Disclaimer: All the characters from the "Magnificent Seven" T.V. series are property of Trilogy Entertainment, The Mirisch Group, MGM Worldwide.
It was usually in the morning that Chris Larabee had most difficulty remembering that he was married again.
He would wake up in Mary's bed, cursing himself at staying the entire night when he should have been gone hours ago. Sometimes, if the delusion persisted, Chris would even remain there in the cool sheets, with her warmth next to his, wondering how he could sneak out in daylight without everyone knowing that he was sharing her bed. Only after a minute or so, when he had looked around and noticed that some of his things appeared to have taken positions of permanence within the room, would it all come back to him. With almost jarring realisation, Chris would remember that he had married Mary and there was no need for him to sneak out of her home like a thief in the night.
For the first new mornings after he and Mary settled permanently into their new life together, Chris had experienced such disorientation. However, as it was with all things when it came to him, Chris was highly adaptable and soon, he was waking up in the mornings wondering how he could ever imagine Mary never being there at all. Sometimes, they did not always wake up straightaway and their lovemaking seemed all the more sweeter when Chris did not have to get up and leave for fear of scandal or gossip. These days, the only thing that they had to worry about was Billy walking in on them but then as Mary had explained, there was a good reason why she and Stephen had opted to put their son in the bedroom at the far end of the corridor.
If someone had told Chris two years ago that he would one day be sitting at a breakfast table, enjoying bacon and eggs with a wife who was cleaning up and a son who was somewhat absorbed by a carving he was making, Chris would have told them they were insane. Yet here he was doing just that, watching Billy with interest as the young boy carved something out of wood in the method Chris had taught him when they had first met. He shifted his gaze to Mary who clearing their empty plates from the table, wondering how he was lucky enough to stumble into this piece of paradise twice in his life. When he lost Sarah and Adam, Chris had never believed he would live like this again but the days since he and Mary had entered wedded bliss had been just that, bliss.
"More coffee?" Mary asked Chris, snapping out of his reverie.
Chris glanced at his empty cup and was about to answer when Billy pushed out of his chair and announced. "I'm going now ma." The young boy seemed in a hurry to make tracks somewhere although neither Chris nor Mary was overly curious as to where he was going.
"Where are you going Billy?" Mary asked, still cautious enough about her son's life following the incidents of danger that seemed to follow them both, to be slightly over protective.
"Me and Lily are going to see Julia." The boy said enthusiastically and Mary did not honestly know whom he was more eager to see, the Emporium owner and one of her closest friends or Lily King, the young daughter of Four Corner's yet to be opened school mistress. Ever since the arrival of mother and daughter in town, Billy had struck up a friendship with the young girl with the sunstreaked hair and the laughing green eyes. Mary guessed that their friendship was probably due to the fact that Billy knew what it was like to be the new arrival in town.
"Well remember," Mary offered a note of motherly advice, as it was her prerogative to do, thank you very much. "Don't take advantage of Julia's hospitality, the woman does have a business to run." She met Chris' gaze with a faint smile and hoped for Ezra's sake, the gambler had no plans with Julia today because Billy tended to monopolise her time.
"I won't. Bye ma, bye Chris," he said cheerily and swept out of the kitchen before either could say a word to stop him.
"You know," Mary sighed as she continued clearing the table. "I figure I'd have a few years before he started chasing after reputable and wealthy women in town."
"Anything that drives Ezra crazy can't be all that bad," Chris chuckled, taking great enjoyment in seeing Ezra fighting Billy for Julia's affections some times.
"So are we agreed on having everyone here for Christmas?" Mary asked as she paused in her tidying up for a moment. She had a dozen different things to do today and wanted an answer on this point so she could make the necessary arrangements.
"I guess." Chris shrugged, not really having a preference on this subject actually. Any Christmas where he was not in a saloon somewhere getting completely plastered was a good thing in his opinion. "Whatever you like."
"Good," Mary smiled. For some reason, this was the first Christmas she would have with Billy at home permanently and Chris in her life as her husband, she wanted to celebrate the occasion and wanted her friends and his to share it with them.
"You know," Chris met her gaze with a wry smile. "It's going to be hard for me to keep my bad element reputation with all this clean living. You're making me soft, woman."
"Well," Mary laughed turning back to her cleaning. "You're a tough guy, you can handle it."
He rose out of his chair and slid his arms around Mary, holding her close and savouring the scent of her skin so close to his. Chris pressed his lips against Mary's neck, taking special delight in the taste of her skin. With Billy gone for at least awhile, he was not going to waste this chance for some real quality time alone. Brushing the fine strands of gold from her neck, he kissed her luminescent skin with soft and tender kisses, eliciting a soft whimper of pleasure as she stopped what she was doing and leaned back into his mouth. Immediately, Chris slid his hands over her waist, his palms savouring the feel of her curves even through the fabric of her dress.
"Mr Larabee, whatever are you doing?" She whispered as his lips travelled up and down the length of her neck with sensual rhythm and each time she felt his tongue make contact with her skin, Mary found herself pushing further into him, until she could feel his hard muscled chest against her back.
"What do you think, Mrs Larabee?" He grinned, liking how that sounded and even more so because it was true. He loved being her husband and being able to take such wicked liberties with her, even if it was early morning and she was meant to be clearing the breakfast.
He cupped her breast in his palm and squeezed gently, hearing her breath catch as she revelled in the sensation of him kneading the soft ripe flesh to complete distraction. Her body squirmed against his, reacting inevitably to the feel of his hand as it drew such exquisite sensation that she was powerless to do nothing but yield. Chris' other hand shifted to the top of her dress, pulling the fabric away to reveal the curve of her shoulder. The instant it was exposed, Chris renewed his devastating attack on her body, sliding his sensuous lips against the flesh that quivered as his mouth touched her skin.
