Catherine the Great
By: The Scribe
Upon leaving Four Corners, one thing soon became very clear to Catherine. While the Territory had nothing to recommend it in the way of the sophistication found in large eastern cities, like the one she had left behind to visit, it all but made up for this deficiency by its spectacular landscape. Being in Four Corners made one forget that there was more to the Territory than dust blown cities and provincial folk trying to eke out their destinies so far away from what was considered civilization. As they rode out of town into the wide open spaces that lay between most of the small towns scattered throughout the region, Catherine was surprised at the beauty she was confronted with.
After being in Boston, seeing the huge tracks of empty land, covered in sun burnt grass and dry, thirsting trees was enough to overwhelm the senses. Taking a deep breath of the fresh air, unpolluted by all the chemicals that seemed to taint the air of cities these days, Catherine could not help feeling a heady sort of delight in the rustic simplicity of things around her. For a short time at least, the real world seemed very far away from here and left her actions in Four Corners exposed to deeper scrutiny. She wondered if she was right, interfering in Mary's life this way and pushing her sister towards a confrontation with the man she was so obviously in love with. Catherine also questioned the morality of using the tracker as the impetus for bringing about their reconciliation.
Of her partner in crime, Ezra Standish, she thought nothing.
Or at least tried not to because it was safer that way. Catherine could not deny being inordinately attracted to the handsome gambler but she had a life in Boston that would not appreciate the confusion of an ill-advised love affair at this time. As much as she liked him, she was too much a creature of habit and a life dedicated to social climbing had conditioned her too much to take such a foolish gamble with her affections, no matter how much kinship she felt with him.
Her thoughts eventually returned to the journey and the tracker proved himself to be quite the guide, showing them some lovely spots that Catherine would have doubted existed in such a harsh landscape, despite its overall magnificence. Vin seemed to shy away from both Mary and her, offering his counsel only when spoken to directly. Catherine had the impression that he was shy and not used to being on his own with two women. There were moments when he appeared to wish to add to the conversation but having thought better of it, retreated into silence once more.
It was almost noon when they decided to break for lunch and as Mary laid out the meal she had brought with her, Vin tended to their horses. They had chosen a shady spot beneath a large tree for their picnic that overlooked the shallow part of a river. Rocks could be seen jutting out of the water and it was clear enough for them to make out the hundred of pebbles that covered the riverbed. The view like everything else, seemed breathtaking and the wind, though picking up momentum somewhat, was still pleasant.
"You know you haven't told me why you came to Four Corners to visit," Mary spoke up, now that they were alone for the moment. She was glad for the privacy as Vin got the horses watered.
"I came to see you, of course." Catherine looked at her from where she was sitting on the picnic rug.
"After ten years, I seriously doubt you developed a huge sisterly need to see me," Mary retorted skeptically.
"Mary, what a horrible thing to say," Catherine stared at her with genuine shock.
"It's true," Mary declared, unrepentant, and exposing the resentment she had kept buried for so long. "I have invited all of you to come see me for years when Stephen was alive. I wanted you to see that my life was not the waste that you believed it to be but you never came. So now you're here and the only reason that I can think of why you would make the journey is to convince me to return home with you."
"Is that why you think I've come here?" Catherine asked incredulously.
"Isn't it?" Mary threw her a look of challenge.
"No," Catherine shook her head, deciding that she needed to speak truthfully to make her sister understand that this was not some effort to drag her from the home she loved so much, even if Catherine could not understand the attraction to the life Mary had chosen to lead.
"I am not going to deny that Mother and Father are worried about you," Catherine spoke after a long pause. "You don't write detailed letters for a writer."
"You never seemed very interested in my life here." Mary swallowed and dropped her gaze to the intricate pattern on the rug. "I saw no reason to tell you more than necessary."
"Mary," her sister stared at her. "We may not have approved of your choices with Stephen but we knew you loved him. Mother and father are not cut out to make a journey from Boston to a place like this, you know that. Mother is too wrapped up in her social life and father's busy with the paper. Besides, we really thought those invitations were politeness, not out of any real desire for us to be here."
"What about you?" Mary asked. "If Wendell has no trouble letting you come this far on your own, why didn't you come to visit before this?"
Catherine drew in a taut breath, having no wish to speak of this, but it appeared there was no other way than to tell Mary the truth. "Wendell wouldn't let me come and see you, Mary. He knew how dangerous the Territory was and he never had time enough to come with me."
"But you're here." Mary's brow wrinkled in confusion. "How did you manage it this time?"
"I managed it because Wendell and I are no longer living together," Catherine uttered softly.
Like Mary, she had kept her secret well. Not even her parents were aware of the situation and Catherine had yet to face the reality of the situation in regards to how it would affect the rest of her life. When her marriage had crumbled around her ears, Catherine had wanted to put some distance between her and Boston, because the news would reach the elite circles she so often traveled and the whole community would know of the scandal of their impending divorce.
"What?" Mary exclaimed in shock. "What happened?"
"I found out he had taken a lover. A young woman from a good family who is doing their level best to keep the news secret but it is hard to do since Wendell has bought a new home and moved her into it. Apparently, she is capable of giving him what I could not and so that is his reason for divorcing me."
