Disclaimer: All the characters from the "Magnificent Seven" T.V. series are property of Trilogy Entertainment, The Mirisch Group, MGM Worldwide.
She stopped running the moment she heard the gunshots.
For an eternity of time that seemed to stretched into forever but in actuality was only a matter of seconds, she held her ground in the middle of the clearing, waiting for something to give her indication that the sound she had heard tearing through the night was not as permanent as it seemed. However, no such respite came and all that greeted her following the gunshots was a silence that seemed to deepen the more frightened she became over the fate of her husband. Inez knew that she ought to keep going, with Elena Rose whimpering uncomfortably in her arms from the jostling she was receiving from Inez's hasty departure from their home, she reminded herself that she had to think about her daughter as well.
Following Buck's instructions, Inez had kept to the woods, keeping off the main track which riders would take to reach the homestead. Each step had been a minor agony because the urge to turn back, to not leave him was tantamount in her mind. The only thing that had kept her moving was the babe in her arms, who relied upon Inez to keep her safe. Only when the pounding in Inez's heart slow a little, did fears about Buck and what he might be enduring alone start to plague her with renewed intensity.
And then she heard the shots and her reason for running spiraled into oblivion. Inez did not know how long she remained where she was until something other than the noises made by insects and nocturnal wildlife was heard. The new sound was familiar to her and hearing it made her dart beneath the cover of some bushes for safety. She rocked Elena Rose in her arms because the child was starting to become disgruntled by the handling and the last thing that Inez needed right now was to have the wail of an infant pierced through the air and give them away. Not when the enemy was so close to finding them.
Breathing hard, she peered through the leaves and branches as the riders thundered past on their horses. She did not count exactly how many men there were but knew that there was enough there for her to desire concealment until they were gone. Her insides froze when she realised that Buck would have faced these men alone, without the aid of the seven and when she did not see him in their company, felt the last vestiges of her restraint shred with the possibility of why they were leaving and without him. Inez did not move again until the tremor on the ground from pounding hoofbeats faded into nothingness but when it did, she was on her feet and running.
Elena Rose started to cry but Inez was certain that the intruders to their home was much too far to notice by now. Barefoot and clad in her nightdress only, Inez ran through the woods, branches and stones digging into the soles of her feet with her hardly being aware of it. The foliage moved past her so rapidly that they were a dark blur around her and she noticed nothing until she broke the trees and saw the gray trail of smoke rising into the sky. From the distance she had not seen it but now that the overhead canopy of trees had disappeared, she saw the amber light in the sky.
The roof was on fire when Inez finally took in the sight of her home. Her heart sank in sorrow at the destruction but this feeling was momentary. Having no choice, she found a place to set down Elena Rose, hoping the infant would be safe for the moment because she could not do what she had to with her baby in her arms. The fire had spread across the cladding and was sneaking down the rain pipes. Soon, the tendrils of flame would snake across the walls and enter the house like an intruder. Thick grey smoke filled the air and as Inez came onto the porch, she saw that the interior of the house was filled with it. It was dangerous to enter, the intensity of the fire above the roof promised that it could bring down the entire structure over her head should it chose to. However, Inez saw that she had little choice, she had to find Buck.
Bursting through the back porch, she entered the kitchen and immediately began coughing as smoke entered her lungs. The noxious stench was so overwhelming that her eyes began to water almost instantly and she blinked hard trying to see through it. She made out shapes through the grey fog before her and slowly managed to progress a little further into the room before she saw something through the smoke that sent her running forward. Her leg slammed into a chair as she crossed the space, feeling a flare of pain as the shockwave reverberated through her knee but the pain hardly registered. Glass tore at her feet and other than a slight groan of pain; the shard digging into the soles of her feet from broken windows were just as unnoticed.
"Oh my god, Buck!" Inez skidded to the floor next to his prone form and almost slipped completely off her feet when she realised that the surface of it was slick and moist.
It took a second to register it as blood.
"Buck!" Inez screamed as she saw him lying prone, blood oozing out of him still, creating the puddle on the floor she had slipped on. He was still breathing but it was shallow and she knew that if he did not get help soon, he would die here. Her mental processes were moving so fast that she did not connect one action with another, her body simply moved without translating the action to her mind. Instinctively, she pulled him up and heard him groan slightly but he was no more coherent than that.
"Its okay Buck," she spoke nonetheless, though she suspected it was more for his benefit than it was. "I'm going to get you to town, to Nathan." She said as she forced his arm around her shoulder and forced herself to stand, dragging him to his feet along side of her. He was a dead weight but Inez refused to let go of him and moved slowly towards the door. She glanced briefly at her home and felt the same anguish Buck had felt earlier when he saw their castle burning. Inez shook her head of such thoughts, telling herself that a house was a thing replaceable, her family was not.
It took every ounce of strength she could muster to drag him out of the house and beyond the danger of the fire. Her muscles ached and the pain from the torn soles of her feet forced her to sob in agony by the time she reached the garden, which she had tended to with such affection. She dropped Buck on the ground and fell to her knees herself, whimpering slightly at the pain of her own slight injuries. Glancing over her shoulder, she saw the flames that had consumed the roof so spectacularly, claiming the rest of the house as well. Inez forced herself not to become to disheartened because there was much to do tonight. Buck was lying on his back and he had gone very pale, his breathing was ragged and she saw where the bullets had entered and knew that they were the cause of it.
Standing up shakily, she left him long enough to round the house and retrieve Elena Rose who was mesmerized by fire from where she had been left. Inez scooped up her child in her arms and immediately hurried back to Buck. Her own pain had dulled by now, pushed to some place where instinct and adrenaline had more sway over her. Fortunately, the barn and the stables had been left untouched by the fire and Inez set Elena Rose next to her father before she went to hitch the wagon. The bleeding had stopped but she had heard how much harder it was to breathe and being around Alexandra Styles had taught her something about injuries. He had been hit in the lungs, that much Inez knew for certain and she knew that if he did not get help soon, he could very well drown in his own blood.
Once Beavis, Buck's favourite horse was tethered to the wagon, Inez placed her baby and her husband into the back tray and began the ride towards town. As she snapped the reins and sent the horse bolting forward, Inez glanced sideways long enough to see the roof collapsing on the homestead. Fiery embers drifted into the night sky from the abrupt fall and Inez felt another pang of sadness at the destruction of her home. Snapping the reins once more in order to gain more speed from the animal, Inez told herself that her world was presently in the wagon with her and without them, a house would have meant nothing.
"Hang on Buck," she whispered softly as Beavis tore through the night. "Just hang on."
There was movement in her bedroom.