Mary could feel herself melting inside in that familiar way that she had come to know, every time he touched her. She closed her eyes and let herself enjoy his tender ministrations, gasping each time his fingers brushed against the hard erectness that was her nipple. Even through the material of her dress, his fingers felt heavenly against that tight contraction of tissue. Eventually, he grew impatient of not being able to touch skin and his hand drifted upwards, to find the edge of her neckline. Sliding his hand past the layers of cotton and silk, he navigated expertly in his downward descent. Mary heard him groan softly as he touched her bare skin and felt a certain satisfaction in knowing that the experience was as good for him as it was for her.
Through the folds of her dress, she could feel the hard ridge of muscle that was pressing up against her from behind and gasped at how it would be when he impaled her with it. Just the thought of his hands on her body as he slid into her was enough to make her rub against his hardening cock and when the quiet shudder of pleasure of that action escaped him, she found herself joining his soft grunts with a languid whimper. When his fingers closed in around her nipple and started teasing the tiny nub of flesh without mercy, Mary felt herself grow even more wanton with desire.
"Now Chris." She muttered almost dreamily. "Take me now."
Chris paused what he was doing upon hearing that lusty plea, his cock becoming so erect with that one statement that it almost choked the sense of out of him with the totality of its hunger. The fever that took him was beyond thought or emotion. He wanted her so badly at that point he could not imagine any other thing beyond his utter demand for satisfaction. Fumbling through the folds of her dress and not even bothering to turn her around to face him, Chris sought the bare flesh of her thigh as he fought his way through her clothes. What he could not pull down, he ripped away and she moaned each time, she heard fabric tear as if the ruthless discard of what kept him from her was almost as arousing as his hard body pressing into her with complete need.
When Chris grasped the soft flesh of her thigh, he felt his cock hardening again, until he could barely stand to remain confined in his tight black pants any longer. He groped through the material, searching desperately for the moistness in between her legs and groaned softly when the bristle of golden hair wet with moisture touched his finger tips. With no hesitation, he plunged his fingers deep into her and revelled in the feel of her hot muscles clenching around him.
"God." He whispered a small smile on his lips as his fingers sank deep into the well of her heat.
"Oh Chris," Mary moaned as she pushed herself into his torturing fingers, unable to resist what those wonderful hands were doing to her insides and feeling another gush of wetness at the thought of what his cock could do in the same place.
She was so incredibly wet, Chris wanted to gasp. However, all he could manage was to undo the buckle of his own pants with one hand because he could not bear to remove his fingers from her when she was thrusting against him. Mary was riding his hand in a slow sensual rhythm and promising exquisite pleasure in each sensual push of her hips against him. His mouth was still on her neck, reluctant to leave any part of her while he pushed down his pants with almost feverish desire.
With his other hand free at last, he pushed up the rest of the material of her dress, clearing a path that exposed the round curve of her bottom. Mary leaned further over the kitchen counter, tilting herself at just enough angle so that he could not only see the creamy white globe of her rear but also the pink delight of her sex, moist and waiting for him.
He placed his hands on her hips and pulled her against him. This was no gentle coupling where sonnets described love making as some sensual journey. This was a lust, pure and simple. They could make love later, now as he plunged deep into her, feeling the wet heat of her inside tense around him upon entry, Chris knew that both he and Mary wanted good hard sex. His hips ground against her bottom as he slid all the way in and the resounding moan of ecstasy that escaped them both upon that union was more sensual than any he had known in his life. There was something about this stolen moment of forbidden pleasure that had fired them both and it was driving them to heights of unimaginable passion.
Chris began thrusting immediately, knowing that Mary wanted it as rough as he did. Her back arched in that magnificent way it did when she was at peak pleasure, her hands digging into the counter top as he continued pounding into her body. Each time he slid into her, Chris saw Mary's fingers tense as she moved into rhythm with him. Pushing against him as he slid into her, what was achieved in their symbiosis was more than either could stand and Mary yielded first.
"Chris!" She cried out, her hair flung back against her back, golden cascade shimmering as they rocked against each other. She sang his name as he continued thrusting into her, his fingers digging into her hips with such force that he actually considered that he might be hurting her but it was so hard to keep any control with Mary. It always was. Chris bit down hard, trying to contain his own pleasure in the loud grunts he made each time, he felt he could slide no deeper into her. It wanted to escape him, demanded release in a cry of unbidden ecstasy but Chris knew when he succumbed, it would be only when she was ready for him to stop.
The pull in his groin had become a fiery heat and his legs were weakening from the assault on his senses but he was compelled to pump harder into her, feeling the muscles around his hungry cock so tight that it almost felt virginal in its intensity. The thought of a Mary untouched by anyone made him so incredibly aroused that he grew impossibly harder while he was still surrounded by the delicious warmth of her inner passage.
Sweet Jesus, how did she manage to feel so damn good every single time?
Suddenly, he felt her let out a final cry as it started sweeping over her. Chris braced himself for the fury of her orgasm, knowing that in its pleasure, it would also take him on the same wave of ecstasy that would soon carry her away on a tide of raw sensation. The familiar tension around him returned, crushing his cock so completely with its tight pressure that Chris could only react by allowing that long pent up groan to escape him.
