, "Ami of course. Really," she smiled and Serena felt better, "Your husband is here... hurt. It's ok that you have forgotten. It happens alot. Fear and stress are not the best friends for remember somone who you would rather not be talking to. Let me honest, if he hadn't been injured we never would have met."

"Maybe we wouldn't have met now but I'm staying in Mason...or just outside I think. We would have crossed paths."

"You are staying? Only you?"

Serena just about groaned at her slip up, "Well I was on my way to stay with family friends when I met Darien," she allowed, trying to gloss over the minor details, "You could say our relationship started with a bang and before we knew it we were married." All true, their relationship had started with bang. Just not the ever romantic, love at first sight, more like gunfire in a crowded bar while possibly about to be sold as a whore. But those were details others were not going to ask for.

"Oh, how romantic," Ami's eyes wided, cleary the small woman liked fairy tales. "But your still on your way here to stay with friends," she asked a bit confused.

"Well since it happened so fast Darien thought it would be good to come for a visit first. So that my family friends would know that I'm safe and wouldn't worry over me." Serena explained, trying to keep it light in detail. Ami seemed so nice but the fewer who knew the truth the better.

It worked, Ami smiled and nodded her head in understanding.

"Who are your friends? I could send them a message for you."

"You would," Serena leaped to her feet to hug her, "Thank you so much. Maybe you know her. I'm a friend of Mrs. Mina Williams and her husband Mal."

Ami nodded, "I know who she is even though I haven't met her. My friend Lita is the Sheriffs wife. They are good friends." she explained. "Today when I'm done with my rounds I'll speak to Lita."

Serena smiled, grateful for the womans help.

"I'll also grab you some blanket to sleep in and send the Doctor in when he makes his round. Currently he's out and about seeing those on the ranches and families without the means to travel in." Ami explained, soundlessly shuting the door behind her.

Turning to her patient she saw he had lost most of the covers across his body, his long legs dangled out, bare for the world to see. She hurried forward to re-tuck him in and washed him again with the cool water. Brushing his hair from his eyes she softly sang to him, petted him, and tried to give him comfort.

Serena was surprised when his midnight blue eyes opened and blinked at her. Even she could tell they were unfocused with sickness.

"Darien, it's alright, I'm here. The doctor got the bullet out, you just have to heal," she explained, sliding her fingers through his dark mane.

"Serena?" Darien asked, his voice hoarse and thick, "Are you hurt?"

"No, you saved me," she replied, kissing his forehead.

"Good," he answered, then sunk back in to exhaustion.

When Ami returned a while later she was kind enough to bring dinner and blankets with her. Serena almost groaned in joy, it was the first real meal she had had in days. Feeling full she wrapped the stiff blanket around her shoulders and laid her head next to Darien on the bed. She fell asleep in moments, the whole of the expierence weighing down on her.

This was of course the position she was found in several hours later when company arrived. Serena concluded that it might have been funny if she had seen her friend in several years, known his husband, or wasn't so damn tired. But as it was she was introduced to Mr. Malachite Williams and the sherriff while bed ragged, teary eyed, and clutching a naked man's hand who wasn't really her husband.

She had awoken feeling fuzzy and hearing voices speaking in a hushed whisper, tensions stole through her body as a large blond giant pushed his way through the door that led to their sick room. Snarling in a stutted whisper, "Doc, I don't give a damn when I should be visiting. That is my half dead friend in there...apparently MARRIED to the woman who is a friend of my wife and who has been missing for two months." His large hand, poked the doctor firmly in the chest, "So when my pregnant wife demands that I come immediatly into town to find out what is going on, neither you or God himself is going to stop me." Firmly setting the smaller, clearly kinder, Doctor aside Mal Williams marched in to the room only to come to a dead stop.