Casey Wells opened her eyes just in time to see a dark shadow standing over her. Her body reacted instinctively, attempting to sit up in protest when a hand slid over her mouth and the weight of someone else's form eased quickly onto her. She felt a man's body slide over hers, forcing the air from her lungs, his weight pinning her down so that only her arms were free. She made an attempt to squeal but he was prepared and whispered in her ear softly.
"Make a noise and my friend will kill your aunt."
Casey felt the sound die in her throat as she stared at her assailant wide eyed. She glanced around anxiously, refusing to believe that he was anything but alone when she saw her window open. The wind was blowing the curtains into her room, causing the floral print to sway back and forth in a graceful movement. She heard stealthy footsteps, heavy but silent against the floor and darted her gaze towards its direction where she caught a glimpse of a second man crossing the floor of her room making his way to the door leading into the hall. Casey went very still as she listened closely and realised that he was making his way towards Nettie's room.
Casey shook her head frantically, imploring her attacker with her eyes to not to do what he had threatened. She would behave. She would do whatever he want, just as long as he left Aunt Nettie alone. His accomplice seemed to pause and with the silence of his approach towards Nettie's door, Casey realised that he was holding back, waiting to see if she would cooperate or not. She looked up at the face above hers and saw that he had noticed her efforts to speak. Relaxing his cupped hand over her lips, he moved just enough to allow her speech.
"Please," she begged softly. "Don't hurt Nettie. I won't make a sound." Tears started to well in her eyes because Casey hated being so vulnerable. She was a young woman accustomed to taking care of herself, she could shoot and she could ride but at this moment, Casey had never felt so utterly helpless and portents of doom began snaking up her spine with its icy tendrils.
"That's good." He said with a predatory edge to his voice. "I'd hate for this to get nasty."
The voice was familiar to her and for second, Casey tried to place it and realised that it was one she had only heard recently.....
Recognition struck her so abruptly, she could not keep the knowledge from escaping her lips in a strained gasp. "Mr Blackwood?"
He did not seem very concerned at her knowing that it was he and through the darkness, she saw his lips curl into a little smile that sent fresh shivers through the skin. "In the flesh." He answered his voice rough and gravelly, creating a physical sensation that almost made her gag. She thought of fighting him off, her arms were free and she might be able to dislodge him but she would never reach Nettie or the second man in time to keep harm from coming to her aunt.
"What do you want?" She asked fearfully. Part of her terror had to do with being unable to comprehend why he was here and the other part had to do with the fact that this creature threatening such villainy against her and Nettie was related to JD Dunne. When Casey thought about how she had encouraged JD to get to know his father, she cursed her own foolishness and wished she had given his feelings of unease about the man more credence. Now he was here, in a position of supreme power over her and there was nothing she could do about it.
"I want my son." He said without hesitation. He sounded cold even though she could see the rage blazing in his eyes when he made the statement. There was blackness in them when he spoke about JD, it seemed to absorb everything about it that had light. "I want him to come home with me to Chicago, where he belongs. To take his place at my side as it should be. My son is too good for this stink hole. With me, I can give him the world. All he'll have here is an early grave, most likely in Boot Hill because no one's gonna give a rat ass about a dead lawmen once he's gone."
"That ain't up to me." She exclaimed, trying desperately to convince him that JD's choices were his own. She could not make them for him. "I can't make JD go with you."
"You're holding him back." Blackwood retorted swiftly. "He'll stay here and rot because of you. He thinks he's in love with you." There was a visible sneer on his face when he said that.
A surge of defiance swelled up within her when she saw the contempt in his eyes and Casey blurted out. "He does love me." She challenged. "I love him. If he won't go because of that I'm glad."
"You're nothing." He spoke softly in her ear and sent shivers down her spine again, reminding her who was weak and who was in control here. Unfortunately, it was not Casey. "You're going to tell him to leave. You're going to see him tomorrow and you're going to break it off. You'll think of something to tell him. I have no doubt of that but you will tell him."
She could feel his breath against her skin, feel his heat against the flimsy nightdress she wore. Her fear began to escalate when she realised just how vulnerable she was in this position. "If you hurt me," Casey warned boldly. "He'll hate you or kill you. You take your pick."
"Oh I don't intend on killing you and you won't be telling him about our encounter," he smiled and suddenly, she felt his hand glide gently down the shape of her body, molding over every curve until the intention in his eyes became very clear. "Because if you tell him, then I'll tell him how you seduced his father."
"No!" She gasped and his hand felt over her mouth again. Her cry dissolved harmlessly in flesh as his other hand found the edge of her dress and began retracing the path taken there against flesh.
"You scream for help," Blackwood reminded her as he felt her struggle beneath him, her warm, smooth skin feeling heavenly under his palm when it was flushed with fear. "Your aunt will be dead before she even knows what you are screaming about and you won't be long after her."
"Please," she started to sob, feeling his touch in places he had no business being, the revulsion in her stomach so thick, it was almost choking her. "Please don't do this." She begged and yet the look in her eyes showed her that it was going to happen and nothing was going to stop it.
As he lowered her lips onto her neck preceding the kiss he was about to plant, Neil Blackwood said with a little smile. "I always did like them young."
"It looks like its just you Chris." Vin Tanner announced upon entering the Larabee home.
Although in the small hours of the morning, the rest of the seven were gathered around the kitchen with Mary pouring refills of coffee for the friends who had immediately been brought to this place upon learning about the threat to the life of Chris Larabee and his family. Although it had not turned out tragically, except for their assassin of course, Chris could not help feeling a swell of rage at anyone who would invade his home and bring death to such a close proximity of his young family. He felt incredibly incensed.
"Some old enemy?" JD ventured a guess as he thanked Mary for the cup of coffee. He still felt the sleep in his eyes but refused to be anywhere but here when he thought any member of his extended family was in danger.
"Possibly," Chris shrugged. "Didn't look like anyone I knew though."
"What about Mr Kitson?" Ezra pointed out. "He did seem rather venomous when he was in our custody. Is he demented enough to take revenge?"
"I didn't think so," Chris confessed, having given that some thought already. While Kitson was a lunatic no doubt and a terrifying personality at best, Chris could not help thinking that the man was someone with a cause and the cause would certainly take precedence over any petty notions of revenge, at least until his goals had been met. It seemed foolish to make such a pre-emptive strike when one was not needed and Kitson's threat had been against all of them, Chris could not imagine why he would be the only one who was attacked. Although Buck was not here, Chris supposed that if the rest of the seven in town had been left alone, Buck would be in the same position. "Seems to me if it was Kitson, he'd gone after all of us."
"I agree with Chris." Josiah nodded as he drained his cup of coffee and thanked the Lord for whatever in it that made him feel unlike a mile of bad road. Shouldn't have polished off that bottle Josiah, the preacher thought to himself silently and then motioned Mary for a fresh cup when his head throbbed with hangover again. "Kitson was insane but he gave me the impression that revenge was something he would deliver after he did whatever he had planned to do."