"Jesus!" He cried out, not caring who heard as her taut muscles around his cock wrenched free the explosion of his own climax. He emptied into her hard, feeling it surge like a jet of fire, wetting her insides with its slick heat. He was still pumping hard into her body when they both started coming down from the frenzied fever of passion and he felt its final ripples shudder through Mary's body. Her lusty cries of his name had dwindled into soft, laboured breaths of satisfied pleasure. Chris let himself slump against her, breathing in the scent of her hair as he stayed where he was for a moment, trying to catch his breath from the incredible experience his body had just endured.
"You know Chris," she said after a moment, her voice was soft and almost coquettish. "A simple yes to coffee would have done."
"Have you got it all?" The young girl asked.
Billy nodded, bringing forward the collection of items he had been instructed to locate and then 'borrow' for the ritual that was to be performed in the quiet of the attic he now found himself within. "I brought the horse Chris made for me," Billy announced as he produced the cache from almost two days of hard work. Unwrapping the large scarf he had used to carry all of it in, he lay the bundle onto the floor for her inspection.
"Are you sure this is all theirs?" Lily King asked again, her young face frowning with concentration as she questioned her new friend on this partiuclar point.
"I'm sure," Billy nodded, wanting desperately to begin. Ever since he had met Lily a few weeks ago, the young girl had astonished with amazing stories about places and people that he knew most people had no idea existed. He found her fascinating as she spoke of scary things like spells and magic although she did not claim to be a witch. When he had confessed to not knowing what he would buy for Julia Pemberton because he wanted his gift to the lady to be special, Lily had presented him with the perfect idea for a gift, even if the acquiring of it was rather unusual.
When she explained it to him, Billy became convinced that he did not simply have to use the gift for Julia alone, he could use it on everyone. With one magic spell as Lily put it, he could give everyone he cared about the best Christmas of their lives. Of course, it had not been a simple matter of just paying for it with the money he had saved up. This was a gift that had to be bought with strange objects, not money. Lily had told him what to collect and over the course of a few days, he had been diligent in retrieving personal items from everyone he held close to his heart.
One of his ma's hairpins were in the collection, as well as the carving that Chris had made for him once. It had been difficult acquiring the personal effects of the others but somehow he had managed it. He had a deck of cards from Ezra, a pen from Doctor Styles office, a book that belonged to Josiah, a stolen instrument from Nathan's infirmary as well as a novel belonging to JD. Buck had given him a pocketknife some time ago and he had a handkerchief from Inez, not to mention an earing that Bily was ashamed to admit had come from Julia's house without her knowledge. All of it had been wrapped up tidily in one of Vin's numerous scarves.
Still, Billy had been troubled whether or not dabbling in such magic was a good idea after all, his Sunday school teacher often said witches were bad and evil. Billy did not want to be evil. He just wanted to give all his friends something nice and if it could be achieved using a little magic, what was the harm in that? However, just to make sure, he had consulted Josiah about the ethical uses of magic. The preacher did not seem to believe that there was anything wrong in spells and superstition, provided Billy knew them for what they were.
Billy had the impression that Josiah did not really believe in magic but the preacher had told him that it was a sin only if he believed he was doing something wrong. Billy did not think he was behaving improperly by making a wish for those in his life that could only bring them happiness. Thus, if he believe he was not wrong about what he was doing, then it could hardly be a sin, could it?
"Okay," Lily replied eager to begin as she opened the trunk and brought out the book that would make Billy Travis' Christmas wish come true. "We're ready to begin."
Vin Tanner was not having a good day.
When Chris Larabee had asked him to deliver a prisoner to Sweet Water, it had been a straight forward enough request. It did not appear to be any more than a one man job and the prisoner, whose crimes involved bank fraud, appeared to be relatively docile. The trip to Sweet Water had been uneventful with the prisoner, who went by the name of Wayne Ellis, spending most of the journey trying to explain to Vin why he committed the crimes he had. Vin listened patiently, not really absorbing much but hearing enough to know that the man better luck with the ladies then Vin himself did, possessing not only a wife but also a mistress for which he had been forced to steal to support.
They had set out early, venturing reluctantly into the early morning frost since winter had well and truly arrived. Although it was not snowing, the air had chilled considerably with a grey pall that had settled over much of the landscape. The sun seemed to have disappeared behind a canvas of clouds that seemed ready to storm at a moment's notice and the terrain appeared as gloomy as it looked for a time of year that should have been one of celebration. Everyone was expecting to see snow at some point because the winter had so far promised enough chills to indicate that the weather was not going to warm any time soon.
Vin preferred spring himself. He liked the warmth that came with the thaw and the land no matter how stark it would be for the rest of the year, would attain a momentary beauty as things came to life beneath it. In summer, it was just too hot and things started to brown and while the golden colour across the landscape was enticing in its own way, it did not have the resplendent beauty of spring greenery. He supposed seasons were a necessary part of life and the past year had been one of many changes. It was astonishing how much in life could be altered in such a short space of time but it had happened.
It was not long ago that he was just another lone drifter with a price on his head. Now he was a lawman with friends that would die for him and he in turn for them, as well as a woman who loved him enough to wear his ring on her finger. Sometimes, Vin had trouble believing that any of this was real and that he was not going to wake up one day and find himself alone in the hills, having driven himself mad from his imposed exile.
It was early afternoon when they finally arrived at Sweet Water, Vin had enough time to get some food, allow Peso a rest and peruse the shopping list given to him by Alex. As much as he loved Alex, this was one chore he absolutely hated doing for her or anyone for that matter. Unfortunately, the time of year meant that he would required to do some shopping himself and while he could have saved himself the bother by doing most of it in the Emporium, Vin preferred some privacy to suffer this particular ordeal. Besides, he was not a very good shopper and anticipated he would need the help of store clerks.