"Oh, Catherine," Mary cried out with sorrow at her sister's plight. "I'm so sorry."
"There are rumors that the girl is pregnant," Catherine said bitterly. "So Wendell will finally have the child I could not give him."
"But that is scandalous!" Mary declared.
"Wendell does not appear to care." Catherine swallowed hard, unable to imagine how it could be so hard to speak the truth but she had confided to no one about what had happened yet and with Mary, she could at least tell her tale without recrimination. "Throughout our entire married life, he was all about image and keeping up appearances. He meets this girl and suddenly he doesn't care about anything any more except being with her. He claims that once the divorce is settled, he intends to quit Boston and go to Europe for a few years."
"What about you?" Mary demanded, unable to believe that straight-laced Wendell could act so irrationally, shirking off his responsibilities to his family and to his community.
"He's prepared to give me a very generous income," Catherine answered with a smile but there was only sorrow in her eyes, so it meant nothing, "as long as I give him as little difficulty as possible with the divorce. I can even keep my house."
"What are you going to do?" Mary asked, unable to imagine being faced with such a decision.
"I have already done it," Catherine retorted. "I signed the papers the day before I left for the West. I just could not stay there to see it all come out. I left a note for Mother and Father, explaining things as best I could. Hopefully by the time I return, Wendell and his mistress will be out of Boston."
"I am so sorry," Mary replied, feeling awful that she had been so single minded about Catherine's visit. It never even occurred to Mary that Catherine might have her own reasons for coming to Four Corners, beyond simply complicating her life. She was mortified by her selfishness. "I always thought you and Wendell were so well suited for each other."
She hesitated to say love because that was not the reason why Catherine had married Wendell Harrington. No matter how much sympathy Mary felt for her sister, she could not help thinking that if Catherine had married him for the right reasons, instead of money and social standing, things might have turned out differently.
"You can say it, Mary," Catherine remarked, seeing the glimmer in Mary's eyes that made her aware of her sister's thoughts even if they were unspoken. "You can say I told you so."
"I had nothing of the kind in mind," Mary lied, but she supposed Catherine knew her well enough to know otherwise.
"You were right though," Catherine sighed heavily. "I married him because of money and position. Oh, I made sure I was all he could ever want in a wife but I didn't love him and I think towards the end, he saw that and was driven to another woman's arms. As angry as I am with him, I'm not that much happier about me either."
Mary was not about to refute that statement but she was glad that Catherine did not journey here in some effort to have her return home. It relaxed Mary visibly to know that her sister had come, just to get away from it all and share a difficult time with the one person in all the world who would never judge her.
"Then maybe it is for the best," Mary offered after a pause.
"I wish I knew," Catherine replied and was about to speak more when suddenly, they heard footsteps approaching. Turning to her sister, Catherine added to a smile. "Now that my relationship is unsalvageable, we must see what can be done about yours."
"Catherine!" Mary groaned as Vin Tanner appeared before them.
"You're just in time, Mr. Tanner." Catherine smiled at the handsome tracker. "Lunch is ready for the serving."
"Thank you, ma'am," Vin said politely as he lowered himself into the grass next to them.
"No, thank you," Catherine returned smoothly as Mary began serving the food laid out before them. "This was a most enjoyable outing. I had no idea that the Territory could be so pretty."
"It is when you're out in the open," Vin replied, thinking how true that statement was and if it were not for his responsibilities in Four Corners, he would probably spend a good deal more time in the wilderness. Lately, its siren song had intensified and Vin wondered whether his need for solitude had more to do with how uncomplicated life seemed on the plains or his decaying friendship with Chris Larabee.
"Vin's a notorious plainsmen," Mary added politely, a teasing smile across her face as she glanced at the tracker. "He thinks Four Corners is a busy town."
"You would absolutely detest Boston then," Catherine declared. "There are tall building and paved streets everywhere."
"Don't think I could stand that much noise," Vin confessed honestly.
"You're just a wild and wooly type, aren't you?" Mary teased a little more.
"Something like that." Vin chuckled as he bit into the sandwich that Mary had given him. Glancing upwards at the sky, the tracker did not at all like how the breeze felt against his skin and, as pleasant as the day might appear now, he knew that it was going to turn.
"We may have to get going back to town after lunch," Vin spoke up after he swallowed. "The weather looks like it could turn any minute. I can feel a storm coming in."
"Oh," Mary declared, instinctively looking at the sky along with Catherine as Vin made that statement. Although the sky was blue and clear, there was more than enough clouds scattered about to give Mary the impression that Vin was right, even if she had not already trusted his word implicitly.
"How disappointing," Catherine sighed wistfully. In truth, her mind was already working out the possibilities of rain and how the weather could be used to her advantage. According to Ezra, there was already dissention in the ranks of the seven from the seeds of discord he had been able to plant in their minds. While most did not believe Vin capable of stealing Mary away from Mr. Larabee, there was enough uncertainty in their minds to tip the balance if provided with some incontrovertible truth.
"I'm sorry, ma'am, but this ain't no place to be caught in the rain," Vin apologized.
"That's perfectly all right, Mr. Tanner," Catherine said sweetly. "I understand completely."
