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Rating: D for Dwarf Insanity has taken over.
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the M7 characters, just the
reference to me and my bestest,
sappy friend, Cassie.
Author’s Notes: I want to apologize for the use of anyone’s
name in this little diddy. If you
object, please let me know. ;-D
feedback welcome! eagleimaggs_7@yahoo.com
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Time: Wednesday. May 19-1875.
Location: Saloon. Judge Travis’s Courtroom
“Order. I’ll have order in this court.” The gavel rapping on the table
finally brought the voices
shouting to a halt. “Now. We are here today to listen to the case of
Chris Larabee, Vin Tanner,
Buck Wilmington, J.D. Dunne, Josiah Sanchez, Ezra Standish, Nathan
Jackson versus Maggie
Smith. Mr. Standish we’ll have your opening statement.”
The gambler rose from his seat behind the plaintiff’s desk, giving the
defendant a quick nod and
then came to a stop in front of the jury.
“Ladies. We are gathered here to ascertain that Ms. Maggie Smith has
without a doubt
committed evil, horrendous acts against the plaintiffs,” Ezra swung
his arm in an arc to
encompass the other six individuals occupying the plaintiff’s desk.
“She has been noted to inflict
undue bodily harm,....”
“UNDUE bodily harm!” Maggie surged to her feet. “I object!”
Judge Travis cleared his throat before answering the angered woman.
“Miss Maggie I’m afraid
you can’t object just yet. We’re only in opening statements.”
A blush began creeping upon the features of the dark haired woman. “Oh
yeah, I knew that.
Sorry.” Maggs covered her face with one hand and slowly slumped back
into her chair.
“As I was saying. Undue bodily harm, assualt with a deadly weapon, and
premeditated attempted
murder.” The man of chance paced in front of the six women, giving
each a long intense gaze.
“Now, as her peers, we ask of you to hear the evidence and using your
abundance of intelligence
and remarkable sense of justice to rule in favor of the battered party.
Thank you.” Ezra bowed
slightly and then resumed his position with the others.
“Don’t you think you were kinda mean, Ezra. I don’t think Maggie’s all
that bad.” Standish gave
the boy a disappointed glare.
“My dear Mr. Dunne. That young lady is a master of illusion. We have
been suckered by that
innocent look and those huge brown eyes too many times, to not seek
some kind of restitution.”
J.D. glanced from one man to the other and saw the resounding agreement
in all. “Okay. But, did
we have to get her friends’ to be the jury. I know that their the only
ones Miss Maggie wouldn’t
be able to horn-swaggle, but isn’t that a little despicable. I mean
they are her friends’.”
Buck stared hard at the youth, seeing the navite’ still apparent even
after everything they had
been through. “Look, kid. We didn’t want to do it, but we need some
relief here. All we’re
asking is for a restraining order and a few luxuries on the side. Its
not like we’re wanting her
hung or anything. Are we?” Wilmington glanced quickly at Chris and
saw the contemplative
look in his eyes.
“Chris...” Josiah gave the gunslinger a reprimanding glance.
Larabee sighed, “It was just a thought.”
Vin chuckled softly. “Come on, cowboy. She’s not that bad.”
Chris snorted. “I guess its slipped your mind that she blew us up in
the livery. Not to mention,
she took over Cassie’s story and sent a band of Comanches after us.”
Tanner opened his mouth to try and defend the girl, but the more he
thought about it, he had to
agree with his friend. “Okay, she is that bad.”
Nathan leaned forward into the circle of men. “But she does have good intentions.”
The six did nod their heads on that point, but before the conversation
could continue, the judge
announced for the defendant to give her opening statement.
Maggie rose slowly, preparing herself for the speech. Walking with deliberate
steps, she came to
a stop in front of the blond in the middle.
“The ‘allegations’ against me, are just that, allegations. They have
no solid proof or even any
circumstantial evidence. All they have is heresy. Things they have
overheard in private settings.
Now each one of you on this jury has known me for at least a month,
and one of you for many
years.” The cold glare caught the blond head on. “Everyone of you know,
I have no ill intentions
to any of these men. I just hope you can be objective and fair in the
preceedings that are about to
follow.”
Maggie glanced once more at her so-called best friend, Cassidy, in the
middle of the six before
returning to her seat.
“Alright. Plaintiffs’, you may present your case.”