It was not that he did not have the money for gift buying, far from it actually. Since becoming engaged, Vin realised how important it was to have something tucked away in a bank since the traditional part of him felt that he should at least have a penny to his name when he and Alex did decide to finally get married. Thus when things were slow in Four Corners, he would take up his bounty hunting trade, disappearing for a few days while he tracked down criminals and then letting Chris turn them in for the substantial bounty. Of course he was careful never to go after big game, lest attention was brought back to his own status as a fugitive. Before he knew it, he had a little over five hundred dollars sitting inside the Four Corner's bank. Since he had been living quite well on his dollar a day before taking on this work to supplement his income, almost none of the cash had been touched since its initial deposit.
Vin studied the list Alex had given him after he had deposited Ellis with the local sheriff and groaned at the discovery that most of the items on it were personal things, like linen and a length of fabric that she had ordered a week ago. The concept that he would have to go into any store to pick up material for a dress was so horrifying that Vin cursed himself for not taking a closer look at the list before agreeing to run this errand for her. It was bad enough that he would have to muddle through buying Christmas presents, not only for Alex but for the rest of his friends, but it now looked like he would have to go browsing in a ladies shop.
Steady there Tanner, he told himself. He could do this. He had tracked ruthless killers across the countryside, through every terrain imaginable and had some how managed to survive. This could not be any worse than that. Besides, how bad could it be? He asked himself while studying the list as he made his way down the boardwalk that flanked the main street that ran through the large community.
Sweet Water was much larger than Four Corners and was quickly growing into a small city, the way Eagle Bend was so noted. The railroad had come through Sweet Water some months ago which more or less established the town's permanence in any map. Unlike smaller places like Four Corner which was still in danger of fading away, as so many town like across the Territory tended to do when the boom times disappeared, Sweet Water could survive such economic depression.
Thanks to his improvement in his literary skills, Vin was able to decipher most of what Alex had asked for on her list and wondered why she had asked him to merely hand over the piece of paper to the clerk and come back for the parcels later. She was probably trying not to embarrass him by having him attempt to read out the contents to the shop clerk. While he was grateful for the consideration, Vin could not help feeling slightly annoyed in thinking that he was not capable of reading one simple piece of paper. After all, he had been secretly practising his reading skills and Mary was still helping him on occasion to improve on what he had already learnt.
Vin knew his way around Sweet Water after numerous visits to the town but it was the first time he had ventured any further beyond the livery, the jail house or the saloon for that matter. Vin had never reason to do so until now and felt like a stranger as he wandered through the streets, looking for the particular store that Alex had wanted him to visit. How was it that he could track a man across four states but could get completely lost trying to follow a woman's supposedly simple directions? After half an hour trying to discern the difference between one ladies clothing shop from another and coming to the firm conclusion that they were all the same, Vin finally found the place he had been searching with growing chagrin.
It did not help matters that as soon as he passed through the door, with its bell ringing noisily to let the store owner know someone had entered, every woman in the place was eying him with a mixture of suspicion and curiosity. Vin had felt more at ease walking into a gun fight then he did walking into their midst, feeling for a moment as if he had crossed into forbidden territory that men as a whole were not allowed to breach. Feeling all eyes on him as he proceeded to the counter, Vin found his movements almost stealthy as he attempted to fade into the background and realised that unless he had a skirt on, there was not much chance of that happening. Trying not to feel as intimidated as he looked, the tracker walked passed the curious gazes of women who were wondering what this rough and tumble character was doing here when he was so out of place for reasons that were obvious for more than just his gender.
"Can I help you?" A rather dour faced woman regarded him with a raised brow.
"I'm here for a lady," Vin declared, feeling some inexplicable need to establish this point most firmly because any further communication could continue.
"Obviously." The woman retorted, telling Vin that one word that he could just forget about salvaging his dignity.
"She gave me this." He mumbled, pushing the scrap of paper that Alex was adamant he did not lose for he would be able to collect nothing for her if he had.
The woman unfolded the receipt and recognised the purchaser and the order. "This is for Doctor Styles," she remarked and then let her eyes move up and down Vin with an expression in her eyes that showed she did not at all approve. "Wait here." She said after a moment having decided that she had no reason to refuse the request since he had all the correct papers to make the collection.
Vin was starting to get annoyed not just by her suspicious look but also the way the other women were trying not to stare at the tracker as they went about their business, purchasing clothes, hats and other pieces of feminine apparel. As the shop assistant went away to fill his order, Vin found himself taking a closer look of his surroundings, having never been in one of these establishments before. It certainly did not look like a store where he bought his clothes which was usually in the general store where men's clothes and the farming equipment were separated by one aisle and most of the time, no one saw any difference in the utilitarian function of either.
This place might have as well been a different world. He supposed it never occurred to him how much actual work it took to look the way women did. Hats and bonnets, dresses and skirts, blouses and waist shirts, it all seemed terribly restrictive, not to mention the undergarments he spied on mannequins like corsets and chemises. Those were just the clothes, he saw other accessories like hair pins, earings and shoes, lots of shoes and suddenly, realised it was a good thing Alex had an inheritance because if she did not have any money to her name, she would have to be naked.
Perhaps it was not all that bad after all, he thought with a smile.
He had came to the small counter that acted as the shop's perfumery and decided that he had after all, not bought her a Christmas present yet. He spied some rose water sitting in a small decorative bottle and decided that would do. Vin whose sense of smell was keen was able to tell that this was Alex's scent from the numerous times he had breathed it on her skin. Picking up the bottle in his hands, he decided that it was not a bad selection and turned around suddenly into the path of a large matron who was built like a brick outhouse. Her weight as she impacted against him did not give the small bottle he was holding the least chance of escape as it broke. Fortunately Vin was wearing his buckskins as the bottle was crushed between them and the fragments did him little damage against the strength of its leather. However, the jacket was soaked completely in rose water.