"Besides," Vin added. "He knows we'd be expecting him."
"Maybe it's someone else," Mary said offhandedly as she finally sat down at the table, once she had played the part of hostess. "Someone who's taken advantage of this business with Kitson and has an agenda of their own."
The six men exchanged glances and they all agreed with a look that it was a very good idea, in fact the one that made most sense when one considered the situation clearly. Chris finally cleared his throat and remarked. "That's not bad."
"For a girl." Vin added with a grin and garnered a look of sarcastic from Mary.
"Chauvinism aside," Ezra came to the lady's defense unable to resist the chance to be chivalrous. "Mrs Larabee does bring up a very good point. We have other enemies."
"Laurel Chase." Chris pointed out and felt his innards sour just thinking about the woman.
"Hannibal Julius." Nathan volunteered and saw an involuntary shudder from Nathan. It surprised the healer somewhat to see how deeply the lunatic leader of the Citadel effected the normally unflappable gambler.
"If we had to name enemies, we could be here awhile." JD joked. "We pissed a lot of people off."
A small ripple of laughter moved throughout the room and Chris opened his mouth to speak when the sound of a wagon tearing loudly through the street outside captured their attention and drove away any further conversation. The gunmen exchanged glances and knew that this time of the night, such an occurrence usually preceded some danger. They could hear the horse pulling the wagon, neighing in protest, probably exhausted from its labors when through the rumble of the wagon wheels coming to a rapid halt, they heard Inez calling out frantically.
"Chris! Mary! Somebody help me!" Her cry for help was followed by Elena Rose's tearful wail and scarcely a second had passed before they were all out practically leaping out of their chairs and rushing outside.
They arrived to find Inez scrambling to the back tray of the wagon, her nightdress fairly covered in blood in loud, angry stains that had the power to shock as much as it had to concern. She stared helplessly at them as she cradled Buck's head in her arms, sobbing as she tried to decide whether or not he survived the trip from their blazing remains of their home. Elena Rose was screaming louder now, the sound of a child's cry seeming obscene in light of the almost grisly scene before them.
Please," she spoke through sobs. "Help him."
Nathan was on the move far swifter than any other member of the seven because this much blood did not have the power to leave him as horrified as his friends. The spry healer leapt into the tray of the wagon, jostling everyone in it at impact. Ezra was also moving, climbing over the sides of the wagon in order to reach Inez who was almost hysterical.
"Buck!" JD exclaimed and started to come forward, feeling cold terror in his heart. He had never been so afraid of losing his friend, not even when they were in the Seminole village when Buck had nearly died trying to protect him. He was already striding forward when Josiah grabbed his arm and stopped him, aware that Nathan did not need the interference.
"Everyone stay back." Nathan ordered as he saw how JD was about to react and added his own words to keep the youth in check. "I need room to work, not for you to get in my way." His words were taut and rightly so for he had glanced at the source of the wound and the fact that Buck's breathing was no longer raspy, it was becoming erratic which threatened to slip into a pause that would not allow him to resume again. "Inez," he glanced briefly at Ezra and gave him a silent order which the gambler understood too well before he turned back to her. "Honey, you got to let him go, I need to look at him."
"No!" She sobbed hysterically. "I won't leave him."
"You are not leaving him," Ezra said soothingly in the gentle voice that only he could induce. "You are merely allowing Nathan take care of him. Inez, you know it has to be this way."
Mary had circled the wagon and leaned over to pick up Elena Rose, wishing the child away from the carnage. Her stomach hollowed as she saw the stains on the child's linen, which seemed to amplify the horror of the situation even more. "Inez," Mary spoke softly to her friend. "Elena Rose needs you and Nathan is going to help Buck."
"Nate?" Chris finally spoke as he saw the healer pause a moment after his initial examinations of Buck Wilmington's injuries. "Talk to us."
Nathan did not face Chris as he spoke but his voice was unlike anything that Chris had ever heard before. It sent shivers down his spine and he was not a man easily moved by such things. "Vin," Nate said quietly. "I think you better get Alex here."
Chris saw the understanding seep into the tracker's eyes and he immediately retreated away from the main group before breaking into a run to reach his wife.
"What does that mean Nathan?" JD demanded, too gripped in panic to know better. "He's gonna be alright isn't he? Nathan? Buck's going to be fine, right?"
"Settle down JD," Josiah ordered, more for Inez's benefit because the lady was frantic enough as it was without JD's panic stricken questions escalating her fears any further.
Nathan met Chris' gaze and though he could not speak it, Chris could read the man enough to know one thing; Nathan did not know if saving Buck Wilmington was possible.
"What happened Inez?" Chris asked hours later.
Inez was seated at the kitchen table of the Tanner home, still clad in her bloodied nightdress, her hands shaking as she held onto the cup of tea Mary had made her while they all waited for news of Buck's state of health. Chris had a feeling that it was the waiting that disturbed the lady the most and though she was reasonably calmer than she had been when she had brought Buck into town, it would only take a nudge for her to be reduced to her former state of distress. Chris could hardly blame her of course. Even he, a seasoned and hardened gunslinger who had seen death so often it was almost felt like the entity was sitting on his shoulder at time, found himself shaken when he saw his oldest friend in the condition he had been when Inez rode into town.
Julia Pemberton was presently at the Larabee household playing babysitter not only to Billy and Michael but also to Elena Rose. Inez needed to know that she could leave her baby someone she trusted while she played out this waiting game inside the kitchen. However, her mind did not seem any more at ease despite this respite. Mary of course, knew that she herself had reacted in more or less the same way when it had been Chris who was hurt. She could not expect any gesture to impact much on Inez when it had been equally meaningless to her when it had been her turn.
"I'm not sure." She answered, her normally firm and confidence tone wavering with fear. "Buck woke me up and said that there was trouble. I heard horses and men but I never saw them. He wanted me out of the house well before they arrived."
Chris could understand that. In the same position, he would have given the same instructions to Mary to take their children and flee for their lives. After what had happened to Sarah and Adam, he would risk them for nothing and he was sure to a certain degree that Buck had felt the same way when he had sent Inez running into the night. "You didn't see anything?" He asked, trying not to sound reproachful by the fact.
Inez paused and considered the question, aware that it was important to tell what she could because it could save the others from a similar fate should this men choose to lash out at someone else the way they had done to her family tonight. She only wished the encounter with those men at the homestead had resulted as favorably as it had with the Larabee household, since none of the family was hurt the way Buck was. She forced away those emotions for the moment and tried to concentrate on the question. "I don't know exactly how many there were," she confessed. "When I heard the gunshots, I couldn't keep going. I waited until it had stopped before I went back. I didn't get far before I saw that they had set fire to the house."