Serena guess he couldn't decide which one of them looked worse. The half dead man, currently sprawled half naked on top of the damn bed sheets, because he couldn't seem to stop moving around and had yet again unearthed himself from the mound of covers. Or the slight of a woman in front of him who looked as though she hadn't seen clean water in a week, bed nested blond hair that looked at one point should have been pinned on top of her head, but the pins had given up.

"Mrs...Darling?" Mal asked, clearly shocked.

Tears welled in Serena's eyes. For some reason the untruth of the entire situation hit her square in the chest and she couldn't seem to stop herself. She never even put up a fuss as Mal took her in his arms and attempted to sooth her with what could only be the expierence of a man that had dealt with his number of crying women.

Over his rather unusal mummblings about it being alright, she could hear The Doctor and another man talking to her right. With one last great sniffle she peeled herself away from the blond giant and offered a watery smile.

"I'm Mal Williams," he introduced himself, "Mina's husband." His smile was tight but at least sincere. Mina had a nice husband, Serena thought.

Clearing her throat Serena tried to offer up a less dramatic introduction, "I'm Serena Darling, Darien's wife. It's been a hard couple of days," she said, trying to at least explain her behavior.

She sounded so prim and proper, as though the were back East in a palor rather than standing with a wounded naked man in a small cramped bedroom that Mal started laughing, the booming sound took over the small room.

Serena grinned in return. Maybe she could see the humor after all.

"Let's get you two settled," he commanded, taking over the entire matter. Serena felt she should have put up more of a fuss but it was nice to relax her guard for the first time in days.

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Three days later they loaded Darien in to the back of a straw covered wagon and started out towards the ranch. While Serena was more than hesitant in moving Darien since he was mainly still in and out of it with the last remains of his fever the Doctor had been fine with the move. He had freshly bandaged Darien's side, checked him again, and stated that nothing else could be done here. Home would be fine for him to heal the rest of the way.

Home. That wasn't really where they were going, but who was she to stop Mal Williams when he made up his mind. Clearly between being Mina's long lost family friend and his war buddies wife she was important, they were coming home with him as they had been expected all along, he explained. Or at least she had, and truly sleeping somewhere safe, not hunted by the outlaws who had wanted to rape, sell, or kill her would be nice.

The trip from town to the ranch took twice as long Mal told her, but it made sense, they constantly had to stop for Darien. As weak as he was the constant moving of the wagon had made him sick. Serena spent most of the trip holding a bucket and encouraging...at times maybe yelling at Darien to sip some water when he managed to crack an eye and seem to concious.

They arrived at the sparling ranch just before dusk, greeted by a very anxious woman heavy with child, and two faces peeking out from her skirts.

Mina looked so like Serena had remembered her. Long blond hair, a perk nose, and a beautiful smile on her lips. She grinned happily at Serena and waited just long enough before the wagon stopped to waddle a surprisingly fast paced to lauch herself for a hug.

"I'm so happy you are alright and here," Mina told her, squeezing tighter on her friend. Frail as she was she sort of creaked under the assualt. "And married?" Mina questioned, blond eyebrow arching high.

Serena was so grateful she was saved from answering when one of the two faces who had been hiding behind Mina came forward to offer her own hug. The second wasn't to be left behind and before she knew it she seemed to have made two new friends who chattered quickly in a bid to out do one another in stories.

Mal rounded the wagon to kiss Mina before speaking with Sherriff Ned in order to start moving Darien from the back of the wagon.

"I cleaned up the back room for them, everything is fresh so set him in there," Mina instructed her husband, while managing to shoo her children along in front of her. Grabbing Serena's hand she tugged her along and whisphered, "I wanted you to have some privacy together."

Serena gave her best non-committal nod. They would certainly need privacy but less for what Mina was thinking. More what was probably going to be a loud fight when he learned that she had introducted herself as his wife to the general public. Which was really his fault so he could shoulder most of the blame and deal with the outcome.

Resolved not to worry about it until the matter came up, she followed Mina listening to her soothing voice as she discussed her children, the house, and the ranch.