And so was he.
"Really Sir," the matron bellowed. "You should watch where you're going!"
"Where I'm going?" Vin retorted, exceedingly annoyed because he smelled like something Buck would end up trying to bed tonight, not to mention he had to ride back to Four Corners like this. Peso was going to be really pissed.
"What's going on?" The shop clerk demanded as she appeared from the back of the premises, having been drawn out by the slight altercation that was forming between Vin and one of her customers.
"This ruffian ran into me!" The matron declared first.
"Ruffian?"" Vin looked at her, starting to think that it would be worth another five hundred dollars on his head if he could just shoot her.
"I think it would be best if you just collect your order and leave." The clerk said glaring at Vin like this was all his fault.
Deciding that the situation was bad enough as it was, Vin decided that perhaps a tactful withdrawal was in order. He was even willing to brave the Emporium in Four Corners because he sure as hell was not going to be spending the rest of day walking around Sweet Water smelling like a two dollar whore. Then he found out he had to pay for the bottle of rose water that had been broken. It was almost the last straw until suddenly the shop clerk thrust upon him, a bale of floral patterned material which could not be wrapped because of its width.
Vin was practically seething as he stormed out of the store, smelling like rose water and carrying a length of floral material clearly exposed for all to see. As he took the fastest route to the livery and Peso, Vin saw the looks people were giving him as their nose twitched in reaction to his passing by. Some men had started grinning while women were tittering softly. He did not know which they found funnier. Vin who hated to be noticed by anyone was ready to shoot the next people who smiled as they came across him.
"Hey sweetheart," he heard someone say behind him and Vin decided whoever it was, was about to die.
"You got something to say Mister?" Vin turned around and dropped whatever was in his hands when he realised he was standing before two men who had not come across him by chance. He recognised both of them as bounty hunters from back in the days when he was active in the trade. They were tough as they were dangerous.
"I knew I was right about the talk." The first one, called McGillis who was a hulk of a man glared at Vin with nothing but menace in his face as Vin's hand slowly move to his gun. McGillis was a loud mouth who liked to talk and posture. That gave Vin enough of a distraction to act.
"I heard that you'd been hiding out behind Larabee's shadow, I just didn't know why." He took a step towards Vin and pretended to take in a deep breath before meeting the young tracker's eyes with a suggestive sneer. "Now I know why."
As the full implication of what the man meant sunk in, he and his companion began to laugh and Vin felt the fragments of a so far annoying day reach boiling point. Reacting when he should have been thinking, Vin threw a punch into the man's jaw before he had any idea that it was coming. As he staggered from the blow, his companion went for his gun only to have Vin jam the Winchester in his chest and fire. The resounding boom from the shotgun sent the man flying backwards as Vin dropped to his knees. McGillis had now recovered to enough to launch an attack of his own; swinging at the same time that Vin ducked. However, the man reacted just as swiftly, kneeing Vin in the chest and sending the tracker sprawling. Vin recovered long enough to see the man go for his gun and knew that if he drew the weapon, both could very well end up killing each other. With his grip still firm on his own weapon, Vin swung his arm over his shoulder faster than he had ever done before and pulled the trigger.
McGillis' six shooter flew out of his hand and landed on the ground, causing screams of fright from the women who were watching the altercation. However, he was still determined to attack. With his second bullet discharged, both men stood on equal footing. Vin knew exactly why McGillis had come after the bounty on his head. He had mistaken the sharpshooter was easy prey and Vin had every intention of showing him that he was going to earn every penny of the $500 on Vin Tanner's head.
His opponent was big but Vin was fast and it was easy enough for him to get on his feet before McGilis could reach him. Predictably, McGillis swung hard at him and Vin blocked the blow which in the tracker's opinion was rather sluggish. For a few seconds, both men traded hard punches and Vin reeled a number of times but forced himself to concentrate. Finding an opening, he threw a succession of blows in the man's face, forcing McGillis to stagger back with each meeting of fist against jaw. As McGillis struggled to return Vin's attack, the tracker kicked his knee from under him and sent him to the ground in a dusty heap.
McGillis swore as Vin dropped down on him, laying the man flat with punches that he was now too disorientated to defend. It require little more than a two or three blow before McGillis was out for the count. His large head flopped to the side as he fell unconscious, blood running from a shattered nose and various other bruises. Vin got to his feet quickly, feeling self conscious about the people staring at him with a mixture of fear and suspicion. Glancing over his shoulder, Vin saw McGillis' companion lying where he had died and decided that the best course of action was to leave immediately.
Looking down at McGillis, Vin wiped the smear of blood running from the corner of his lip and stared at the man with hard eyes before growling in a voice full of murderous threat.
"Don't call me sweetheart."
If it was any consolation to Vin Tanner, Alexandra Styles day was no less pleasant day.
Most of the time she was quite contented with the practice she had in Four Corners. She knew that she was a respected physician where she would have been considered a usurper had she attempted to breach the male dominated walls of the present medical community. She had accepted that in this day and age, it would take time to accept a lady doctor, which was why she had come to Four Corners in the first place. Here in the frontier, there was no time to be selective about where good medical expertise originated. A doctor was a doctor; colour and gender held no importance, just the skills. Alex had them and more. She knew she was a good surgeon. Nathan had told her that she was one of the best he had seen, although Alex still felt that he was a better diagnostic physician than she was.
