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Rating: B for Bad Mood
Disclaimer: Don’t own ‘em.
Warnings: Okay, its been all of four days since I wrote a silly
snippet, and today I’m having a
replay of my Black Monday. So who better to take my frustration out
on, you guessed it. I
remember letting Vin off without a scratch last time, but no more.
PS: No characters were hurt in the making of this. HUH! Who
am I kidding! ;-O
*****************************************************
“Anybody seen Vin?” Chris Larabee stepped from inside the saloon to
join the other of the seven
gathered on the porch.
“Not since this mornin’, Brother Chris. Somethin’ wrong?” Josiah stood
straight from his
leaning position to face the gunslinger.
“No, just wondering. He said something about us going for a ride to
Miss Nettie’s this afternoon.
He said she’s been having trouble with James’ cattle grazing on her
property.” Larabee brushed
strands of his hair away from his eyes and then repositioned his hat
on his head.
“He should be back anytime now.” J.D. was seated near the entrance playing
a game of checkers
with Nathan.
“Want us to saddle up and ride out there with you, pard?” Buck put down
his beer long enough
to throw the question at his friend.
“No, shouldn’t be no problem we can’t handle. But I think I’ll take
a walk to the livery and see if
he’s come in yet.” The black-clad man made his way across the dusty
street toward the stable at
he end of town.
“You gentlemen think something has befallen our Mr. Tanner?” Ezra tried
to keep the concern
out of his voice but fail.
“Nah, he’s probably just enjoying the open spaces without us around.”
The healer glanced up but
quickly regretted it as J.D. jumped the remaining of his chips and
yelped in glee.
“I won!” The youth bounced slightly in the chair.
“Its not nice to gloat, J.D.” Sanchez gave the youngster a reprimanding gaze.
“What! Ezra does it all the time.” Dunne looked to the gambler.
“Yes, Mr. Dunne, but I do it tactfully. There is a difference.” The
four men chuckled as J.D.
slumped back in his chair and mumbled something about ‘respecting his
elders, hah’.
****************************************************************
“Alright, take it easy.” Vin backed up slowly from the gunman.
“Actually, I rather like things the hard way, so I do hope you intend
to fight.” The whiny voice
held a echo of insanity.
“Come on, I thought we had got passed this already.” Tanner glanced
around the confines of the
livery for some kind of escape.
“Naw, just been in a good mood lately. Luckily, thats changed.” The
woman stepped from the
shadows of the stall and swung the gun in a lazy circle in front of
the tracker.
“Now, Miss Maggie. I don’t believe that. You too sweet and pretty to
be all that bad.” Vin let a
slow grin cross his face to try and ease some of the building tension.
“You know, I used to think so too, but now I’ve got this mark and I
can’t get rid of it.” Maggie
leaned against the gate, never letting her eyes waver from her quarry.
“What mark would that be?” *Okay, the smiles not working, lets try the stalling tactic.*
“Why, the mark of death. You know, in the old days when a woman had
murdered someone, she
got branded with this mark to let everyone know. And I’m afraid I’ve
got the mark.” The woman
sighed loudly and stood upright once more. “You want to know the funny
part about it. I rather
like it. It makes being evil a whole lot easier. Not having to pretend
I’m nice, when I’m really
not. Its such a relief.” She stepped forward and the bounty hunter
quickly stepped back.
“I’m sorry, but I just don’t believe that. I don’t see any brand.” Vin
swallowed as he saw the
burning rage in the younger woman’s eyes.
“Its not physical. Its in here.” Maggie pointed to the point over her
heart. “But, don’t worry none
Vin, I like you too much to make you suffer. Wait a minute, I take
that back. Its the other way
around.” She pulled the trigger back and was about to fire when a cold
voice wafted around her.
“What the hell do you think your doing?” Chris immediately placed himself
between the tracker
and the mad woman.
“Damn, you have sucky timing.” Maggs lowered her pistol and crossed
her arms in front of her
chest.
“I asked you a question.” The gunslinger wasn’t about to be deterred.
“Okay, okay. I’ve been feeling a little down today and then I realized
its because I haven’t been
evil lately. I thought if I did something mean, it would make me feel
better.” Maggie and Chris
locked gazes.
“Look, Miss Maggie. Being nice isn’t so bad. I’ll still like you if
you don’t got it in ya to torture
me no more.” Vin smiled at the dark haired woman.
Maggs sighed softly and handed Larabee her revolver. “I can’t do it
and its all Cassie’s fault.”
She turned her back on the two men and swiped at some unwanted tears.
Chris glanced at his best friend and saw the sympathy he was now feeling
reflected there. He
slowly stepped up to the distraught young lady and laid a comforting
hand on her shoulder.
“Why do you think its Cass’s fault?”
“Well, she’s been wanting to get in this graduate program forever, and
I know as soon as she gets
her qualifications, she’s gonna commit me.” Maggie threw up her hands
in frustration.
“Cassie wouldn’t do that, Miss Maggie. You two are the best of friends,
have been for years.”
Tanner took position on the other side of the woman and rested his
hand on her other shoulder.
“Besides, since your being so nice and kind and a little bit sappy
lately, she’ll know your not
really evil at heart.”
Maggs raised her eyes to meet those she had watched so many times on
the series. “You really
think so?” She then threw her gaze to Chris.
“Sure. Why, even we can see your really sweet and compassionate. She’ll
definitely see it.”
Larabee patted the lady lightly.
“Thanks guys. You’ve really helped my mood. I’m feeling better already.”
Maggie nodded her
thanks and gave each man a huge smile before walking out the front
doors of the livery.
“I can’t believe how wrong we were about her. I take back every nasty
word I thought or said.”
Vin grinned slapping his best friend on the back.
“Yeah, maybe I was wrong too.” Chris smiled slightly at the tracker
and then turned to retrieve
his mount. “Or maybe not.”
Tanner had also went to get his horse, but stopped and looked at the
gunslinger when he uttered
his last words. Before he could ask what he was talking about, everything
went black.
***************************************************************
The explosion rattled the town and almost unseated the five men on the saloon porch.
“What the hell?” Buck jumped to his feet and looked toward where the
eruption originated and
felt his heart sink to his feet. The livery was engulfed in ambers
and over half of it was gone.
“Please God, say they weren’t in there.”
The men pulled themselves together and ran to the burning building never
noticing the smiling
woman leaning against the saloon in the entranceway of the alley.
“What did you do?” Cassie rushed to Maggie’s side and took in the sight with a look of horror.
“How come you always assume it was me?” Maggs gave her friend a quizzical glance.
“Well, your standing here and there was just a huge explosion and from
the frantic motions of
those five, I’d say two of the seven where inside the building.” The
blond gave the dark haired
woman an accusing stare.
“Okay, if you put it that way.” Maggie swung her eyes back to her handy
work and sighed. “I
acutally felt a twinge of guilt for doing it, but they did help my
mood.” The woman patted her
best friend lightly on the cheek and turned, skipping out the back
way of the alley.
Cassie watched her departure with a mixture of fear and sadness. She
then returned her gaze to
the efforts of the townspeople and heaved a sigh of relief at the sudden
appearance of two, kinda
charred forms. “Ouch, that had to hurt.” The blond followed their movements
but when she
locked eyes with the two men, she decided to beat a hasty retreat.
“You can run, but you can’t hide.” Chris dusted the ashes from his duster
and continued glaring
at the retreating form.
“You think she had something to do with it?” Vin coughed as he tried
to inhale without sucking
in a lungful of ashe.
Larabee shook his head. “With those two. Anythings possible.”
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