The rain came upon them far quicker than Vin could have expected. It did not take long after they had eaten for the wind to pick up and suddenly dark clouds had swept across the sky, leaving little trace of sunlight. Such radical change in the weather was not unusual but Vin was not at all happy to be caught in a storm with two women. Aside from the fact that when the rain did come down it would be nothing less than a torrential downpour, he honestly did not know if either Mary or Catherine could ride fast enough to beat the storm.
By the time they had packed up and were ready to leave, droplets of water had started sprinkling. Vin cursed under his breath knowing that they were not going to beat the rain and the nearest shelter was a good hour's ride away from where they presently were. While Mary had been packing up their things, Catherine had made some mention to Vin about taking a closer look at the river. He saw no harm in it since she had promised to be gone for only a few minutes and it had not started to rain just yet. However, when she had not returned by the time the first drop of rain fell on his cheek, Vin started to get a little nervous.
"Where did she go?" Mary asked anxiously as she followed Vin closely behind as the tracker started searching for the lady.
Vin spotted her tracks easily enough and was soon led back to where he had kept the horses. To both their surprise, Catherine's horse was gone.
"Why would she leave?" Mary asked puzzled as the rain started hissing around them, growing heavier with each passing moment.
"I don't know," Vin replied, just as confused. He did not admit that with the onset of the rain, what tracks Catherine might have left behind at which direction she might have gone was soon washed away by the slowly increasing momentum of the rain.
"We have to find her!" Mary said frantically as she faced the tracker.
"Don't worry." Vin took her by the shoulders and calmed her down. "We're not leaving her."
Unfortunately, saying it and meaning it were two different things. With the rain coming down harder with each passing instant, their efforts to find Catherine were greatly hampered. The water turned the ground to mud and what tracks he had been able to follow clearly indicated that Catherine was headed back to town but whether or not she was alone, he could not say for certain. The territory was a dangerous place for a woman, especially out in its wilderness alone. What worried Vin most of all was whether or not Catherine had set off on her own or was she taken? If she was taken why was there no signs of a struggle or sounds of her crying out? Vin had hear nothing of the kind and yet if this had not happened, where then, was Catherine?
There came a certain point in their search when they started to turn back towards Four Corners, resting their hope on the possibility that Catherine, if she was somehow lost, would attempt to return to town. It was not long before they came upon a farmhouse and thought that perhaps Catherine might have been driven there to take shelter. The rain saw no signs of abating and Vin could see that Mary was freezing in her soaked clothes but concern for her sister forced her on. The farmhouse appeared abandoned when they entered it but the fact that it came with a fireplace was what Vin was most interested in.
"Where is she, Vin?" Mary asked softly as the heat from the fire he soon built warmed the room and her chilled skin.
"I don't know," Vin answered honestly, wishing he could be of more help to her. "I'm sure she decided to go exploring a little and lost track of time. If that's the case, she's probably on her way home to Four Corners by now."
"You think so?" She asked and looked into his blue eyes as he sat next to her, warming himself with the fire.
"I know so," he replied softly.
Mary lapsed into silence for a moment as she stared at Vin's blue eyes and saw that he was staring back at her in similar contemplation. She thought about what Catherine had said, about moving on if Chris was out of her life for good. She wondered if Vin was thinking the same thing for as they sat together, enjoying the heat of the fire against their cool skins, Four Corners and the rest of their troubles seemed very far away. Unconsciously, she drew closer to him and though they were slipping into dangerous territory, and they both knew it, neither seemed to care.
Their kiss was gentle and hesitant. For a moment neither were able to take a breath as they felt the texture of each other lips. Mary could feel his stubble against her cheek and noted that he had a distinct scent about him, an aroma that reminded her of the forest after a rainstorm. As they tried to explore this curious place they suddenly found themselves, Mary opened her eyes and noticed Vin was doing the same.
For a moment, their gazes remained locked upon each other before both started laughing.
Pulling apart, the room was filled with the sound of their laughter for the few minutes before Vin and Mary embraced each other warmly. It was good to be able to laugh and to be able to leave behind the strange no man's land they had crossed a moment ago. A single kiss had taught them that they could never be any more than friends.
"I love you, you know," Vin said to Mary when he had sobered a little.
"I know," Mary beamed. "Now I don't ever want to talk about this again."
"You got that right." Vin let a cocky smile cross his lips. "I don't like the idea of being shot if Chris got wind of this."
"Vin," Mary placed a hand on his cheek, "whatever happens between me and Chris, you'll always be my friend, won't you?'
"You know I will, Mary," Vin replied, meaning it. "But something has got to break soon. We can't go on like this. Any of us."
"He's just so angry about Ella." Mary shook her head in confusion. "I know he thinks that he's protecting me by staying away but he's wrong. I love him. I have from the first moment I saw him but he makes it so difficult."
"That's the way Chris is, Mary," Vin explained, surprised how easy it was to talk to Mary after that entire embarrassing incident was done. "He likes being a grim son of a bitch. I've ridden with him for three years now and I know that he ain't happy unless he ain't. He's just so afraid of feeling something good because he might lose it again, like he did Sarah and Adam."
"When this is all over," Mary sucked in her breath, coming to a firm conclusion that this was the course and she was not changing her mind over it, "I think we need to sit down and have it out with him, once and for all."