Despite her pleasure to be practising, she could not help feeling slightly resentful that she was pushed into this circumstances not willingly but because there was no where else she could have gone. With her skills, she should have been in a hospital somewhere in the East, as a recognised surgeon of note. Instead society had decreed that because of her gender, she would always be doomed to having to endure being second best, even though she knew she was not.
She arrived at the jailhouse shortly after Chris Larabee had sent for her, wondering what the man wanted of her and guessing that it probably had to do with an injured prisoner. Although she tried hard to hide it from herself or anyone else, she was tired. It was already late afternoon and the sun was threatening to disappear behind the horizon at any moment. The day it followed had been one mundane session after another of minor cases, nothing that inspired her professional curiosity and Alex wondered if all her days would be like this. She knew that had she been a man, she would have be an eminent surgeon in a glamorous city hospital, not forced to carry out surgery in the bottom floor of her house without even the help of a nurse.
Pulling her coat around her because the temperature had not shaken the iciness of the morning frost, Alex decided that a warm cup of cocoa in front of a fire was in order after a day like this. Hopefully, her business in the jailhouse would not take too long and she could return home to do just that. For some reason today, she felt like doing nothing but curling up in a warm place to sit out the rest of the afternoon in relative comfort. With any luck, Vin should be back in town soon and he might feel inclined to join her.
"Thanks for coming Alex." Chris said as she entered the plain office of the jailhouse. Chris Larabee sat behind the desk with his feet up as always, wearing that perpetual look of calm which indicated nothing every got under his skin. It was infuriating just looking at him. Buck was sitting across the table and both men were indulging in a game of cards as they shared the duty of minding the jailhouse in the rotating roster that all seven participated.
"What's the problem?" Alex asked wearily as she set her bag down on a nearby chair.
"Got a prisoner," Chris said putting down his cards, the game forgotten now that business had to be taken care of. "He's been calling for a doctor."
"What about Nathan?" Alex inquired automatically as her gaze shifted in the direction of the narrow corridor that led to the cells.
"He's in there already," Buck replied. "He can't find nothing wrong but ol' Sid keeps saying he has this pain."
"He is a pain." Chris growled, with uncharacteristic annoyance. "Nathan wanted you to have a look at him, see if you can tell what's wrong with him before we decide that he's just faking it and we can go back to ignoring him again." The gunslinger explained.
"Sounds like a plan," Alex said shortly, unashamed about hiding her own irritation at being summoned here. "I'll go take a look." She sighed and brushed past the man.
"You okay?" Chris asked with concerned, noticing that she did seem a little off colour if not a little exhausted. Nathan had been reluctant to call Alex because the healer knew that she worked all day whether it was an office consultation or a house call. While her presence had manage to give Nathan more time to spend with his law enforcement duties in Four Corners, Nathan knew that the ease on his burden was only adding weight to her own.
"You do look kind of piqued." Buck agreed whose observation of the fairer sex was more expert than anyone else in the room.
"It's been a long day," she looked at both men, feeling a little guilty about taking out her bad mood on them both. "I'll be fine." She said with a little smile and then looked at Chris, "you're mellowing with marriage." She teased.
"Now you're getting nasty." Chris retorted with a slight frown as she continued towards the cells. He saw Buck grinning at him and had to ask. "What?"
"She's right you know," Buck said as they started following her. "You are mellowing."
"Drop dead Buck." The gunslinger remarked.
"See?" Buck declared with triumph in his voice as the two men disappeared down the length of corridor that would bring them to cells in the jailhouse. "Before you got married, you would have just hit me."
While Alex had never been a victim of Sid Crawley herself, she knew several women in town who had been inflicted by his activities. The man himself hardly seem to be the type to cause so much consternation in town that husbands were demanding his head on a platter, while the more vehement types required a more symbolic gesture, none of which was legal in any state. Sid was a reedy man, painfully thin and ugly as sin. He was the kind of man who had no redeeming physical attributes and was apparently as stupid as he was a drunkard. Unfortunately, when he was sober, he had a more salacious past time which was why he was inside this room.
"Okay Sid," Nathan said as Alex was given entry into the cell. "Tell the doctor what's wrong." Nathan stood from the chair he was sitting positioned next to the prisoner's bed. Sid was lying in a foetal position, moaning in pain as Alex approached them.
"I need help." The man said through a series of moans
"Well," Alex sighed as she took up the chair that Nathan had vacated for him. "What are his symptoms?" She asked the healer as Chris and Buck kept a watchful eye over the proceedings from the door to the cell.
"Says he has pains in the stomach." Nathan replied, not believing for an instant that there was anything wrong with Sid but was required in good conscience to seek a second opinion. After all, he did not know all the doctoring in the world and if this was cause by something he had not seen before, Nathan was unwilling to let Sid suffer for his mistake. "I've checked him out and there don't seemed to be any reason for it."
"Gastro problems can be tricky," Alex had to admit as she turned to Sid who was fumbling under the blanket, appearing as if he were clutching his stomach. "All right Mr Crawley," she said in a resigned voice. "Let's see what's wrong with you."
"I'm sick!" The man suddenly came to life and flung the blanket off him. He stood up before her, naked from the waist down as he exposed himself to her. Wearing a wide grin on his face that should not have been so pronounced considering how he was endowed, he presented himself to Alex, taking delight in her shocked expression.
"Oh Lord Sid!" Nathan said completely mortified that he had been stupid enough to allow Sid to commit another count of the crime which had his sorry behind thrown in jail in the first place.
"Now I done the doctor too!" Sid, who was better known as Sid the Flasher in town, chortled with victory at being able to continue his favourite past time even while he was inside this restrictive surroundings.
"Sid, you got no shame." Buck approached the man while Chris stood at the doorway, rubbing his forehead at the onset of a headache that was starting to form. "Pull your pants back up!"
