Casey noticed the shift in Sydney right away. He was very perceptive, and her fake laugh wasn't fooling him. She was nervous, but, as hard as he tried, he couldn't figure out why.

What is she hiding?

"What do you need a doc for anyway, lil' lady?" Gordon asked, keeping his eyes on the road.

"I just need a check up," Sydney said, avoiding eye contact.

Why is she lying?

"A check up?!" Gordon questioned. "You ain't contagious or anything, are you?"

Casey could have sworn he saw a small smile grow on her lips, but it was quickly gone.

"No, sir. It's nothing like that," she answered, looking down at her lap.

"Well then, why do you need to-"

"There's a doc in my home village. I can take you to her," Casey said, putting an end to Gordon's interrogation.

Sydney turned her face toward him, her eybrows furrowed. Casey figured she would be hesitant, but he was curious about her story. Taking her to his home would give him time to figure her out, he hoped.

"You want to take her to LeHorn? But there's a doc in-"

"She'll go to the doc there," Casey asserted, and Gordon dropped it.

Casey was aware that there was a doctor in Bartesville, which was closer than LeHorn, but he couldn't bring himself to let Sydney go until he understood her.

The last couple of years were routine, boring, and practically the same for Casey. He would get up, hunt, and come home. Even though he was happy, because he had his family and friends, he got tired of the monotonous pattern that was his life.

He broke the cycle yesterday, when he traveled to Yorke, and now he felt like meeting this paranoid blonde wasn't an accident. Maybe whatever happened to her is the same thing that happened to the girls that were taken from his village three years ago. Maybe she could lead him to them. And if she could, he would be one step closer to avenging his father.

"Are you okay?"

Casey was brought out of his daydream by that same soft, but pained voice. Sydney was looking at him, her face perplexed. He realized he had zoned out while staring at her. Thankfully, it doesn't look like I creeped her out.

"I'm fine. Just...lost in thought," he said, clearing his throat.

"Mmhmm, sure you were, boy," Gordon teased.

Okay, maybe I shouldn't have let him assume things happened between us last night.

It was clear to Casey that Sydney was picking up on Gordon's innuendos.

"Why are you doing that?" she asked, crossing her arms across her chest.

The sudden change in her voice made Casey uneasy. The softness was gone; a stronger, firm voice replacing it.

"Oh, don't you worry your pretty head about it," Gordon said with a smirk.

"What? Who are you, and why do you keep acting like you know something about me!?" she asked, sounding very annoyed.

"I'm Gordon."

Her mouth fell open, and Casey could only assume that she was putting the pieces together. But, he didn't expect for her to turn on him next.

"You told him I slept with you, didn't you?!" she accused, pointing her finger at him.

"What?! No!" Casey said as quickly as she asked, but Gordon's loud laughter wasn't helping him in any way.

"I may have needed your help last night, but I didn't need it that much!" she shouted, her fair skin turning a light pink.

"I didn't tell him that!" Casey pressed.

"Then why does he think that?!" Sydney asked, refusing to believe him.

"Because I didn't tell him we didn't!" Casey admitted.

"Well you should have," she said with a grimace.

Taking in her words, Casey prepared what he was going to say next.

"I'm sorry, but why should I have done that, exactly?! I don't know you and I don't owe you anything! And I didn't know that I would be sitting here with you and him! I thought we'd be long gone from each other!" Casey shouted, tired of being blamed for Gordon's assumptions. "It's not my fault he has a dirty mind!"

"Hey!" Gordon said, feigning hurt.

Casey ignored him, keeping his glare on Sydney. She wasn't intimidated by it, he could tell, but she also didn't say anything else about the topic.

Feeling like he won, Casey went back to resting his head on the window.

The next hour went by in silence. Casey was impressed that even Gordon wasn't talking. The only sounds he heard were that of the horses, and the wheels of the buggy treading dirt.

When Bartesville came into view, he checked to see if Sydney was going to say anything about it. But, when he looked, she was asleep; her head hanging down in front of her. He took this opportunity to study her. The first thing he noticed was how tightly she gripped her bag, even while she was sleeping.

Whatever's in there must be important to her.

He reasoned out that she was holding it like that because of her gun. He knew there had to be something else in there that she was so protective over.