"Oh Inez," Mary gasped, knowing how dear that place had been to Inez. In some ways, it was to Mary as well, after all it was the home that she had shared with Steven Travis, in which Billy was born but the memories of his tragic loss was too much to make Mary feel too badly about its destruction.
"I saw them ride past me," Inez continued speaking. "There were a few of them, at least four I think but I couldn't see them, I just heard them."
"What kind of person rides up to man's house in the middle of the night to do this?" JD who had been silent all this while finally blurted out, the anger in his voice increasing in tempo. In truth, he knew the answer to that question as well as all the others in the room but found himself asking it anyway because it was Buck who had been harmed and secretly felt ashamed because he ought to have been similarly outraged if it was anyone.
"A coward." Vin remarked, issuing the word like it was a curse.
"What I cannot ascertain is why you two were singled out." Ezra offered. "Other than your close association that is. Might this be the work of an old enemy?" He asked Chris.
The gunslinger couldn't honestly believe so. Sure he and Buck had seen their share of fights over the years but nothing that would precipitate hatred so deep that it would be avenged now. Something told Chris that if he could just understand why he and Buck had been chosen, the answers to the rest of their questions would become an open book. "Not that I know of."
"I still can say that this is Kitson's work." Josiah replied. "Whomever would come to your homes at night was clearly intent on killing all of you," he glanced at Inez and swore at his insensitivity. "Sorry Inez." He apologised quickly and continued speaking. "Kitson didn't strike me as being a killer of women and children."
"I think we ought to find that bastard anyway." JD retorted. "I say we find him and gut it out of him."
An abrupt silence fell over the room at JD's words and despite their efforts to hide it, there was not one person in the room who was not a little taken back by the fury behind JD's words. Of course, they all understood his anger and to a certain degree did not think badly of his idea to find Kitson and get answers but hearing it spoken so vehemently from JD unnerved them. The awkwardness stretched for a few seconds with silence following, until the sound of footsteps coming up the stairs from the clinic below gave it the break it needed. When Nathan appeared before them, all thoughts of JD's fiery words were gratefully forgotten.
The healer was immediately bombarded with a chorus of questions, all demanding to know one thing. After more than three years of friendship with these men, Nathan was more than used to fielding such questions and immediately answered without wasting any more time and because Inez and JD in particular needed to know. "Inez," Nathan spoke directly to the lady. "He's going to be fine. He's hurt bad, I ain't lying to you there but he's gonna be okay. Me and Alex had been working to put his insides together." He glanced at Chris and remarked. "He almost lost a lung." Nathan confessed.
Chris' jaw tightened and the others felt similar waves of anger but restrained themselves for the sake of Inez. "But he'll live?" She asked hopefully, needing to hear those exact words to let herself feel any reassurance.
"Yes," Nathan nodded. "He'll live."
Inez let out a held breath and stated to sob slightly. Mary who was standing close by offered her friend her shoulder and for a minute Inez wept softly, feeling immense gratitude come over her as the news seeped into her mind. "Thank god."
"Is he conscious?" Chris asked.
"No," Nathan shook his head. "He won't be for a while Chris. I ain't kidding with you when I say that he's hurt bad. He was lucky to make into town as it is. He lost a lot of blood and his insides are all messed up, he won't be waking up for at least a day and even then, he's gonna be pretty weak."
"We need to know who did this to him." JD declared. "We need to find them Nate."
"Easy pard," Vin gave him a look and told him to calm down because there was no need to make a scene in front of Inez when she was already in such a precarious state of mind.
"Don't worry JD," Chris glanced at the younger man and wanted to reassure him of one thing that the gunslinger hoped would make him feel better, even if it was for tonight. "We will find them and when we do, there will be hell to pay."
"And a hell of a lot more." JD retorted sourly. "Count on it."
Alexandra Styles was grateful for the quiet.
She walked into the room that Buck Wilmington was presently occupying in her clinic and ensured that her patient was alright. Pausing by his side, Alex examined his bandages and made a routine check of his vitals in order to ensure that he was still in a stable condition. The nature of his injuries demanded such precautions and Alex had no intention of leaving the clinic for the rest of the day because she wanted to monitor his progress and be certain that he suffered no complications that might finish him. She tried not to shudder as she saw his deathly pale color, reminding herself that she had to look at the man with the eye of a physician, not the close friend that he was. To see him as anything more than the happy go lucky rogue that he was seemed terribly wrong somehow. Alex felt a wave of affection welled up inside of her for him as she ran her hand gently across his cheek, hoping that the gesture would comfort him in the dark place he was now.
Alex started to withdraw from the room once she was sure he could be left alone for five minutes. She wanted a cup of tea and started up the stairs to the home she shared with her husband Vin Tanner. Vin was at this moment, riding into Purgatory with Chris Larabee, attempting to glean some information on their midnight assailants. The others had been coaxed to leave because they were waiting up all night with Inez and were all singularly exhausted. Inez had wanted to remain but Mary would hear none of it, feeling that the woman needed a rest after her traumatic ordeal and ushered her to the Larabee home where Julia was babysitting. She had almost been as hard to remove as JD, whose fears for Buck's life were almost equal to Inez's in their intensity.
JD's relationship was Buck was almost paternal even if Neil Blackwood had suddenly arrived to usurp that role. Not that he could of course, Buck's bond with JD was far too strong to break just because someone with a biological claim emerge to stake his claim on the boy. Outwardly, the relationship between the two appeared nothing more than friendship and camaraderie but to the inner circle of the Magnificent Seven, they knew better. JD was to Buck, the family he had always wanted and having JD in his life prepared him for the rest. Buck on the other hand to JD, was the father he always wanted, the friend who would ensure he never be alone.
JD could never really think of Blackwood as his father because of Buck.
The thought lingered in her mind for a second, taking a dark shape that appeared monstrous in its silhouette and Alex shook it out of existence immediately, telling herself that she was tired and needed that tea more than she thought. She started up the stairs when suddenly, she heard the door of her clinic open. At this time of day, it was not unusual for her patients to knock, although they did announce themselves if she did not emerge to greet them. Alex turned on her heels and descended down the steps once again and saw Casey Wells entering quietly through the door.
"Casey......" Alex opened her mouth to speak but the sound never came out. The look on the girl's face killed the words before she could utter them.
There was no way to describe it really. Outwardly, there was no sign of injury. She was dressed in pants, her normal work clothes that is; with her hat pulled over her heat. When she met Alex's eyes, she could not do so for a moment and turned away. Alex could see her lips quivering, she could see a mask of control held in place that was starting to give way and the cracks in the facade spoke of despair. Utter and complete despair.
"I came to see if Buck was okay." Casey spoke up, she still could not look at Alex because she was certain Alex had seen.
