January 1, 1900

Tombstone. 

I walked through town this evening and saw a woman standing in front of the courthouse.  “Evening ma’am,” I greeted her. 

“Hello Miss.” 

“Don’t believe we’ve met,” I smiled. 

“I am Melanie but people call me Mel.” 

“Nice to meet you, Mel. I’m Detective Trin. You new ‘round here?” I smiled. 

“I used to live here when I was little.” 

“Nice to come back home then.”

“It has been a long time.” 

“I’ve only been here since May but it’s feelin’ like home. Do you live in Tombstone here or.. one of the neighbouring towns?”

“In Black Diamond.” 

“Really... Dangerous town these days.” 

“They know me so I am okay.” 

“Don’t suppose you’ve met a man named Dash?”

“Yes I have seen him.” 

“Heard anything about him lately?”

“Just that he became a daddy.” 

“So nothing about a threat or a hitman or anything like that...”

“No, sorry.” 

“It’s alright, I just thought I would ask. Word like that spreads fast, ya know,” I nodded. 

“Has he been doing something wrong?” 

Suddenly we heard a shout from down the street from Ace yelling, “Hey deputy did they patch you up good?”

I heard him and wondered what that was all about but focused on my conversation with Mel. “Let’s just say that he ain’t happy about some things... I’m trying to find out why someone’s trying to kill him. If you hear of anything... you’ll let me know?”

“I will.” 

“Thanks, Mel,” I smiled. “I better go find out what that’s all about.”

“That man just shot the deputy,” Mel whispered. 

“Did he?” I raised an eyebrow. 

“And they told me to shut up because I shouted for the doc.” 

“Did a doc come to look at him?” I shook my head. 

“Yes, Miss Lil came.” 

“Oh good... I better check to see if he’s alright. Thank you, Mel.”

I walked into the sheriff’s office and knocked on the door. I didn’t hear anything so I walked down the street and found Devin talking with Ace and Serenity in front of Kate’s. 

Ace threw up his hands and said, “Woah now... this guy’s been around. I guess we should apologize.”

“Don’t matter to me Ma’am. Obvious what the two of you up to,” Devin said. 

“Devin, are you alright?” I asked, putting a hand on his shoulder. 

“Before you slander my name further, saying that I’m doign things I haven’t... I suggest you get a good observation from towns folk as to what I do and don’t do,” Serenity said. 

“Hi Trin, I’m fine,” Devin turned to me and smiled. 

Serenity looked at me and said, “He won’t be fine if he keeps accusing me and Ace of things when we aint’ even been in town before tonight.”

Ace looked back at Serenity with concern and said, “Hold up, Doll. We better hold back.”

“Fact is you pulled your gun on me. He opened the bank door after three warnings and shot me down.” 

“Good, then you can use tonights situation as your only judgement,” Serenity told Devin. “Unless you want me to judge you for whatever past things you’ve done, without even knowing who you are.” 

“Judge you on today,” Devin said and I slid a hand down his back to calm him. 

Ace tipped his chin and said, “Well, since you’re a lawman and you gave us three warnings I can only assume it fair that I only give you one... So here’s you’re one warning. Either get the hell out of my face or I will make you bleed again, Dog.”

“That sounds like a threat to me,” Devin said as Ace rubbed the handles of his pistols and smirked at Devin. 

“Sounds like it?” Serenity shook his head. 

“Devin come on, let’s walk away,” I pleaded as Ace cleared his throat and got a grip on his guns. 

“Alright Trin,” Devin smirked and spit at Ace. 

“I ain’t been shot since August. I’d like to keep it that way,” I looked at Devin and started to run. 

We heard bullets coming at us and Ace shouted, “And don’t come back, pig!” 

I ran after Devin and then drew my gun just in case, as I ducked around the corner of the hotel. I saw Mel standing still in front of the courthouse so I yelled to her, “Mel! Into the courthouse!”

The girl limped into the courthouse and I followed her, holstering my gun. “Are you alright?” 

“I got hit, miss.” 

“Let’s get you to the clinic!” I said and offered her my arm. “Where were you hit?”

“In the shoulder.” 

I looked around outside, making sure no one was shooting, and then led her to the clinic. “Come on, hon. Let’s go.” As we walked down the street I called, “Call for a doctor!” 

Lil slapped Ace upside the head with her bag as we entered the clinic and I told Mel, “Have a seat on one of the beds, Mel.” I saw Devin laying on the other bed too and asked, “You get shot again, hon?”

“Are you wounded, Mel?” Lil asked. 

“She got hit in the shoulder. Damn Ace...” I looked around, thinking it had been a long time since I’d been in the clinic. 

“Well considering that I’ve hit everything I’ve shot at tonight and the deputy ain’t grazed me, I think it would be safe to assume that his bad aim hit her!” Ace shouted into the Doc’s office. 

I blinked at the shout and watched as Lil went to pull Devin’s sleeve down, reaching for a wet rag. “What can I do?” I asked her. 

“Can you clear her wound for me? I will be right with her.” 

I walked over to Mel and took a rag. I looked at the girl and asked, “Hon, can I lower your shoulder of your shirt down a bit so I can clean this wound?”

Mel took off her shoulder showing the wound and I wiped away the blood, looking over at Lil. “It looks bad.” 

“Thanks hun,” Lil said to me, coming over. 

“Thanks again Doc,” Devin sighed. 

I stepped back to give Lil some room and went over to Devin who had stood up. “You, back on the bed.” 

“It’s only a scratch this time,” he smiled at me. 

“I mean it. Sit,” I looked at him sternly. 

“Can’t, Trin. Have to watch the road out there.” 

“Your health first. For two seconds.”

“But be an honor if you watch me,” he smiled. 

“I’ll watch you sitting,” I stared at him. “You were shot once already, now grazed. Rest a bit.”

“Just for a bit then,” he lay down on the bed again. 

“Good idea,” I patted his hand. He took my hand and I asked, “What happened the first time you were shot?”

“Ace and that woman were trying to enter the bank,” he explained. 

“That woman being Serenity...?” I raised an eyebrow. “So you filed an attempted bank robbery report on them?”

“Yes, and shooting down the law.” 

“Good. You give me more work to do this weekend,” I winked at him. 

“It’s not been approved yet.” 

“It will be. Are you gonna be alright?”

“Hope so, yeah. Thanks for caring,” he smiled. 

“Good,” I held his hand tightly. “Miss Mel was shot in the fray. She told me that Ace shot you.”

“Ace’s bullet had to be his I wasn’t shooting near Mel.” 

“We can file a separate report against Ace for shooting Mel...”

“Difficult to prove. Let’s wait on the first one.” 

“I didn’t see it so I won’t be much of a witness. I was running from behind the building and saw her struggling by the courthouse. Told her to run inside out of the gunfire. You’re right... Would be hard to prove that one. You know when I said we should talk I didn’t exactly mean in here,” I looked at him. 

He rested his hand on mine and said, “Thanks for being here.” 

“Of course,” I stood back and looked at him. “Let’s get back out there.” I helped him stand up again and looked at Mel, “She going to be alright, Lil?” 

“Yeah, about done here,” Lil answered. 

“Wish we could have had a witness to see Ace shot her but we ain’t gonna be able to do that well in court with that one,” I said. 

“Nope, not likely.” 

“I should head outside,” I said and walked out after Devin. 

“Now Deputy if you get shot again in 15 minutes I am gonna shoot you myself,” Lil called after him. 

“Careful hon, she means it,” I chuckled and Devin smiled at that. 

We said goodbye and parted ways as I headed for Diamond but learned nothing new from the few folks that were in town.