"Well, something may not have happened between you two, but I ain't a fool," Gordon said for the first time in over an hour.

"What are you getting on about now, old man?" Casey sighed, running his hands through his hair.

"I may be old, but I still have my sight."

"So? What does that have to do with me and her?" Casey questioned impatiently.

"You don't think I see you staring at her? Lord only knows what you've been imagining in your mind," he said with a smirk.

"You are sick, old man. You know that?" Casey replied. "I can look at her without thinking that, which I wasn't. I'm just trying to figure her out."

"Mmhmm, sure. Well, when you do, let me know," Gordon said with a wink.

Shaking his head, Casey turned to look out the window. In about two hours they would be at LeHorn, and he could finally say goodbye to Gordon.

"WAKE UP, BOY!"

Casey woke from the sudden shouts that filled his ears. He jumped back when he saw that Gordon's face was right next to his and hit his head on the roof of the buggy.

"Man, what are you doing?!" Casey shouted, rubbing his head.

"Welcome home," Gordon said with a creepy smile.

Looking around him, Casey noticed that Sydney wasn't there.

Where'd she go? Did she get out before we got here?

"Go on now! I don't have all day!" Gordon yelled, gesturing for Casey to get out. "And don't forget you owe me."

"Yeah yeah, I won't," Casey said as he grabbed his bag and got out.

He watched as the buggy moved on before turning around.

"Woah," he said under his breath as he stopped right before bumping into Sydney.

She looked nervous, which only reiterated to Casey that she was hiding something.

"So, where's the doctor?" she asked, her soft voice back instead of the harsh one he last heard.

She was looking back and forth , which caused Casey to look at his surroundings.

Not many people were out, but those that were had definitely noticed the stranger he brought back with him. The fact that she was a girl, covered in dirt and blood didn't help.

"Uh, we should probably head to my place first."

"Why would I do that?" she questioned, taking an uneven step back from him.

"No need to get all crazy with assumptions. It's my mother's home, so it's not like I'm gonna attack you with her around. I can't make any promises about the toddler, though. He might try to attack you," Casey said, trying to joke with her.

He didn't get a smile, but she did give him a nod as she followed.

I'm sure hearing that I still live with my mom and baby brother calmed her down. But seriously? Does she think of me as some kind of predator?

"Ma, I'm back!" Casey announced when he walked through the door of his house.

The scent of vegetable soup filled the room, and he could feel his stomach growl.

She must have used the vegetables from Bonnie to make that.

Right after making that observation, Elena came rushing out of her room.

"Casey! I'm so glad you're home safely!" she said, embracing her son.

"I was only gone for a day," Casey chuckled, hugging his mother back.

"Well, you know what a clingy person I can...Uh, Casey? Who is the pretty girl on my doorstep?" his mother asked, pointing at Sydney.

He dropped his arms that were still holding his mother, and looked in the direction she was pointing.

Why is she standing there like that?

Sydney was standing in the doorframe, not fully in the home. She looked uncertain and distrusting, and Casey wondered what happened to make her like that.

"That's Sydney. I met her in Yorke," Casey answered, stepping to the side as his mother approached her.

"Casey's never brought a girl home before. You must be something special," she said, reaching out to shake her hand.

"Ma!" Casey said, startled by her actions.

"I'm hardly that, ma'am," Sydney responded, hesitantly entering their home. "He's just helping me find a doctor."

"Oh, dear, I'm sorry, but Annie's not here. She and her family went to visit relatives in the city. She won't be back for weeks," she told her.

Casey watched as Sydney's face contorted with worry.

"Oh, then I have to go. I have to go to where a doctor is," Sydney said, rushing her words out and limping toward the front door.

"But you can't go tonight! It will be dark in a few hours!" Elena protested.

"She's right," Casey added.

"You don't understand. My leg..." she said, looking down at it. "It needs to be treated or it could get infected. If I lose it, then I could never be a..."

You could never be a what? What do you want to be?

"Oh, I see. Well, I do have a first-aid kit," Elena said. "When you have a son that hunts as much as Casey, you have to."

"I don't know. I don't want to take any chances," Sydney said, backing up towards the door.

"Just stay here. I'll be right back," Casey said before rushing out the door. He could feel Sydney's stare on him as he jogged one house over.