"Maybe you're right," Vin agreed reluctantly, "maybe it's time we dealt with this once and for all."
It would have surprised Vin to know that was being taken care of even as he spoke.
Catherine arrived in town about the same time that Vin and Mary had finally come to some decision about what they would do in regards to the untenable situation that existed between them and Chris Larabee. Despite living in Boston, Catherine was quite a good horsewoman, having taken morning rides through the sprawling estate where she and Wendell had made their home. It was not difficult for her to find her way back to Four Corners and though she had taken shelter for a while under the cover of some tress, she was soaking wet when she arrived in the small community, she did so without incident.
Catherine anticipated that it would not take long for Vin and Mary to follow her back to town. No doubt, they would spend some time searching for her before their lack of success drove them back to town to organized a larger search. In the meantime, however, Catherine hoped that Ezra had done his job, stoking the fires of suspicion even further within Chris Larabee. As Catherine rode into town, drenched to the bone, she noted that most of the community's inhabitants had been driven indoors. This was hardly surprising considering the ferocity of the storm. As it was, it had taken all her skill to ride through the heavy sheets of rain and the strong wind that threatened to tear her out of the saddle at some points in the journey.
Wiping the moisture from her face that the sagging hat around her head could not keep away, Catherine directed her horse for the nearest shelter, aware that Ezra was probably keeping an eye out for her. She did not have long to wait when she saw Ezra emerging from the saloon. She had intended to take her horse to the livery first but Ezra's appearance put an end to that plan, so she rode towards him. Despite their planned collaboration, Catherine could see that there was genuine worry in his eyes as she approached. If she did not know better, she would almost say that he was worried about her.
"Catherine, what in heaven's name happened to you?" He asked, rushing out into the rain when her horse reached the hitching post.
"Change of plans," she said quietly as he helped her out of the saddle and they hurried under the awning in front of the saloon.
"Where is Mr. Tanner and Mary?" Ezra asked as he saw her bedraggled state and felt no ease in her declarations that she was fine.
"Out there." she gestured towards the outskirts of town.
"Out there?" This statement came from Buck Wilmington, who came to investigate the reason for Ezra's sudden exit out of the saloon, only to catch the tale end of his conversation with Catherine. "What do you mean out there?"
"Steady on, Mr. Wilmington," Ezra immediately warned, protective determination in his voice as he stared at the ladies' man sternly. "The lady appears to have been through something of an ordeal."
"An ordeal?" Buck's expression melted to that of concern. "Are you all right, Catherine?"
"I'm just a little soaked," she remarked just as Ezra removed his burgundy colored coat from his shoulders and draped it over hers. "I was just having lunch with Mary and Vin. We had stopped at this lovely place and then I told them I'd go for a little walk. When I came back, they were gone."
"Gone?" Buck stared at her in astonishment, unable to believe either of the people being spoken about would act so irrationally. "Where did they go?"
"I don't know," Catherine said innocently, "aren't they back yet?"
"What's going on?" Chris Larabee stepped out of the saloon. His keen senses, though somewhat dulled by alcohol, had noted the hasty departures from the Standish Tavern and was determined to know what was happening. Nothing happened in Four Corners without the gunslinger's knowledge. Chris Larabee was not a man who had patience for surprises and he kept the town and his men safe by being informed of everything transpiring in the town, no matter how insignificant it was. It was the details that separated life from death, Chris had decided long, ago and he never ignored them.
At first, no one was terribly eager to answer him, a situation that only served to increase Chris' desire to know.
"What is it?" He repeated himself with just a tinge of Larabee menace to make one of them speak, which in this case, was Ezra.
"It's Mr. Tanner and Mrs. Travis. It appears that Catherine might have lost them." He pretended to make the offering reluctantly.
"Lost them?" Chris demanded, a brow arched. "How do you lose a tracker?'
"One minute he and Mary were there and the next, I turned around and they were gone. I was hoping they would be back in town by now," Catherine replied. "I'm guessing they aren't."
"Wherever could they be?" Ezra asked.
"Wherever it is, they're together," Buck said bitterly, innuendo clearly dripping from his voice.
"How dare you make such a suggestion!" Catherine burst out, full of self-indignant fury. "I'm sure there is a perfectly reasonable explanation as to what they're doing together."
"There is," Buck hissed, "but not one we're going to like."
"My sister is no wanton!" Catherine blustered. Her cheeks flushed red with mock anger.
"I agree with the lady on this point, Buck," Ezra retorted. "However, even if there is something taking place between them, it is none of our business. They are adults and they have a right to conduct their affairs privately."
"It ain't right!" Buck snapped. "Everyone knows that Chris and Mary are….. you know?"
"I thought that was over?" Catherine replied.
"Of course it isn't!" Buck interjected. "You know how Chris is. He doesn't always say how he feels."
"Exactly do you feel about my sister?" Catherine turned to the gunslinger who had stood there watching a nightmare unfold in the shape of his best friend taking up with the only woman who meant anything while his friends argued about it as if he was not even there.
"That's my affair," Chris hissed.
"Well, you keep this up, Chris," Buck turned to him and said without any mercy, speaking his mind after holding back for so long,. "it's going to Vin and Mary's affair, if it isn't already."
