Mark kept his eyes on Sean as he walked toward the campfire, his hand petting his horse absently. Part of him wanted to join him, but he felt like it was better to keep his distance for a bit. He felt so cornered. He had hoped to slowly get closer to Sean over time while keep others from discovering his feelings toward him. However, he felt pressured to speed things up with Nathan bonding so closely with Sean. It pained him to think that Nathan had been right. As a lawman, he was restricted from doing a lot of things. All eyes were on him. People looked to him for justice. At the cost of him hiding things about himself that those same people would condemn him for. He'd seen what religious fanatics in the town did to people that lived against what they deemed natural. It had scared him as a boy, and it terrified him to the core as an adult. He was ashamed of himself for how he felt, but at the same time... he it hurt to think of himself as being alone until the end of his days. He envied Nathan's ability to love so freely... but hated him at the same time for being someone Sean was looking up to. Even if Sean was... happy.

He'd taken pride in making Sean smile. Being the one person that could make him smile every now and again. Now he just felt like a scolding parent. Trying to protect Sean from a world that he didn't fully understand himself. He hated it but couldn't help himself. Leaning into his horse, he wrapped an arm around his neck to pull him into a slight hug. He needed the warmth and made zoning out into his thoughts a bit easier, knowing his horse would alert him if something happened. Almost on cue, his horse snorted and shifted away from him, jarring Mark from his thoughts. Dropping his hand from his horse, he looked over his shoulder to see Sean walking back up to him. Sean approached, holding out a bowl of hot stew as he told him nicely. "Hungry?" Raising an eyebrow, Mark's dropped into a deep mumble when he replied. "Usually, Bob brings me food. Is he mad at me?" Sean smiled, shaking his head as he told him so innocently. "No. I just told him that I'd do it tonight." Turning to face him, Mark accepted the bowl, his lingers brushing over Sean's briefly.

Stirring the spoon absently in the bowl to see what was put in it, he kept his eyes hidden under the brim of his hat. It was his only way of avoiding awkward eye contact with Sean. Sean lingered, asking him curiously. "You've been working hard. I hardly see you around the fire anymore. Everything ok?" Mark nodded, openly regaling to him. "Ya. I'm just... Trying to plan for the worst case scenario. I don't want any of us getting hurt." Mark watched Sean scuff his boot over the dirt, before telling him gently. "I understand that... but you don't have to isolate yourself from us to do it." Mark nodded solemnly but couldn't bring himself to feel that he could do that. Half the burden of a leader was making choices that the others might not agree with in order to save others. Sean tapped Mark's side, prompting him to finally lift his head enough to make eye contact with him. Sean's eyes were so blue in the moonlight that it stole his breath away. Sean smiled at him, whispering to him comfortingly. "Don't shoulder this burden alone, Mark. We need to learn to look out for each other. The burden isn't all yours to carry. A pack of wolves are stronger when the leader keeps everyone focused on their goal but trusts them to save each other when in danger. One man can't do everything himself. Or he'll break... and we need you to keep us focused."

Mark shrugged, asking him in a soft tone of voice. "What makes you think that I can get us through this? I'm no outlaw..." Sean chuckled, glancing at the others laughing around the fire before looking back at him to answer sweetly. "You don't have to be to be a good leader, Mark. You care. That's enough. Just keep being you. That's enough. Trust me." Giving him a bright smile, Sean pleaded with him hopefully. "Sit with us longer than you usually do. Please?" Mark stared deeply into his eyes, nodding to him without a word. Sean bit his soft lower lip so lightly that Mark's heart skipped in his ribs. Sean was doing that a lot lately and he found it enticing. He looked so adorable whenever he did it and it made him wonder how soft Sean's lips were. Following Sean back to the campfire, Mark sat beside him, and they all ate together. Mark even lingered around the campfire to enjoy a few drinks with them. He usually left before drinks to go over his plans, but it was hard to leave with Sean glancing at him every few minutes to check on him. Every time he looked at him, Mark smiled to make Sean blush and quickly look away. It was strangely invigorating to know Sean was keeping an eye on him.