"He's fine." Alex answered, her physician's senses on full alert now. Being a doctor was not just about having the skill but sensing immediately that something was wrong and you needed to help. It was why when Alex met Nathan Jackson, she was determined that he become a real doctor because he had that special gift that most physicians tried a lifetime to obtain, just being able to know without any reason except a feeling to guide him.
"Oh." She said in a small voice. "I heard when I came to town that he had been hurt bad." She had not moved from where she was standing and Alex could see she was about to shatter in front of the doctor's eyes. What in God's name had happened to the child.
"He was shot last night." Alex answered, not really thinking about the words but more focussed on her observation of her young friend.
Casey was her friend, she was like a younger sister who wanted to know everything but felt too overwhelmed too ask others. Alex knew that she held Mary in awe and was a little afraid of the editor of the Clarion News. Alex could not blame her of course, Mary was almost a force of nature like her husband. Casey probably found Julia's manner a little intimidating and she did not know Rain long enough to consider her a confidant and Nettie was out of the question, too parental, Alex had decided. When Alex had become Vin Tanner's love, she had been welcomed into the Nettie's family and because she loved Vin who was wild and woolly as he liked to joke some times though never tell her where that comment originated, Casey found her approachable. They often talked about personal things and Alex was more than happy to answer the questions Casey found too intimate to speak to anyone else about, which was why Alex knew with certainty that there was something wrong.
"Some men rode out to the house," Alex continued to speak. "They shot him and sent someone after Chris as well. They think it might be those stagecoach robbers who escaped from jail." She added.
Casey flinched and for a brief second, there was rage in her eyes. Blind, black hatred, swelling like a boil on the surface of bubbling mud and when it ruptured, the escaping gases passed across her face like a cloud. However, in a second it was gone, replaced by realisation that brought that same despaired look on her face once more.
"Casey." Alex finally spoke up. "What's wrong?"
Casey blinked and swallowed. "Nothing." She tried to smile but could not quite manage it. "I came to see Buck."
"No you didn't," Alex shook her head. "You came to see me because something is bothering you, you can't tell anyone else." The doctor crossed the space between them and placed her hands on the girl's shoulder, when she did Casey backed away like a frightened animal, almost slamming into the door behind her in revulsion.
"Dear God, what is it?" Alex demanded, an ugly, ugly conclusion leering in the darkness of her suspicious mind.
"Don't touch me!" Casey shouted and turned to open the door.
There was no way Alex was letting her get away, not in her state and slammed her palm against the door, keeping it close. "You're not going anywhere until you tell me what's wrong."
"I can't!" She wailed. "I just can't!"
Alex's heart was pounding. It was pounding because she was started to guess. Her mind was whirling like a kaleidoscope, back to the time when she was knew in Four Corners and she had met Inez Recillos for the first time, when Inez had been brutally attacked. Casey wore that same look now even though there was nothing to indicate that she had been brutalized but Alex knew that just because there were no bruises, did not mean it did not happen.
"Yes you can," she took Casey's face in her hands and made the girl meet her eyes. "Casey, I won't tell a soul but you need to tell me what's happened."
Casey started to cry and it was a sound that broke Alex's heart into a thousand pieces. Casey was a spirited young woman, fearless and honest. She reminded Alex of Vin sometimes and could see why Nettie had taken to the tracker so much when they had met. Vin reminded Nettie of her own niece that she wanted him to be apart of her family.
"Please honey," Alex whispered softly. "Let me help you."
Her cries paused enough for her to meet Alex's gaze before she finally spoke. "He told me that if I told, he'd deny it. He'd make it look like that it was all my fault, that I did something to make it happen. He said he'd tell JD!"
Alex told herself to remain calm even though she wanted to shake the truth out of Casey and then find the bastard who did this to her and acquaint him with the finer points of a scalpel. "Who Casey? Who said that?"
"He touched me..." she started to cry once more, her body shuddering in horror as the images appeared in his mind, the memory of grunting and the satisfied groan after he.....
Casey bolted out the door before Alex could stop her and retched violently against the ground outside the building. She threw up until there was nothing left to eject and then sobbed violently. After a few seconds, she was composed enough for Alex to led her back into house even though she was still in a terrible state. There was no need for details as far as Alex was concerned, her manner was answer enough.
"Casey please," Alex asked again. "A man who would do this, isn't going to stop with you. He'll do it again Casey," she implored hoping to break through the obstruction of fear and despair Casey was feeling. "He'll do it to someone else."
"No he won't," she shook her head and regained some composure. "He has what he wants."
"And what is that?"
"JD." Casey replied softly.
Now Alex was becoming confused. "JD? He did this to you because of JD?" Alex gasped. "Why?"
"Because he wanted me gone." She continued speaking in that same lifeless tone. "He wanted me to let JD go because he knew JD would never leave Four Corners if I was here. He wants JD to go with him and I thought it was just me, he wanted to get rid of but now I know its Buck too and Chris. I guess he figured if he killed Buck and Chris then JD wouldn't be held here and when he did this to me, he said that if I told JD, he'd tell too. He wanted me to tell JD to go away with him, back to Chicago."
Alex started to understand. "Oh my God, you mean Blackwood!" The words escaped her like a strangled gasp
Blackwood
And suddenly it made perfect sense.
When the telegram arrived, Mary could scarcely believe it.
Franklin at the telegraph office had come to the Clarion News and delivered it personally. Transcribing it meant that the telegraph operator had read its contents and must have been just as horrified by its contents as Mary was to read it when he presented it to her later. When she saw what was in it, she had left her office, giving some oblique excuse to Inez because her best friend was still worrying about her husband and rushed to the Standish Tavern, the most likely place for her to find the seven. Her thoughts were racing as the contents of the telegram swirled inside her head. When Vin Tanner had asked her to make inquiries, she had done so knowing that it was to alleviate JD's worries about his father as well as the concerns of those around him.
She had never in a thousand years, anticipated having to tell him what she had just discovered.
Mary was on her way to the Standish Tavern when she saw Alexandra Styles heading the same way. She knew the doctor enough to know by the taut expression on her face that something was terribly wrong. Mary diverted in her journey long enough to meet up with Alex who was not just upset, she was smoldering with rage. Mary could not recall ever seeing Alex that infuriated.
"Alex, what's wrong?" Mary demanded as they neared the boardwalk that ran past the Tavern.
"Blackwood." Alex said with a low hiss. "He's responsible for Buck and the attack on you last night."
Mary's eyes widened. The news she had received would seemed to confirm that but hearing Alex say it with such absolute certainty shook her. "How do you know?" Mary asked.
At that, Alex suddenly became very tight lipped. "I can't tell you but he is responsible."
"Did Franklin tell you about the telegram?" She asked as they entered the batwing doors that led into the tavern. At this time of the day, the saloon was not very busy which was just as well. What Alex had to say did not require any more of an audience than necessary.