"All right now, just shut up all of you!" Josiah's voice exploded around their ears as the preacher stepped through the bat wing doors with Nathan and JD following, their expressions showing just as much astonishment at what was taking place.
Their arguments were so loud that the entire tavern was now listening on the other side of the batwings doors in anticipation of the next installment. Josiah had hoped it would die down before it reached this point but it showed no signs of abating and such loud 'discussions' should not be undertaken in so public a place, especially when the speculation had the power to do great damage to Mary's social standing within the community.
Josiah's booming voice silenced the entire group with sudden start. However, things were not about to improve because riding through, town side by side, was Mary and Vin. Upon catching sight of Catherine, Mary immediately rode towards the saloon, relief flooding through her as she saw that her sister was safe and sound. They could have remained in that farmhouse indefinitely but Mary had not wanted to linger too long because there was no telling what harm could have befallen Catherine in the meantime. She did not notice Chris bristling with annoyance when Vin helped her off her horse and then she hurried up the steps towards them.
Suddenly, every suspicion Chris had been entertaining, no matter how absurd, took cohesive form when he saw Vin's hands around Mary's waist, lifting her from the saddle as if there was something intimate between them. A surge of fury bubbled inside of him that could not be dampened by the rain that was beating hard against the ground beyond the awning. Wasn't it enough that Vin had taken from him the chance to kill Ella from him, now he was taking Mary too? It was more than he could stand. For weeks now, he had held his rage in check even though there were moments when he wanted to scream it out loud. But he had restrained it and forced it into a hidden place within himself where it would do no harm. However, seeing Mary and Vin together had shattered the last of his resolve and as he felt the rage suffuse him, Chris had no idea it could be so liberating.
Mary hurried up the steps, wanting to know what on earth Catherine was doing here and what had happened to her. "Where were you?" She demanded as soon as she reached them.
Unfortunately, there was no chance for Catherine to answer because no sooner had Vin had stepped onto the porch with her, than Chris was barreling straight into the tracker, sending them both flying through the air before landing hard on the ground. Both men created a huge splash as they landed, with the rest of their company staring in nothing less than shock before anyone had voice enough to respond.
"CHRIS LARABEE! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" Mary fairly screamed as she saw Chris and Vin rolling around the mud.
"Chris, have you lost your mind?" Vin Tanner managed to say as he pulled himself free of the gunslinger's tackle when a fist connected straight into his jaw and sent him sprawling.
"You low down, piece of trash!" Chris hissed, fury, jealousy and alcohol forcing his hand as he reached for Vin and hauled him to his feet. "I thought we were friends!"
"What the hell are you talking about?" Vin demanded as he felt himself being dragged upwards.
"Don't even pretend to deny it," Chris shouted as he grabbed Vin by the collar of his shirt and slammed his forehead against the tracker's. The maneuver disorientated Vin as he staggered backwards, blood running down his forehead from split skin. The impact was sending shock waves through his skull and he barely made out that Chris was shouting at him.
"We should stop this," JD declared making a move towards the two man battling out in the street. Their fight was bringing people to their windows to view the spectacle from all across town.
"No, we shouldn't," Buck said holding the younger man back. For the first time since Ella's death, Chris and Vin were communicating.
"They're killing each other!" JD exclaimed.
"No," Josiah answered with a little smile. "They're talking."
"Oh for the love of God!" Mary threw her hands in the air and shook her head in disgust. "When will you men get part this masculine desire to beat each other to a pulp whenever you have a disagreement! I'll do something."
"Mary, I don't think that's such a good idea," Catherine said watching the tracker recover from the surprise of the attack and retaliating with equal skill. She winced as she saw Vin slam his foot into Chris' knee, bringing down the gunslinger to his knees before throwing a fist in his face as Chris struggled to recoup from the attack.
"I don't care if it's a good idea or not!" Mary hissed, "I'm not letting them do this!"
Unfortunately, it appeared that they would be doing it and quite a bit more as Chris got to his feet and caught Vin's fist long enough to throw a punch in the younger man's face. Vin shook the blow off and ducked when Chris swung again. When he bounced back up again, he took advantage of Chris' weakened position when swinging and rammed his fist into the gunslinger's side. Chris retaliated by swinging his arm wide and striking Vin with the back of his knuckles. The tracker felt blood filling his mouth.
Vin wiped the blood from his face and turned just in time to see Chris throwing another punch. He caught the man's clenched fist and delivered one of his own. As Chris tumbled to the ground, he ensured that Vin came with him and once again they both landed on the ground, splattering mud in all directions.
"What's the matter with you!" Vin demanded as he rolled onto his stomach and tried to get to his feet.
"As if you didn't know!" Chris snarled as he stood up as well, preparing to launch himself at the tracker.
"No, I don't know!" Vin barked, unable to believe that their long friendship had disintegrated to this bloody display with their fists.
"How could you steal her away from me!" Chris growled, lunging at Vin like a coiled serpent and toppling the younger man back on the mud once more.
"What?" Vin exclaimed with astonishment now that he was in a better state of mind to think, to understand what it was Chris was inferring.