After drinks, Mark told the others seriously. "We should turn in. We have to scout out the train tracks tomorrow. We'll need our rest." Nathan groaned but got to his feet with Wade. Bob stretched, telling Sean as he got up. "It's your turn to clean up, Jack." Jack waved to them in acknowledgement, getting to his feet to snuff out the fire by kicking dirt into the embers. Mark finished his Native American made wine, watching the others retire into the tent. Once they were out of sight, Mark got up to help him collect the dishes. Sean tried to take a bowl at the same time as him, telling him nicely. "I can do it." Mark pulled the bowl away, replying calmly. "I know. I got it." Sean raised an eyebrow, but before he could ask why he was helping, Mark asked him. "You're letting them call you Jack now?" Sean chuckled, retrieving a cloth to dry the dishes with as he told him with a shrug. "Ya. I told them earlier that back in Ireland the name 'Sean' is actually Irish for the name John, and a popular nickname for John in Ireland is Jack. They had a laugh about it and then just started calling me Jack. You know... Since the whole 'Lucky Jack' nickname thing."

Mark brought over the dishes to Sean, asking him gently. "Do you like that name better?" Accepting the bowls from him, Sean blushed a soft pink before shrugging out. "I don't mind. My mother calls me Jack. My father calls me Sean. But... you can call me whatever you want." Mark smirked to himself, giving it some thought before telling him softly. "I'll stick with Sean, if that's alright with you." Sean chuckled lightly, starting to clean the bowls in a water bucket as he told him casually. "I'm fine with that." Mark tried to resist the urge, but it overtook him. Reaching out, he ran a hand slowly over Sean's shoulder in a comforting but almost intimate gesture. Sean continued to work, unbothered by the gesture to Mark's relief. Sliding his hand off Sean completely, he cleared his throat and told him. "I'm gonna turn in. Haller if you need me." Sean smiled to himself, focusing on his work as he answered in a heavy Irish accent. "For sure, for sure." Hearing his accent, Mark hesitated to walk away, but eventually moved on. He loved listening to Sean's accent but over the years his accent had become more Americanized. Every now and then though, he caught it in his voice when Sean stopped trying to enunciate his words.

Mark dropped down across his bedroll within an American tent that Nathan managed to trade animal skins with the Natives for. He couldn't sleep though. He just laid in the dark, listening to Sean move around outside. It was only when he entered the tent that Mark finally settled down enough to fall sleep. Just before dawn, Mark arose from his sleep to the sounds of the Native Americans packing up to move on. Mark waved to a few of them, then took his time waking himself up and packing his stuff. As dawn crested the dusty plains, Mark called out to the others. "Time to move out, boys! Get up!" The others groaned, moving slowly at first, until Mark handed them fresh coffee. Packing up and mounting up, Mark told the others in a clear commanding tone. "This is where we cut from the Natives. We'll take the trail that way to the tracks." Nathan shifted uneasily in his saddle but nodded. Mark could almost tell that Nathan didn't want to leave Hawk-Claw but he didn't say anything about it. Turning his horse, Mark led the way to the trail. While behind him, Bob asked curiously. "How do we plan to rob the guy on this train, Mark? You know he's going to have guards. Lots of them. Hell, he'll probably have slaves in the livestock containers. Which means more guards."

Mark glanced back at him briefly, before regaling to all of them. "I know, but my plan is to detach it." Nathan glanced at Wade, before Wade pipped up. "Detach it? You think they won't notice?" Mark chuckled to himself, telling them calmly. "I'll show you when we get there." Riding up along the hillside path, Mark stopped on the ridge and pointed down at the tracks that ran through the narrow hillsides and into a tunnel. When he had their attention, he told them clearly. "This is where we choke the train. The train blows its whistle here to scare off things in the tunnel before it goes in. That covers noise of the tree we'll chop down to block the tunnel. Two of us will use this time to sneak under the train and detach the clap with the cabin we want and any slave container." Nathan nodded, mumbling out to himself. "So far so good. Then?" Mark continued by saying calmly. "The guards will no doubt think sabotage and jump off to help cut up the tree quickly and be on alert. So, we don't make any moves. We wait until the train starts back up. When it blows its whistle to enter the tunnel, some of us to hop into the engine cab to take it over."

