Mister Quaid: 1800s: I Will Always Find You... (WLW)

Part Two, 1879: Chapter Twelve

November 18th, 1879, Houston, Texas, Lincoln Boarding House

Pete stood on the balcony just outside of the room she'd rented for the night. Technically, all the rooms were connected by this balcony that wrapped around the entire building, so she wouldn't be getting any privacy tonight. She needed a bath and to breathe, but no such luck. At least she wasn't really renting the room, seeing as how she'd gotten it for free after bringing in her last payload. A man who had attacked one of the owner's employees and his wife. Pete was glad to bring the man in, but the owner had appeared quite surprised that she hadn't killed him and just collected her bounty.

Her old reputation as the ruthless lawman who shot first and asked questions later would never die, and she still used it to her advantage. However, it was tiresome to hear it relentlessly spat back at her when she hauled in her prisoners. Regardless of all of it, she wasn't going to be staying in this room for long. One night's rest, that was all she needed and then she would be gone, as far away from Houston as possible and back to sleeping under the stars, alongside the grasshoppers, toads and other wildlife she loved so dearly.

The thought that she may run into her brother here had not escaped her mind when she'd been telegraphed with the possibility of a hunt. Pete had enjoyed that hunt so much, going places she had never gone before in a train of all things, but she wasn't one for taking chances. This was a giant chance, a giant gamble that she was taking being so close to her brother.

She knew where his offices were, in a completely different part of town far enough away to not send her running as soon as she had arrived, but still too close to truly relax.

She never wanted to see them again, to see her father or her brother, or to chance them being closer to her before she ever realized. Pete read about her brother moving his business from Galveston to Houston not too long ago and as soon as the sun rose the next day, she would be gone. There was nothing left to tie her here anyways and she did have someone to visit.

Pete looked down at the letter from Hany in her hands and smiled as she pulled a picture of Dale and little Jonathan from behind the papers. Jonathan, Hany's oldest child, would be turning six in April of next year and he was asking if Pete would visit home soon. Dale was turning twelve and finally reaching the age where boys found what made them move forward, get out of bed. She smirked at the next picture of all the children together. Dale had his eyes on an unsuspecting Ida who was not only holding onto his arm, affectionately leaning against him, but was a year older than him. By the look on Dale's face, that wasn't something that would deter him in the slightest.

He stayed all alone in Pete's home they'd built last year while she was gone. She knew how lonely that had to be and wanted to be there for him as he continued to grow, but it was just so hard to be in the place that reminded her most of what she'd lost. What she had given up. She visited at least three, sometimes four times a year when she needed a good rest, but never stayed longer than a few days at a time, if that. Every step she took on the land, every part of the Hendrix's home reminded Pete of her and it was too difficult to leave each time. No, that was wrong. In truth, it was too difficult to not travel north to Alice's homestead and take back everything she said to her the day she left her on her home's doorstep.

Not a day, not a moment went by wherein Pete didn't wish she could take it all back and pull Alice into her arms. If she could go back to the moment her life fell apart, to the moment when she let her dreams slip right through her fingers, she knew she would do things differently. That was the exact reason why she had to keep away from Yellowstone, why she could not stay for long periods of time with Alice's home being so nearby. She wasn't good for Alice and would only ever hurt her, bringing hell raining down on her throughout every turn in her life, and that was something she could not allow. No matter how much she loved Alice, and she really did.