However, his shock did not register upon Chris as the gunslinger jumped on top of him, preparing to strike again. Vin brought up his leg and snapped the toe of his boot against the back of Chris' skull throwing the man off his body. As Chris fell face first into the mud, Vin grabbed him by the back of his arms, trying to diffuse this situation by immobilizing the angry gunfighter. Unfortunately, no one would restrain Chris Larabee and he slammed his head back hard, connecting with Vin's face. Vin released his hold of Chris and reeled in pain as blood poured freely from a broken nose. Chris turned around, breathing hard, the fire of his rage far from exhausted as he started towards the tracker again.
Vin was wiping the blood from his face, an effort made easier by the rain pouring down on them. Although he was defending himself against Chris, Vin was trying to keep the situation from spiraling completely out of control, though it was near. He did not want to fight Chris but even Vin was astute enough to know this rage had been building for some time and it needed resolution. Unfortunately, Chris did not look as if he was going to be receptive to any attempt to accomplish this. As it was, Chris was getting ready to attack again and Vin did not know how much longer he could hold back his punches. He gazed at the rest of the seven watching them and knew that the time when they would step back and let them handle this on their own, even in this brutal way, was dwindling. Resolving the situation was one thing, allowing them to beat each other to death was another thing entirely.
"STOP IT YOU BOTH!" Mary Travis suddenly ended the fight by placing herself in the midst of it. "What in god's name are you doing, Chris?" She turned to the gunfighter with confusion, horror and tears in her eyes all at once.
"What am I doing?" He demanded. "What are you doing? Taking up with my best friend?"
Mary stared at him for a second as she understood what he was implying. Her astonishment clearly registering on her face as she ran her fingers through her wet hair and exclaimed, "have you lost your mind completely? What on earth makes you think that there's anything between us!"
"I'm not a fool, Mary!" Chris retorted, glaring at both Vin and Mary, who was staring back at him with astonished eyes. "You two have been pretty tight the last few days. Suppers alone and then afternoon rides, what am I supposed to think?"
Mary's jaw dropped open in outrage and she slapped him hard across the face. "You selfish son of a bitch!"
She swore so loudly that it stunned everyone in the vicinity to hear it, not to mention Chris, who was staring at her in stunned silence at her physical display. He saw her eyes blazing with white flame and suddenly realized he had never seen so angry in his entire life. Raising his eyes to Vin, he saw the tracker shaking his head in disgust and suddenly, the cold water that had been raining down on him, finally reached his skin and returned him to some semblance of himself.
"How dare you stand there and take the moral high ground with me! You left me! You were prepared to throw away everything we had because of that woman! She killed your wife and child Chris and she damned well nearly killed me and my son! She could have saved herself the trouble because you're perfectly capable of destroying anything between us all on your own!. You showed me how little I mean to you, how easy it was to brush me aside. Now you stand there, daring to accuse me, when you were the one who pushed me away? How dare you?"
"I was protecting you," Chris managed to say because her words had penetrated. They cut through flesh and met bone and for the first time in too long, Chris felt anguish almost as unbearable as losing Sarah and Adam. "I thought you were better off with someone else."
"You were protecting yourself, Chris Larabee!" Mary bit back viciously. "Don't insult my intelligence by telling me anything else."
With that, she turned her back on him, her damp hair slapping hard against her skin as she stormed away through the teeming rain, leaving him in more pain than he could possibly imagine. Chris watched her go, watched her retreat towards the office of the Clarion and knew that she was right. He had been protecting himself. He loved her and that frightened him beyond belief. It scared him to know that he could be hurt the same way he was when Sarah and Adam had been taken. He had used Ella as an excuse to drive Mary away and it now appeared that he had succeeded.
"She was teaching me how to read, Chris," Vin Tanner spoke suddenly.
"What?" Chris raised his eyes to his friend, to his best friend whom he had just used his fists upon.
"I can't read," Vin replied softly, his expression strained as he made the revelation that no one except Mary had been privy to. "I can't even write my name, Chris. Mary was teaching me to how to learn my letters and write. She thought I could put those poems of mine to paper."
Chris did not know what to say because he so flooded with shame that it felt like gashes across his heart as he saw the friendship that had meant so much to him lying in shambles at his feet where he had trampled it. He thought of Ella and, how she had once again, managed to destroy his life even from the grave. He closed his eyes and was thankful that no one could see the tears that were forming in his eyes from this realization.
"Was this about me stealing Mary or Ella, Chris?" The tracker asked once more and even though he was just as drenched as Chris, the gunslinger knew by the glistening in those blue eyes that Vin's were filled with tears. "
"I wanted to kill her," Chris finally spoke, his voice escaping him like hoarse whisper. "I dreamed about it for so long Vin. I wanted her to die for what she did to my wife and my son! I wanted to make her suffer! To make her know the pain that she made me go through! I wanted her death to last! When you killed her, you took that away from me!"
"I'm sorry," Vin answered. "I can't change what happened, Chris. She was going to kill you and I did what I had to. I'm not going to apologize for saving your life, just for taking away your chance at revenge, but you're making sure she finished everything she set out to do, even though she's dead. You're letting her win and I don't know you well enough any more to know for certain that you even care about that."
"Of course I care." Chris met his eyes and for the first time in too long, that bond was there once again. It was weak and it was battered by weeks of hostility but it was still there. That imperceptible connection that had linked them together when they had stared across the street and met each other's eyes for the first time.