Alex was not in the mood for this. She stood up and stared Sid directly in the face and said very coolly. "You are sick Mr Crawley," she said with a glacial tone to her voice. "I do have a cure for your particular affliction."
All three lawmen stared at her with surprise. "You do?" Nathan exclaimed first, because he had never heard of a treatment for the mental sickness that allowed a man to take such pride in this shocking behaviour.
"Yes," Alex nodded and reached for her doctor's bag. Opening the worn leather valise, she reached inside and produced an extremely formidable looking scalpel and turned to Nathan and Buck. "Gentlemen, I'll need your help."
Sid's eyes widened as Buck and Nathan caught on quick to what she was intending. Before Sid could run both men had wrapped their arms around his and were holding him place as Alex turned to him again. "You Mr Crawley, come under the classification of sex offender. Do you want the penalties for sex crimes in this state are?" She stared at him through narrowed eyes.
"You can't hurt me!" Sid looked at Chris for help and saw the gunslinger shrugging his shoulders in indifference, enjoying Alex's display a great deal, while trying to hide his amusement behind a sombre expression.
"Testicular removal." Alex retorted, wearing a little smile of satisfaction seeing his fear.
"What?" Sid stammered.
"She means, they cut your balls off Sid." Buck said helpfully.
If Sid was terrified before, having it explained to him so succinctly sent him into waves of panic as Alex put down the scalpel and started working on a syringe that she had every intention of using on the man. He struggled even harder as both Nathan and Buck lost their efforts to keep themselves from succumbing to the humour of the situation. Even Chris was starting to find a great deal of difficulty in keeping himself restrained, as the need to explode into peals of laughter became overwhelming.
"You have nothing to worry about Mr Crawley," Alex continued. "I have anaesthetic and when you wake up, you'll be as good as new. Naturally, there will be symptoms. You will gain a little weight and of course there will be some pain, actually a lot of pain. However, that will subside eventually but in the end you will never have to worry about having these kinds of tendencies ever again. Although," she paused and offered him a perfectly wicked gleam as she said this. "I seriously doubt that you will ever rise to the occasion or be capable of having normal relations with members of the opposite sex." With that, she held up the syringe and prepared it for use by squirting fluid out of the needle. "But judging by your activities, I gather that was never a consideration anyway."
"You can't do this!" Sid started to scream. "You can't just take em!"
"Well Sid," Buck found himself adding. "You ain't doing much business with them any how. At least when the good doctor is done with you, you won't never have to worry about being thrown in jail either."
Alex circled the trio and pressed the needle up against Sid's bony rear end. "So good of you to be ready for me." She declared and penetrated the skin with little or no delicacy.
Sid cried out in pain as the syringe emptied its contents into his body. He was still cursing and begging for this nightmarish turn of events, seriously impeding the lawmen's attempts to kerb their laughter. By the time the sedative did its work and Sid was completely unconscious, both Nathan and Buck were nearly in hysterics. Alex collected her things almost dispassionately, deciding she really needed that cup of cocoa now.
"That ought to make him more manageable until the morning." Alex remarked as she started out the cell.
"We'll enjoy the quiet." Chris could not help grinning. He loved this woman's sense of humour. "You sure you're okay?" He inquired, genuinely concerned. "Vin should be back pretty soon."
She had to admit, seeing the tracker would go a long way to easing her bad mood and "I hope he had a better day than I did." Alex retorted and then added. "You are mellowing."
"Thanks." Chris returned with a look of mock offence as she left the jail. "And I was starting to like you too."
"If you're not going to be any help, get out of my kitchen!"
Ezra Standish ducked as the pot came flying in his direction. It impacted against the wall of the kitchen inside the saloon and left a sizeable dent as plaster and mortar crumbled from the crater left behind. He stood up astonished at the fact that it was actually thrown at him and stared at Inez Rosillos in amazement more than anger as she glared at him with absolute rage in her eyes that was completely unjustified in his opinion. He was completely mystified at what had caused such a fiery explosion of anger when just moments ago, she had been preparing meals for the paying customers.
"Inez, is there something wrong?" The gambler ventured to ask, knowing that even for her this was an unusual display of temper. Besides, the manner in which she was pacing up and down the length of the kitchen counter, with her hands on her hips as she considered his question was proof enough of some discourse.
"Why should there be anything wrong!" She barked. "I am in here doing everything for this place and if the paying customers are not getting their food quickly enough, well tell them I'm really sorry but today I don't' give a damn!"
"Inez if you need help...."Ezra said conceding the point that she did do most things around here and felt some what guilty because she did look genuinely weary. Her normally glowing skin was almost grey and she had the appearance of someone who was on the verge of exhaustion. In fact, she had looked like this for some time now and Ezra felt ashamed since even though he owned the minor half of the business, he was still apart of it. It was simply that Inez always had things under control in her duties as manager that it often required very little input from him for the business to function.
"I don't need any help!" She shouted at him, with almost irrational fervour. "I can do this all by myself. I don't need you and anyone else. I can handle this on my own! Now get out of my kitchen!" She fairly roared.
Ezra was not about to argue with her when she was in this state of mind. He paused long enough to give her a curious look before he did as she wished, leaving the room before she really got angry with him. As he stepped out onto the floor of the saloon, he noticed how quiet things were as a roomful of startled faces stared at him for explanation, obviously having heard the altercation in the kitchen.
"What did you say to her?" Josiah Sanchez demanded when Ezra sat down at their table again, with the same stunned expression on his face as the rest of the patrons of the Standish saloon. After a moment, the room returned to normal and it was business as usual except among the lawmen who knew the lady best and knew this was unusual behaviour from her. If anyone could be counted upon to keep their equilibrium in any situation, it was Inez.
