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DISCLAIMER: Wouldn't dare to lay original creative claim on The Seven.
So keep your lawyers
away from me.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I've privately accused Maggie of being even more
of a closet softy than
Ezra is, but thanks to 'P in T' I have proof. Penny, I know we've
just (kinda) met, but I hope you
know that if one of us is goin' through a rough patch, all of us are
sending good thoughts their
way.
feedback welcome! maria.mogavero@optiva.com
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...Penny had missed the exchange due to the most excellent dancing she
was induring with J.D.
"You know, I do feel better." She giggled loudly as the teen swung
her around and then dipped
her.
***************************
The twang of guitar and the click of boots snapping against loose gravel
reverberated off the
stone of the large cave.
Penny matched JD step for step in the makeshift club and smiled as she
heard Maggie's singing
echo through the chamber.
"...She's got her daddy's money. Her mamma's good looks. An' look who's lookin' at me..."
The dark-haired girl called over to Cassie who was cutting a mean rug..uh..stone
with Buck.
"Not quite what I had in mind, Cass, but I have to admit..it works."
Buck barked a laugh and nodded his head to one end of the cave. "Ooh-wee,
Chris, I think I just
found someone who's a worse dancer than you."
The others couldn't help but chuckle at the sight of Nathan attempting
to teach Maria the basics
of line dancing. The healer didn't have as much trouble rescuing Ezra
from his admirerer as he
had anticipated.
Jackson didn't want to listen to the southerner's whining if the young
woman's grip on Ezra's fine
jacket should cause wrinkling so he looked at her with those deep brown
eyes and didn't even
have to finish his question about whether or not she'd like to dance.
Suddenly a voice cut through the music. "Maggie Smith, I'm callin' you out."
All heads turned and the sound of a needle scratching across vinyl halted
the music (that's just
what music does when something dramatic happens).
Maggie stared at the source of the voice, not feeling very intimidated
by the sweet looking
woman standing at the cave's entrance holding a picnic basket. "Kim,
what the heck are you
talking about?"
"Don't give me that. I suppose it's just a coincedence that you
ended up going dancing so close to
where Vin lives and didn't invite me." Kim's look shifted between
her friend and the
buck-skinned brunette (whoa, there's a mental picture) that Maggie
had lured into dancing.
"We weren't supposed to end up here," Cassie sheepishly offered, "Maggs
was hoping to cheer
Penny up with a little night out to The Cave." The blonde twirled
a string of hair around her
finger. "We kinda got lost."
Kim's lips pursed and her eyes squinted a little as she took in the
scene. "Ah, it's alright. If I
really was mad at all of you, I'd have to eat all this stuff by myself."
She held up the food-laden
basket gripped in her hands. "What can I say, I heard there was
a party..."
"Allow me to aid you with your burden." Josiah took the basket and led
the way outside to a flat
patch of ground where a blanket was laid out.
Chris raised an eyebrow and grinned slyly at Kim, "So, you were so riled
with Maggie that you
took time to put down somethin' to sit on before stormin' in?"
"I don't have to share with you, ya know."
The oddly mixed group had no problem laying seige upon the generous
collection of food and
drink Kim had supplied.
Mog watched Penny out of the corner of her eye, not wanting to ask if
the dark-haired girl was
having a good time for fear it would break any festive spell that the
afternoon had cast upon the
regulators and their fans.
The smile on Penny's face as she shared one of Kim's homemade eclairs
with JD was enough of
an answer.
"Hey, kid, you gonna hog all those, toss one here."
JD knew that Buck didn't mean 'toss' in the literal sense but the kid just couldn't help himself.
Unfortunately, Wilmington saw the glint in Dunne's eye as the young
man picked up the eclair.
The older man ducked aside as the dessert sailed past him, striking
Chris squarely on the side of
the face.
JD's eyes were huge as the leader of the seven turned slowly toward
the direction of the attack.
His jaw was set tight and his eyes were sharp slits as he focused on
JD.
"You best know how to handle yourself in a food fight before you start
slinging pastries like that,
kid."
And with the reflexes he had sharpened over the years for using a pistol,
Larabee flung a handful
of potato salad back at his young partner.
JD didn't stand a chance. The sidedish smacked him in the forehead with a wet slap.
Buck burst out laughing and had tears in his eyes even before JD could
grab ammunition. A leg
of chicken knocked Wilmington in the chest and knocked the grin from
his face.
Ezra sensed his wardrobe was in dangerous proximity to the culinary
war and stripped it and his
vest off before attempting to sneak out of range.
"Not so fast, pretty boy." A sourdough roll bounced harmlessly
off his shoulder. He spun to see
Mog, with a wicked smile and another bun in her hand. But fortune
stepped in for the gambler as
Cassie dropped some grapes down the back of the pink-haired girl's
shirt and smashed them with
a light hand.
It was at that point that things got completely out of hand. But
it didn't matter to any of them
because, later, as the sun began to set and the large, sticky group
made their way back to Four
Corners the small smile on Penny's lips made them realize it was all
worth it.
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The End
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