Chris straightened up and walked towards Vin unaware that those watching were holding their breaths as he crossed the space between them. Vin however, felt no fear as Chris approached him. This was long in coming and they had survived it, despite how hard it had been for both of them. Chris paused in front of Vin and swallowed thickly.
"I am sorry, Vin," Chris replied, clear regret on his face as he grabbed Vin in a warm embrace. "I am so sorry."
"It's okay, pard." Vin felt the emotion choking him as he patted his friend's back and was glad that at last, things were going to be right with them again. "It's okay."
When they pulled away from each other, both men let out a heavy breath, dispelling the emotional turmoil, which had held them in its thrall for longer than either would care to admit. Chris' gaze shifted towards the Clarion News. While he might have cleared things up with Vin, Mary was another thing entirely.
"I have to go," Chris whispered softly as he met Vin's eyes.
"Yeah, you do." Vin nodded.
"Got any suggestions on how I ought to handle this?" Chris asked not really expecting an answer.
"Not sure," Vin shrugged, "but it's a safe bet that crawling is going to be involved."
Chris threw the tracker a little smile and sucked in his breath, "I guess I'd better get started."
"Well that worked out better than we planned.," Ezra smiled like the proverbial cat that ate the canary as they saw weeks of enmity between two friends finally dissipate with the teeming rain.
"I do believe you're right, Mr. Standish," Catherine said as she threw him a radiant smile.
"Better than we planned?" Buck Wilmington stared at them both in shock. "What you do mean you had this planned?'
"Shall I do the honors my dear?" Ezra glanced at the lady with a cocky smile.
"Oh most definitely," Catherine replied with flamboyant disregard.
"I told you, Josiah," Ezra replied as he captured the undivided attention of the rest of the seven as they realized that part of what had happened today was no fluke but the product of some clever manipulation by their resident gambler and his newest partner in crime. "This would be a situation that required subtlety, and fortunately, Mrs. Harrington here possesses it in quantities that even I am forced to applaud."
"Oh, Mr. Standish, you flatter me," Catherine beamed.
"You mean that whole thing about them being alone together was just a lie?" Buck declared, realizing just how much Ezra had been responsible for his belief that something was going on between Vin and Mary.
"They were together," Ezra glanced at Catherine before smiling at Buck again, "just in a perfectly innocent way. However, knowing how vocal you are about some things, I was assured that any assumption you made would no doubt reach Chris' ears."
"And all I had to was to ensure that Mary was in Vin's company a little more than usual for that illusion to have its full effect," Catherine added.
"So you played me?" Buck did not know whether he should be offended or grateful, since the end result was forcing the confrontation that was so needed between all parties concerned.
"Like a violin." Ezra grinned, his sea-colored eyes sparkling in mischief.
"I always knew those scheming qualities of yours would come in handy, Ezra." Nathan started to laugh, patting the gambler on the shoulder.
"Thank you," Ezra gave the healer a look, "I think."
"You did good, Ezra." Josiah smiled with approval and it surprised the gambler how much the preacher's compliment meant to him. "You got them to talk."
"They had to," Ezra replied. "It was becoming all together too tense in this place. Mr. Larabee was outdoing even his blackest moods of late and you know how I like a challenge."
"You're just lucky Chris didn't shoot you," JD pointed out and despite the end result, Ezra could not entirely disagree with that statement.
"I think he has bigger things to deal with at this moment," Catherine spoke up as she glanced towards the front door of the Clarion News office where Chris Larabee had just entered.
"Yeah, that's true," Vin Tanner remarked dropping a wet hand on Ezra's shoulder before adding menacingly, "but Chris ain't the only one with a gun."
Chris found Mary seated at her kitchen table, running a towel through her hair as she waited for the kettle on the stove to boil. A pot of tea waited brewing as she dried her golden locks of hair. Chris stared at those white gold strands and was reminded how soft they were to the touch. Once again, the shame of his behavior the last few weeks rose up and threatened to choke the air out of his lungs. He had behaved so badly and it had taken almost losing her to see it. Chris had sunk to some low points in his life but until now, he did not know how deep he could plunge into self-pity.
She sat up straight in the chair when she saw him intrude upon her private bastion and he felt like the supplicant groveling before his queen. Considering his behavior, he supposed he deserved to be in such a humbling position. She said nothing as she watched him cross the floor to the table, wondering what words he would use to try and convince her to trust him, trying to decide if there was anything he could say that would mend her ravaged heart. She loved him. There was no doubt in her mind of that. She would love him until she went to her grave but she would not allow him to break her heart because he was too afraid of her. Not again.
He stood before her, saying nothing but his face showed regret so deep that her heart ached from seeing it. She wondered what he would say, wondered if he would try to take the upper hand and tell her that he had good reason for thinking as he did, that Ella's poison had warped his mind and had made him act less than rationally. Mary prepared herself for all this, not wishing to forgive him so easily for what he had made her suffer. He deserved to feel some pain for what he had done, so that he would know never to hurt her life this again. Mary braced herself to be hard because she was still angry at him.
Then Chris did something she did not expect and all the musings in the world no longer seemed important.
He dropped to his knees and buried his head in her lap, his arms sliding around his waist as he held her close and whispered or perhaps sobbed, she could not tell for certain.