Mark looked to Bob, telling him personally. "You and Wade are the most intimidating. That will be your job to spook these big engineers. You keep the train moving into the dark tunnel, on the next whistle just as the engine clears the tunnel. We'll blast down that big tree to block the tunnel entrance. Keep them from backing the engine back into the tunnel and it will separate the guards. Since most will be lingering around the civilian cars. You two find a way to keep that engine going and hop off. Hopefully by the time the dust clears, the guards with the engine will be too far away to come back quickly." Nathan nodded finishing up for him. "Interesting plan. It could work... Just a few questions. How do you plan to blast that tree over there? And if Bob and Wade are going to play with the conductors... Then I'm assuming WE are going to fighting the pricks that guard this man?"

Mark smirked, shrugging out honestly. "When the train is stopped. We'll snatch the dynamite from the emergency lockbox. The one that trains keep in case the path needs to be cleared of debris. It won't take a lot to bring that heavy tree down off that ledge and it will set it ablaze to keep any guards from climbing back over it or messing with it. The blast should give us the advantage. We act quickly and we can take out the guards stunned by it. Then if we can... we loot his cabin, snatch the bastard, and free the slaves. Then high tail our asses out of there to regroup and interrogate our prisoner before the other guards or Pinkertons show up." Sean blinked, shifting uneasily as he said anxiously. "I don't know if I can remember all that..." Mark raised a hand to calm him, comfortingly saying to them. "Just remember your parts. We can't predict everything they will do... but if we focus on our individual goals... it should come together." Nathan straightened up, asking curiously. "Where is our regroup point if we get separated?" Mark looked between Bob, Wade, and Nate, upon asking hopefully. "Do you recall the cemetery on the outskirts of the next town?" They nodded, Mark puffed his chest up and told them lightly. "There is an old abandoned church there. We'll met up there."

Sean glanced nervously between all of them, uttering out shakily. "I don't know where that is..." Mark gave him an assuring look, telling him confidently. "Don't worry. We do. Just stay close to us. Are we ready to set up? The train usually comes through just after noon." Bob and Wade nodded, telling them coolly. "We'll ride out down the line and tie up our horses for a faster return once we ditch the train." Nathan gestured to the trees, telling Mark coolly. "I'll get to work chopping down that first tree." Mark nodded to all of them, then told said aloud. "Sean and I will find a place to set up and stash our horses." The hours ticked by quickly as the time of the train's approval approached. Mark found a nice spot in ditch that was hidden by a thorn bush and settled himself in with Sean as the loud chugging of the steam train resounded in the distance. Nathan had chopped the first tree down hours ago and was laying hidden under the brush on the top of the tunnel with his rifle in case he had to lay down fire for Mark and Sean. Nudging Sean, he handed him ear plugs to protect his ears from the loud noise of the train and the eventual blast that would happen.

Mark slipped in his own ear plugs, watching the steam train roll come into full view. The train blew its whistle once, then a loud squeal of protesting metal followed as the conductor saw the fallen tree. The wheels of the train locked up, but the weight of the train still kept it sliding along the tracks until it was inches from the tree. Mark held onto Sean's arm, trying to calm him as he waited for a safe opening. The hired gunmen hopped off the sides of the train, locking and loading their rifles as they scouted around for trouble. The conductor hopped out from the engine, calling out to the men seriously. "Looks like it just snapped off the edge there! It's not a clean cut! Grab the axes and help me chop this shit up!" A few gunmen groaned in protest but shouldered their rifles to fetch the axes from the lock boxes. Mark tensed; it was almost time. The gunmen moved reluctantly toward the front to start chopping and Mark lightly tapped Sean to coax him into a run. Sean darted out from the thorn bush and dived under the train. He was the only one thin enough to move easily under there.

Mark watched Sean move toward under the train toward the clasp to the car they wanted to detach, then rushed out himself to snag a single stick of dynamite from a small wooden box within the large lockbox. Once he had the dynamite, Mark discreetly made his way up the side of the hill and tossed it to Nathan. Catching it, Nathan left his rifle and moved quickly toward the large tree on the other side of the tunnel. So far it was going well. Now it was up to Sean. To Be Continued...