Standish nodded, picking up some papers as he stood. “In my hands, I
hold story on top of story,
where the defendant in question has written in her own hand, acts of
crime. This one in
particular, she blinded Mr. Tanner. Another one, she has beaten him
and broken his arm...”
“I object.” Maggie surged to her feet.
Travis sighed, “What now?”
“I have never beaten up Vin, or broken any of his bones. Thats Cassie.”
The dark haired woman
pointed at the blond, who was trying to cover her face.
“Is this true young lady?”
Cass peeked through her fingers at the judge. “Oh alright. Yes, that
was me.” The girl crossed
her arms in a huff.
“Duely noted. Proceed Mr. Standish.”
“Thank you, your honor. Next we have Mr. Wilmington being shot in the
side and then riding to
Bitter Creek only hours after his injury.” The gambler threw the papers
down on the table
causing them to flutter in different directions. “Ladies, I could go
on forever, but due to your
delicacy, I refuse to subject you to these vile exploits. I beg you
to weigh the written evidence I
have presented to you and your own personal knowledge of the defendant
and see without a
doubt Miss Smith deserves the punishment we are demanding in all sense
of the word.” Ezra
straightened his sleeves and winked at Maria, who sat at the very end
of the group.
Mog tried to concentrate on what the gambler had just said but was lost
in those green orbs of
gorgeousness.
“Maria, snap out of it.” Penny poked the woman in the ribs.
“Huh!” The girl turned a blank look to Pen.
“Oh good grief. I can’t believe you’ve been distracted by that silver
tongued devil. He’s trying to
get us to go against Maggs. Get a grip, okay?”
“Okay, I’ll try.” Mog brought herself to a stiff backed position in
her chair and avoided the green
eyes of diversion.
“Miss Smith, your turn.”
Maggs sighed heavily. She had nothing. She had no proof, no words of
rebuttal. Just the utter
feeling of defeat. But, like a true soldier, she was not going down
without a fight.
Hoisting herself up, she sauntered to the lynch mob, who used to be her friends’.
“Alright. I can’t lie. Yes, I admit to blinding Vin, blowing him up,
shooting Buck, leaving J.D.
out in the cold, shooting Chris. Oops, wait a minute. I haven’t done
that yet.” Maggie turned her
head as if in a shameful way, but she was really throwing a deadly
glare to the black clad
gunslinger. “Anyway. I can’t change what I’ve done, and I most assuredly
cannot change who I
am. Kim, you know how warped my mind can be. Just look at that dwarf
story.” The girl stepped
in front of Kim and gave her a pleading look.
“She’s right. She can’t help it.” The girl gave the seven men a sorrowful
glance, knowing which
side she would choose for the winner.
“Exactly. And I’m only evil to those who I love the most.” This time
she stopped in front of
Cassidy.
“Yeah, she’s right there too. Even though she laughed uncontrolably
at me when I smelled of
some flowers and ended up with red petal streaks coming out of my nose,
I knew she was
laughing with me not at me.” The blond also gave Buck a sad look.
“Sure.” Maggie tried to hide the giggles the flashback had conjured
up, but one glance at Cass
and she had to move quickly out of arm’s length.
“And Judy B. Haven’t I always been there for ya? Torturing the Vinster,
giving you something to
sink your teeth into many a night. Huh?” Maggie waited as her friend
looked longingly at
Tanner.
“Oh yeah.” She sighed softly but cleared her throat suddenly noticing
all the eyes on her. “I
mean yes, you have. I’m sorry Maggs, but they made me.” The girl shrugged
her shoulders’ but
was relieved by the smile the other gave her.
“I forgive you. But you two. How could you turn on me? I thought we were friends.”
Penny and Mog began to squirm under the deadly stare. “Okay, I’m sorry.
But Buck said I could
go fishing with J.D. if I went along with them. You know I’m weak when
it comes to that man.”
And to prove her point, she took one look at J.D. and lost all train of thought and speech pattern.
“Okay, I can live with her reasons, but you?” The dark haired lady put
her hands on her hips and
glared at Maria.
“Well, Ezra said they wouldn’t hurt you, just wanted to teach you a
lesson. And you know how
purty he can talk.” Mog grinned wildly at the southerner smiling back
at her.
“I give up.” Maggie threw her hands up in defeat and turned to the last
of the jury. “Okay, Ms.