"I'm sorry, Mary." his voice was a whisper of pain and anguish that all at once sliced neatly through her anger as if it wasn't there. "Forgive me, please. I swear I'll never hurt you again. I love you, Mary, I love you so much it scares me. I can't make what I did go away but I promise you it will never happen again. I don't think I can stand losing you."
Mary felt tears forming her eyes as she listened to his empathic plea. Large droplets rolled down her cheeks as her trembling hand stroked his hair and she knew that she could never refuse him. Whether or not it was madness to love this man, she did not know. She only knew that she loved him as much as he loved her and once that admission was made, life became a good deal simpler to cope with. For the moment however, there was no need for her to answer because the gentle caress of her hand against his hair told Chris all he needed to know.
In her arms, he was home.
Fortunately, the rest of Catherine's visit was nowhere as turbulent as her first few days in Four Corners. Mary was not entirely impressed with how her sister and Ezra had manipulated Chris, Vin and herself to achieve their much needed reconciliation but considering that Catherine had done it out love for her, assuaged much of Mary's anger in this regard. For the first time since Ella Gaines had met her end, things in Mary's life had returned to normal. Chris and Vin were friends in the way she and the rest of the seven were accustomed to seeing, especially after banding together and locking Ezra in jail for the night, a beneficence for his meddling in their affairs. Chris was a regular visitor to the Clarion News and though their relationship bore all the earmarks of respectability, no one who happened by was blind to the adoration she and Chris had for each other.
"Do you have to go?" Mary asked as she saw Catherine off at the stage depot.
The carriage was already waiting at the wooden sidewalk, with its driver going about the business of loading luggage onto the top of the old Concord. Passengers were scattered about, making their individual farewells to their loved ones before their journey.
When Catherine had first arrived, Mary had never imagined that she would be in this same place, begging her sister to stay but Catherine was not the same person she knew as a child. Well not entirely. Her sister was still prone to shaping everything to suit her needs and she still as manipulative and scheming as always but there was also an edge of tenderness to her that Mary had not noticed until now. Catherine had suddenly evolved from being her older sister to becoming her friend and that was something that Mary was very grateful for.
"Yes." Catherine nodded as she looked into her sister's eyes and saw real sadness at her departure. It touched the Bostonian divorcee more than she would care to admit. "I have to get back to my life now that I have set yours straight."
"Naturally." Mary laughed, wondering where on earth Catherine had inherited that inflated ego. Thank goodness, she was spared that herself. "Are you sure about going back? You can stay here for awhile, let things die down in Boston."
"It is tempting," Catherine replied casting her gaze around the small town that had grown on her more than she would like to admit it. "I could stay here a long time and hide away from everything that I know but that's not in me, just as it's not in you to run away from this place when you can stand your ground and fight. I need to be as strong as you, Mary. I need to go home and face things, no matter how hard it is."
"I understand," Mary nodded. "I'll just miss you a lot that's all."
"And I'll miss you," Catherine declared as the sisters met each other in another warm embrace.
"But this time," Catherine said as they faced each other again. "I'm not going to wait ten years to come back to see you."
"That's good to know," Mary replied with a sad smile. "I feel like I'm getting to know you all over again."
"I always knew you," her sister retorted smugly. "You're smart, determined and beautiful. You always were. Of course, you're my sister, so what else could you be?"
"Modest," Mary pointed out laughing.
"You don't need that." Catherine waved the thought aside casually with a gloved hand. "Most of the time it's a pain."
"I'll take your word for it." Mary laughed and then saw Catherine's expression melt into thoughtfulness as her sister gazed past her shoulder.
"Mr. Standish," Catherine said as Ezra joined them.
"Mary." Ezra tipped his hat politely at the newspaperwoman before turning his attention to Catherine. "I did not wish you to leave without saying goodbye."
"I'll just go and see when this stage is leaving," Mary said discreetly, guessing that Ezra and her sister would like a moment alone. The two of them had been constant companions since Chris and Mary had reconciled, with Ezra showing Catherine the meager entertainment that Four Corners had to offer. Mary had made no objections to the association because she suspected Catherine needed a little validation as a woman after her marriage's end and Ezra was too much of a gentlemen to compromise her reputation.
Once she was gone, Ezra turned to Catherine and took her hand in his, placing a gentle kiss on the knuckle of her gloved hand. "I have enjoyed the time we've spent together," Ezra said warmly.
"We made a good team," Catherine said softly, trying not to become lost in his eyes.
"Perhaps some day, we might meet again," Ezra responded, there was more hope in his voice then he intended and the private person that he was felt a little embarrassed at exposing his emotions so nakedly.
"We might," she smiled, "I will come back here at some point to see my sister. If you are here, maybe we might see what we can do for an encore performance, that is, if you're game?"
"Never ask that of a gambler," Ezra chuckled, "games are what we live for."
"It was my pleasure playing this one with you," she said throwing a quick glance at Mary. "Thank you for helping me, Ezra, I wanted so much to see her happy. She deserves that."
With that Ezra could not disagree.
"Until next time," he raised her hand to his once more and kissed it again, "Catherine the Great."
Catherine looked at him and smiled, "Don't you ever forget it."
THE END