Alex paused and met Mary's gaze, "what telegram?"
"Ladies," Ezra Standish who was seated around the table with Nathan, Josiah and JD immediately spoke upon seeing them enter the room and judging by the expressions on their faces, it appeared that something was the matter. "Is there a problem with Mr Wilmington?" He asked anxiously.
"No," Mary answered first. "Buck's fine. We've come into some information and I think you boys need to hear it."
The four lawmen sat up now, paying attention. JD in particular, which only made Mary feel all the more worse for what she had to tell them. JD had been so reluctant to accept Blackwood's overtures of fatherhood towards him. They had convinced him otherwise only to learn that the boy's instincts had been correct all the while. How in God's name was she to tell him?
"Neil Blackwood was the one who tried to have Buck and Chris killed last night." Alex blurted out, not having any such reservations about telling JD the truth, as much as she could.
"What?" JD exclaimed. There was no way to describe the look of horror on his face, not to mention the desperate need for disbelief. "What are you talking about?"
"I'm talking about Blackwood wanting Buck and Chris out of the way so that you would leave with him." Alex continued, swept away by the rage she felt because of what had been done to Casey.
JD was still too gripped with shock to make adequate response but it was apparent by the look in Josiah's eyes that he believed to a certain extent. The preacher had been close to this since the beginning and it was at his and Vin's behest that Mary had sought the information on Blackwood's history.
"That's crazy." JD stammered, unwilling to believe it because it simply was too much. "You have no right to say that about my father!"
People were starting to be drawn into the conversation and this immediately prompted Ezra to his feet. The gambler made short work of ushering everyone out of the tavern that was not directly involved because he sensed that things were about to become exceedingly ugly, no matter how much truth was being revealed. It took no more than few seconds to clear the Standish Tavern of its patrons before they were finally alone and free to speak without their business being known to half the town.
"Look, he ain't the best man in the world but you don't have the right to accuse him like that!" JD retorted. His eyes indicated that he was anguished by the possibility that he might have been the reason for Buck's condition. It impaled his heart like a knife and warned of a pain that would break him in half if it were the truth.
Seeing this, Mary put a hand on Alex's shoulder as she prepared to respond and asked silently for leave to speak. Alex nodded slightly but it was enough of a signal of her understanding.
"JD," Mary took a deep breath. "Vin asked me to look into Blackwood's background when we first learnt that he might be your father and this morning I got an answer from Chicago."
"What does it say?" Nathan asked as JD went close mouthed, the terror starting to fill his eyes at the truth he was about to be faced with.
"Neil Blackwood is a gangster. Chicago law enforcement know all about him but they're never been able to prove it. He is reputed to own organized crime in Chicago. There is not a shady deal in Chicago that takes place without his consent. Gang lords are completely beholding to him and his people out of simple terror. Chicago policemen have fished a lot of bodies out of the river that is evidence to that. My source at the Tribune suspects that he is guilty of crimes including, murder, assault, racketeering, extortion and...." she paused as she tried to find some way to say it without destroying JD completely.
"And?" Ezra prompted, unable to imagine that there could be anything worse. Ezra was wrong.
"Rape."
"Dear Lord." Josiah hissed under his breath and squeezed JD's shoulder, hoping that would help steady the boy but knew that it was impossible.
"Rape?" Alex looked at her. "Let me guess. Young girls, under twenty? "
Mary's eyes widened as she nodded. "Yes," she answered with a astonished gasp. "How did you know?"
"It does not matter," Alex answered abruptly. "JD, he ordered the attack on Buck and Chris last night because he wants you. He wants you to go back to Chicago with him. He want his son."
"No," JD shook his head out of pure denial. "He couldn't have done this."
He could not breathe. Mary and Alex were wrong. They had to be! He was not born of a creature that could do those things! He could not be! It was some other Neil Blackwood! It just had to be!
"He did do it JD," Alex continued because the others did not know what she knew.
"Alexandra," Ezra spoke up, seeing the anguish in JD's eyes and wishing the doctor be less forceful with her opinion when it was obvious the boy was crumbling before their eyes. "No doubt Mr Blackwood seems more unsavory than we had previously anticipated but we have no reason to suspect that he did this terrible deed to Mr Wilmington or Mr Larabee."
"Casey is in my clinic," Alex finally responded, aware that there was only one way for them to understand and though she hated breaking Casey's confidence, the girl could not be allowed to suffer this alone. Certainly not with the guilt that she had somehow caused this unfortunate thing to happen to her because of Blackwood's obsession with his son. JD needed to understand just what kind of a human being he was defending.
"Casey?" JD stared at her sharply, all thoughts about Blackwood fading into the background for the moment. "Is she alright?" He stammered.
"No she's not JD," she answered softly, glad that she could speak freely now that the tavern was empty. "Blackwood didn't just go after Buck and Chris last night. If he had managed to kill either of them last night, you would have still stayed in Four Corners because of Casey."
"What did he do?" JD shouted so loudly that they all jumped from the sharpness of his voice.
"He climbed into her bedroom last night while his friend waited outside Nettie's door. He told Casey that if she made a sound or try to fight him, his friend would kill Nettie."
"Oh sweet Jesus." Nathan started to mutter and Josiah's deep frown became a scowl and then an expression that could not be read, crossed his face. Ezra held the mask of calm, always taking the lead when both Chris or Vin was absent. Most did not notice that he was capable of such a thing but he did it and usually shrugged it off later, the way the others did and never said, though they should.
"He raped her JD." Alex whispered. "He raped her and told her that she was to tell you that it was over between the both of you and that she wanted you to leave town with him. If she refused, then Blackwood would tell you that she'd seduced him."
"Bastard." Mary swore uncharacteristically. She suddenly understood Alex's anger and suddenly, the words that she had intended to say to Alex about sparing JD's feelings did not seem important any more because he had to know the truth.
To the devil, a son and unless the boy wanted to unknowingly share the same fate, he had to know.
JD said nothing. His world had been swallowed up in a pit so black that he could feel himself tumbling head long into it. He did not even know when the pit had come or how he had tipped over the edge, aware only that he was standing in the light a moment ago and now he was tumbling along into it. In the deepest corner of him, he suspected something like this from the very beginning, he could not deny that no matter how much he wanted to. Despite the fact that he had to suppress the uneasiness he felt in the man's company, JD had refused to face it. How could he face knowing that Blackwood was what the man he was and then look in the mirror and believe that he was immune to it when he was his father's son.
"I'm sorry JD," Nathan placed a hand on his shoulder. "This ain't your fault. You gotta know that."
But it didn't matter, nothing reached him. Nothing at all except one thing;
He was his not father's son and he was going to prove it.
Neil Blackwood was not happy.