Travis. I know you have something to say, so get it over with.”
The woman crossed her arms over her chest and waited for the assualt.
“Well, I really don’t know you that well, but you seem like a nice young
lady.” Mary gave
Maggie a sympathetic look.
“And?”
“And, I do think your a little harsh with them. I mean they are trying
to protect this town and the
people in it. They do need rest and good health, at least once in a
while.”
Maggs slumped in bafflement. “There really is no justice.” She mumbled
quietly and made her
way back to her desk.
The seven men let smiles of immenent victory crease their handsome features
and turned
expectant gazes to the honorable Orin Travis.
“Alright. It seems the two parties have finished so the only thing left
to do now is here the
verdict. Ladies, do you need time for counsel?”
The six woman gave each other quick looks and knew no private words
were needed. They had
made their decision. Cassie sighed and gave her best friend a downhearted
glance, but noticed
Maggie wasn’t paying attention. She was writing something.
*Oh No.* Cassidy looked around the room swiftly for any new additions
to the audience and was
happy to find none, but then she heard it. The pounding of hooves headed
their way.
The blond jumped to her feet breaking into a run toward the dark haired
woman. Once she
reached the table she tore the paper from the other’s grasp and read
the first few lines.
“Oh my gosh! Maggie, you didn’t?” Cassidy gave her friend a stricken look.
Maggs let an evil smile begin. “Now, now. Don’t worry, its nothing that
Nathan can’t fix. I
think.”
Before the blond could react, the girl grabbed the paper back and wrote
a few more words
vanishing as her pen wrote out her name, Maggie.
Cass tried to reach out in time, but it was too late. For all of them.
Chris walked to Cassie’s side. “What did she do now?”
The blond swallowed as she looked up at the man. “I think it would be best you didn’t know.”
Larabee rolled his eyes heavenward and then focused on the hoofbeats
that ceased outside the
saloon entrance.
“Chris, you ain’t gonna believe this.” Vin shook his head as he stared out the corner window.
“Try me.” The gunslinger made his way through the townsfolk and stopped beside the tracker.
“Well, we’ve got the Nichols clan, Eli Joe, Colonel Anderson, and my
personal favorite,
Charlotte’s husband.” The bounty hunter sighed checking his Winchester
for ammunition.
“I don’t believe this.” Larabee rubbed at his tired eyes and turned
back to the blond looking for
any kind of salvation. “Can’t you do anything? You are her writing
partner.”
Cassie twisted a twig of hair nervously around her finger. “Not this
time. S he took all the paper
and pencils. Not to mention, she’s wrote a clause in the story, that
their couldn’t be any
ad-libbing.”
Maggie’s other friends’ sat back down heavily, hoping the Maniacle one would spare them.
“Uh oh, looks like their ready for a fight.” Buck checked his gun and
then took position to J.D.’s
right.
Josiah and Nathan stepped over to the women. “You ladies best get behind
the bar until we tell
you its safe to come out.”
Jackson took Kim and Penny by the elbows and pushed them toward safety.
“I can’t imagine she would do something like this.” Judy gave Cassie a disblieving gaze.
“Its the lack of sleep. She’s been pulling double duty at work. We just
have to pray there’s a
little of the sweet Maggie left in her.” The two girls huddled near
the center of the bar.
“I know she won’t do anything bad.” Mog nodded reassuringly before joining the others.
“You there in the saloon. I am a ghost of the Confederacy and here to
see justice is done.”
Anderson turned to the unlikely soldiers surrounding him. “Men, prepare
to fire.”
All rifles and pistols clicked as they were cocked and in the next instant
there was no sound
except for gunfire.
But as quickly as it started it stopped and the attackers disappeared leaving behind swirls of dust.
The seven gave each other appraising looks and were happy to find no new holes.
“Whew, that was close.” Wilmintong slapped the youngest on the back giving him a huge grin.
“I wouldn’t exactly say that.” The men turned to the bar from which
the female voice had came
and tried to keep the bubbling laughter to themselves, for staring
at them were six women
outfitted in rodeo clown gear.
“Nice outfit.” Chris gave Mary a devilish smile.
“Oh, shut up.” Ms. Travis walked from behind the bar in a huff and the
men lost it, because on
her feet was the biggest clown shoes imaginable.
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The End.
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