Serena instantly loved the William's house when she entered. It was roomy but cozy at the same time, clean and comfortable looking, it also looked filled with love. Children's clothing was sitting by the fire, a huge basked to be mended or altered, the air smells wonderful with the scent of homecooking. Her stomach rubbled in response. There was something to be said for not dried, chewy meat that was hard to swallow.

Mina smiled gently at the sound, "I'm hungry all the time too."

Serena was pretty sure she failed to keep the look of horror off of her face. "Oh no," she assured her friend, "I'm...I'm...what I mean to say is...Well I'm not with child."

"You're sure about that?"

"Oh yes,"Serena assured her, after all her monthly had just ended while she was caring for Darien. She honestly wasn't sure how to feel about that. Prehaps now it was for the better. "When is your next due to come?" she asked, Mina did look ready to burst at any moment. She reminded Serena of a large ripe peach, almost splitting at the seams.

"By my count six more weeks, but the Doctor said that often the babies come sooner after the first child. So maybe a little less." Handling Serena large bowls filled with stew she indicated to the table to sit. She did tire easily now adays and sitting felt so nice. "I am ready to being holding the baby in my arms rather than my belly," Mina confessed, leaning closer, "I just feel so large and in the way of everything."

Serena smiled in return and began to relax. Mina was just like she remember, it was making the trip worth it.

"I have to ask," her friend, finishing off the last of her stew. Which was funny as Serena had barely touched her own, "How did you meet Darien and when did you get married?"

Serena tried to sidestep, "You know Darien from before this?" she asked, hoping to get the matter dropped.

"Oh yes. He and Malachite know eachother from the war. Families from the same town I believe, but I'm terrible at remembering lately. However, I didn't meet Darien till seven years ago. It was when Mal and I were first setting up the land and Mal was taking side jobs in order to help us to be stable." Mina confided, making room on lap for the child who insisted on being held. Anna's blond locks tumbled down her back and her eyes instantly closed in delight at being held by her mother.

Serena felt a pang. She might never have that.

Mina continued, "Even all these years later Mal refuses to discuss what the job really was, but I'm not stupid I know Darien is a bounty hunter so I can only guess. In the end Darien dragged Malachite home with bullet wounds and a knife wound deep in his side that should have killed me. Not that Darien was any better for it either."

"You hold no ill will towards him?" Serena asked, curious if she had brought a man her friend hated to her door step to add to her burden.

Mina shook her head, "No, honestly my first year of marriage with Malachite was trying at best. We fought constantly and I wanted to leave so bad for a long time. Certain I had made a mistake. He felt the same way I know. He had sent for a mail order bride who he thought would cook, clean, warm his bed, and offer no fuss," Mina's smiled turned to pure mischief, "Instead he got me. It was a shock for both of us. But when he came home hurt things changed. He had to trust in me laid up the way he was and I had to look at things from his side. It became obvious that I wasn't the only one running from a past. It might sound silly but without Darien, I know Mal and I wouldn't have what we have now. I'm gratefull for that."

Serena opened her mouth to tell her friend the truth. Surely if anyone would understand it would be this woman before her. And she would have to...if Malachite and Ned hadn't entered the room. She simply didn't want to tell her friend with others around she asssured herself.

"He's slid into bed. Damn me but I forgot how big and heavy that SOB was," Mal grunted as the entered the room. He plopped down next to Mina and began to devour the food with gusto. Ned wasn't much better.

"Watch your mouth around the children," Mina chide as she stood, "I'm going to get them into bed and then myself," she announced, "It has been a long day."

Serena couldn't agree more, "I believe I will as well. Besides I need to check Darien's bandage."

The men nodded and goodnights where exchanged. Weary Serena creeped into their room almost desperate not to make a sound. She was in luck. Darien was still fast asleep, clearly worn out from the fever and trip they have had to take over the last week.

Stripping down to her undergarments she laid down carefully in bed next to him. Her last thought before sleep overtook was how he would be when the fever left him in the coming days.