His own part of the plan had been carried out and it had worked out spectacularly on so many levels. Her cries and her whimpers to stop would be with him for a long time and he almost understood why JD was so enamoured by the young lady and if it did not conflict with his own designs, he might have tolerated her presence in JD's life. Unfortunately, it appeared the local help had failed to take care of Wilmington and Larabee as expected and now the situation required some reconsideration. Blackwood was not prepared to give up and he was not allowing his son to languish in this misbegotten place.
Blackwood looked up from his cup of coffee across the table at Zimmer and remarked sourly. "I trust that you will be able to find better employees than the ones who made that pathetic attempt last night."
Zimmer frowned slightly and eased back into his chair to face Blackwood. "This isn't Chicago Neil," Zimmer retorted. "Good help is hard to find."
"I don't want excuses." Blackwood returned sharply as he set down his cup on the table. "Wilmington ought to be dead, not bleeding every ounce of sympathy from my son. Likewise for Larabee whose probably tearing up the prairie looking for whomever set those men on him."
"He won't find out." Zimmer said confidently. "I passed the word along to anyone who might have seen me with them that it would be an extremely bad idea to talk about our business. Besides, the men who hit Wilmington's place is half way across the Territory by now, they got paid well."
"Too well," Blackwood's eyes narrowed as he glared at Zimmer, not at all impressed by their lack of success at killing two lawmen where in Chicago, Blackwood have had reason to inquire if the deed was done when he ordered it. "Now you have to find someone else."
"Neil," Zimmer took a deep breath. "Why don't we let it go for a bit. Larabee will expecting another try on his life."
"Because I want my son!" Blackwood shouted angrily. "I want him with me, do you understand? If you have to go into the street and gun those two bastards down, then you will do it because I told you do it. Are we clear on that, Mr Zimmer?"
Zimmer flared his anger flare. "Are you threatening me?"
Blackwood smiled. "I don't have to threaten you. Let me remind you that because we have a history together, I have allowed you your position. If I cut you loose, they'll come down on you like a pack of wolves. You've pissed off many people in your life and the only thing that keep them from gutting you, is me. Remember that."
Zimmer nodded and for a few seconds, an awkward silence followed as he decided whether or not he would take that gamble and walk away, to let himself be cut loose. Blackwood was not the same man he had served for so long, he was evolving into something that Zimmer could not longer trust, something that would not stand up for him any more. The obsession for money and power had evaporated and in his eyes, Zimmer could see a new need, the need that seems to have been satiated by JD Dunne.
God help the poor kid
The door knocked and Blackwood blinked and said smoothly. "Get the door."
It was not merely a request but an affirmation of loyalty. Was Zimmer going to obey or was he going to be cut loose? His future hinged on that question. He pondered if briefly, saw the scenarios flashed in him mind and then made his choice.
Zimmer rose to his feet and answered the door.
It was shoved open the moment he twisted the lock. The force of the swinging door forced him backwards and JD Dunne barged in with hell fire burning in his eyes. Zimmer said something and JD turned slowly to him, his head moving almost as if it were on hinges in the bone and without saying another word, the boy pulled out his gun and aimed it square in his face. Zimmer opened his mouth to scream but nothing came out and the only thing that he could think of when the explosion of sound tore through the air was the fact that he had made the wrong choice.
He should not have opened the door.
Blackwood watched his trusted aid crumple to the floor after the gunshot wound made his neck a mass of ruined flesh in complete and utter shock. For a moment, there was confusion as JD returned his gun back into his holster and cool as he pleased continued walking towards the table where Blackwood had been sipping coffee. JD's eyes was obsidian black and when he looked at Blackwood, it became all so terribly clear.
"The bitch talked." He said simply though not to JD but rather than himself.
JD did not answer.
JD did not answer because he was beyond seeing. He had killed Zimmer for the simple fact that this man had made his Casey powerless, had stood outside Nettie's door and allowed her to believe that if she did not submit, the aunt she loved almost as much as him, would die. So she had let Blackwood touch her, defile her, violate her and while he could not erase what had been done, JD was sure as hell going to see to it that those responsible would pay and pay dearly.
"Let's talk about this."
There was no talking about it. JD marched up to his father and flung the table that separate them out of his way, creating an almighty noise when everything was upended in a resounding explosion of sound. Blackwood stood up and readied himself for a fight but JD was faster than he had ever been and reacted by throwing a fist in the man's face. Blackwood staggered back, actually shocked that he had been hit but recovered when he realised that JD did not intend to gun him down like his companion but rather do this with his fists.
"I see you're not going to be reasonable about this." Blackwood remarked, wiping the blood from his face.
JD's eyes ignited with fresh flame and he screamed what sounded like an animal howl, a cry uttered by the alpha wolf after he had discovered he had led his pack into a trap. It was the sound of anguish and rage and there was nothing on God's earth that could stop it once unleashed. He hurled himself at Blackwood, not caring that he was smaller or that he was younger or that the man was his father, all he cared about was that everyone he had ever loved had been touched by this filth. Had it been this way for his mother too? Is that why she hid him away from Blackwood and never chose to tell the man about his son? Suddenly, JD was more certain that anything in his life that Blackwood had done the same thing to his mother that he had done to Casey for she was young when she bore him.
Suddenly it became all so perfectly clear.
His weight toppled Blackwood onto the ground and adrenaline was coursing through his veins with as much potency as Laurel Chase's venom that had once turned Chris into a murderer. He swung his fists and struck bone and it felt so good, so liberating. He swung again and this time felt it crumbled under his fist. The swell of pleasure that rippled through him was beyond description and for a moment, just a brief moment, he forgot that Casey was somewhere sobbing her eyes out because of what this animal had done to her.
With that in mind, JD swung again.
"JD!" Ezra ran into the room and paused long enough to see the dead body of Mr Zimmer. When the kid had run out of the Standish Tavern, Ezra had presence of mind to follow him with Nathan following close behind. Ezra remembered shouting at Josiah to bring Casey because the look in the boy's eyes told the gambler that it could be the only thing that might stop JD on this hurricane of fury he was presently riding.
JD turned around at the sound and Ezra knew that while he had reacted instinctively, he barely saw his friend. He was too far gone for recognition. Blackwood was sprawled under the younger man, his nose bleeding profusely and the distraction Ezra had given JD was all the time he needed for the youth to be thrown off. JD fell off long enough to scramble to his feet like a rabid dog being pushed away from a helpless victim. He scrambled, regained his footing and then went after Blackwood again.
"JD stop it!" Ezra shouted and attempted to intervene. JD paused long enough to regard the gambler before swinging at him with a backhanded blow that was filled with so much rage that it more or less knocked Ezra to the floor.
"Stay out of this!" He snarled and then turned back to his father.
"Come on boy," Blackwood tried reasoning with the youth, having no wish to hurt him physically. "She's just a woman. They come and go. Besides, did she tell you I forced her? I'm sure she did. Women are filled with stories like that, colorful little tales that make them or so helpless but they're not." He replied.