"I assure you Mr Sanchez," Ezra frowned, more worried about Inez that he would like the others to know. "I merely informed her that the natives were becoming restless."
"I don't think anyone is gonna be complaining after hearing that." JD Dunne remarked as he threw a concern glance in the direction of the kitchen. "I know I'm scared."
"She's been getting worse lately," Josiah pointed out, wondering what was bothering Inez these past few weeks. The lady always had a fiery temper but lately, it seemed like only the slightest provocation could ignite her fury. It was baffling.
"Maybe it's because of Buck." JD suggested.
"Could be," Josiah agreed, aware of how precarious things had been between the two since the wedding. Buck and Inez were no longer on speaking terms since their one time liaison and no matter what anyone tried to say to either to rectify the situation, it seemed nothing would breach the rift that had been created between the two.
"You're the man of the cloth," Ezra remarked. "Perhaps you ought to try and see if the lady will talk to you about her troubles. Since no one else is having much luck with her."
"I'm not in that business any more," Josiah retorted. Even though he on occasion, played the part of preacher, it was not a role he relished with any degree. While there was a time in his life where being a preacher was all he ever wanted, Josiah knew it was not meant to be. As much as he tried, he could not simply sit on the sidelines of life, allowing others to experience things while he sat in a position where he was required to dictate to them how they ought to live. It had taken a long time for him to come to grips that he could not be the kind of preacher he wanted and in so realising that, came to the conclusion that he could not live with the facade either.
"Do you ever wish you were?" JD inquired honestly interested, since Josiah rarely spoke about his days in the ministry.
Josiah eased back into his chair and considered the question, one he had not thought of in quite some time he had to say. "Sometimes." He had to admit honestly. "I wonder what kind of a preacher I might have been. My father was a fire and brimstone kind and he believed the way to redeeming a soul was to scare them back to the flock. Me, I always have trouble turning the other cheek. It's a sad thing to know one cannot live up to one's dreams." Josiah replied with bittersweet feeling as he considered with greater depth and in secret, JD's question for himself.
"My mamma used to say if you give up your dreams, you die." JD pointed out, not liking to think that Josiah would consider himself a failure simply because he could not let people get hurt while he was able to help them. As far as the young man was concerned, that only proved that Josiah had risen above a standard set for himself and reached one.
"She's right." Josiah agreed. "And so I've been waiting for it to happen but the crows have so far let me linger."
JD frowned, disliking even less that Josiah was waiting to die and decided this particular subject needed a quick change of direction. "What about you, Ezra?" He asked. "What was your dream?"
Ezra peered up from above his cards and noticed even Josiah paying close attention in anticipation of his answer. "I do not waste my time on such frivolous notions." The gambler said abruptly.
"Oh come on," JD pressed, unable to believe that someone as well mannered and cultured, even though he was a cheat and a gambler did not have some higher goal, no matter how far fetched it was. "Everybody's got dreams. Are you telling me when you were a kid, you had nothing you wanted to be when you grew up? Nothing at all?"
"Mr Dunne," Ezra shifted uncomfortably in his seat and giving JD a look that said plainly to leave the subject at rest. "I never had the affliction to be any more than what I was. I realise this may be a difficult concept for you to grasp but it is the truth."
"Whatever you say Ezra," the young man retorted, exchanging a glance with Josiah which indicated that he did not believe a word Ezra was saying any more than Josiah did. However, it was obvious that they were not going to pry it from Ezra any time soon. "When I was a kid, I wanted to be the best gunslinger, Rough Rider to ever roam the plains." JD grinned.
"The joys of education through dime store novels." Ezra rolled his eyes in sarcasm.
"Oh I know its dumb now," JD replied, never one to get offended easily. It was probably why he was so likeable by the others six men who had made themselves his unofficial guardians and protectors. "But I learned to ride because of that and it ain't easy doing that in the city, I'll tell you. Still," JD said with no hint of regret in his voice, just youthful hope that was infectious even too more jaded personalities such as Ezra and Josiah. "I reckon I did okay. I got out of the city and I made it here. That's worth something to me."
"I reckon it is." Josiah agreed with a smile while Ezra continued to say nothing.
Dreams? Ezra Standish had no use for them and all they seemed to do was show just how much a failure one was, when they did not come true.
Billy Travis watched the full moon in the sky outside the window of his bedroom and felt a great deal of satisfaction knowing that he was bringing happiness to the lives of all those he cared about. Most of all, he thought of how grand it would be when he woke up the next morning and told everyone how he was responsible for making all their dreams become a reality. As he prepared for bed, he envisioned how he would make the declaration in front of Chris and his ma and how thrilled they would be that their heart's desire had taken place because he made it happen.
Of course, it was still a mystery to him what he had done during that strange ceremony where Lily had chanted those odd words when for a moment, the air had seemed to get deathly cold. Not the familiar cold of winter, but the kind of iciness that chilled the bones. He remembered feeling a little scared as he felt the small wind that blew at the objects he had brought to use in the ritual. How they trembled as she chanted the words. He even tried to ignore the strange vibration he felt in the air as the ritual came to an end.
None of it mattered because Lily said they had done what they had set out to do. His wish had been granted and when the moon was at its highest tonight, it would happen. All he had to do was close his eyes and tomorrow, he would wake up and everything he had dreamed of for his ma and Chris and in particular, Julia would come to pass. He tried to imagine Julia's beautiful face as she told him how special he was and promise to wait until he got as big as Ezra so that he could marry her.
Yes, tomorrow everything would be just perfect.