JD shook his head and shut out his words because he was lying. He loved Casey and loving someone to the point where you would gladly die for them, tended to give you an insight into the person they were and his Casey would never do anything like that. His faith in her was so complete, there was no question in his mind over anything Blackwood had said, not one at all. Once again, JD saw his father before him and knew that he had to stop feeling like his insides were dying and feel that brief pleasure again. Slamming Blackwood to the ground in a full body tackle, the young man took advantage of his youth and his agility.
Nathan entered the room and saw Ezra on the floor, next to the corpse of the man they knew to be Zimmer. He knew that the man was dead without even having to examine the body. The blood gushing from a bullet wound to the neck was more than answer enough. Ezra was rubbing his jaw, in particular, a great dark bruise that had formed just above his jaw line. It looked like someone had taken to him with a gun butt but that was nothing in comparison to what JD was presently doing to Blackwood.
"JD," Nathan started towards the young man when the boy reached for his gun and pulled it out with one hand while the other was slamming repeatedly into Blackwood and stopped Nathan in his tracks.
"I ain't gonna say this again. Stay the fuck out of it!" JD growled, not even looking at Nathan while his gun was aimed directly at the healer. His attention was still concentrating on turning Neil Blackwood into pulp.
"God help us Nathan," Ezra exclaimed. "I do not believe he can be reasoned with."
Nathan was not willing to give up. He knew what it was like to see a loved one defiled and violated as Casey must have been under this man's hand and he knew of the black pit the soul could be lost within if he took the path of vengeance. "JD, this isn't going to change anything! Don't become him."
JD wavered for a minute and then met Nathan's gaze. For an instant, something seemed to penetrate the red haze of fury that was choking all sense of his world. He was about to speak when suddenly Blackwood regained his strength and launched an attack of his own. He tried to throw JD off but the youth was not about to be dislodged to easily and blocked the blow, automatically slamming his forehead into the older man's skull. The terrible crack of bone sent Blackwood falling backwards, hitting his head against the wooden floor as he came to a stop. JD swung the gun from Nathan and took aim, cocking the weapon and bringing silence to the room with that hammer of the gun being drawn back.
Blackwood froze and found himself staring at the barrel of the gun. The gangster face was a collection of ripening bruises and blood and though he had believed JD was furious enough to beat him senseless, he had not anticipated the possibility that the boy might actually kill him. Absurdly, images of Cronos being cast down by Zeus from Mount Helicon suddenly filled his head. He no longer doubted that JD was worthy of his blood, he knew for certain now. JD was his son, a son worthy of his father.
"JD!" Nathan exclaimed. "You don't want to do this! He isn't worth it!"
JD ignored him and continued to tighten his finger around the trigger, wanting to feel that moment again when he had for a second forgotten that he wanted to die.
"JD," a new voice entered the fray and it was the only one that could reach him.
JD blinked and turned around. Casey stood at the doorway, behind her was Josiah and Mary. Casey stared at him with tear filled eyes, droplets of which ran down her cheeks as she tried to compose the tears that she still was far from done crying. "JD, don't do it."
"After what he did to you, how can you ask me that!" JD demanded, glaring at his father, his gun unwavering in his desire to shoot.
"Because he's your father!" Casey implored. "Because I love you. Because you don't want to be what he's become!"
"He's not my father!" JD screamed. "I won't accept that! I didn't come from that!" He waved the gun at Blackwood's face, tears starting to fill his own eyes because his guts were twisted up inside from what he now knew. "I didn't come from someone who could hurt you Casey! Someone who would creep to Buck's and Chris' in the middle of the night and shoot them down like dogs! I didn't! I didn't come from him!" He started to sob. "It's not fair!" JD stared at the others in the room, screaming that over and over again. "It's not fair!"
And pulled the trigger.
"JD no!" Casey screamed as the sound screamed through the air.
However, the bullet that escaped the barrel of the gun did not end Neil Blackwood's life even though the man seemed deathly pale when he realised that it had been fired at the wall behind him. A sigh of relief moved through the room when they realised that JD had not done what they feared he might. The truth was, they did not fear that JD might kill Blackwood but rather how he would be after he had done it. After what he had done, Blackwood deserved to die but not by JD, not by his son who would almost be certainly destroyed for committing the act.
"JD," Casey started to speak once her heard had stopped racing. "You're not just him. You're also your mother and maybe he's inside you but so is she and she would want you know that it doesn't matter who your father was, you know who you are and that's all that should matter to you. We don't see him when we look at you JD," she implored, finding a reserve of strength in herself she had never known existed until she saw the pain in his eyes. "We see you, someone's who strong and brave and cares for people so much that he can't stand by and let them be hurt. We see all that. Why do you think Buck is willing to do anything to keep you safe?"
"Casey's right JD," Josiah responded, feeling a wave of affection for the young lady who spoke more eloquently than anyone could possible manage at this moment. "You are possibly the finest thing this creature before you has ever produced in entire his miserable life. You are the one good thing in his life that he can never have and he knows it. And he also know that the reason you are who you are is because you are nothing like him. He wanted you JD because he needed your light to brighten his life. You don't need to kill him JD, he's already dead. He just doesn't know it."
JD blinked and faced front at Neil Blackwood. At his father.
"Its over." JD whispered softly, still aiming the gun at the man's face. "I am not your son. I am Mrs Dunne's little boy and that's all I'll ever be. You will leave town right this minute and you won't ever come back because if you do," JD glared at him with a look of ice as Blackwood stared back at him defiantly. "I will kill you. Do you hear me? I will kill you."
"My blood is in your veins boy." Blackwood hissed. "You're mine and I'll never let you go."
JD stood up from Blackwood and stared at him dispassionately. "You don't have me and you never will. If you come after me again, if you force me into a corner by hurting the people I love then I'll blow my fucking brains out because if you won't go away, then I will."
Their eyes locked for a moment and Blackwood realised that it was no idle threat. Just to spite him, JD would kill himself to have the last laugh. That certainly did not suit Blackwood's purposes, not at all. A smart man knew when to back away, to reassess his situation and come up with a new plan, Neil Blackwood was always a smart man.
"This isn't over you know." Blackwood called out as JD turned away from him. "I'm inside you, now and forever."
"Yes it is," JD said as Casey took his hand and led him out of the room. "Its over because I say it is and no matter what you want to do to me, or how you might tell yourself different, I just want you know one thing;"
"And that is?" Blackwood challenged.
JD paused long enough to look over his shoulder and reply. "As far as I'm concerned, I don't have a father. I never did and to tell you the truth, I don't need one." He looked at Ezra, Josiah Nathan, Mary and Casey and added further. "I already have a family."