By Kirsten Page
Author's Note: In order to best understand the plot to this story, it is recommended that you read Twice Paired. This story is being written with the assumption that you are already familiar with those characters and that plot. :)
The young woman slid down from the saddle and was helped down by a young man. She smiled warmly at him and he leaned down to kiss her on the cheek. Her auburn hair and curls rustled with the breeze. Her face was coated with a thin layer of dirt which only made a greater contrast to her pale complexion.
She looked over at the man with her. His gaze was fixed on the main street of the town. He hadn't been gone that long, but with the war that was rapidly approaching, and all of the mess that brought, he felt as if it had been years. Seeing his anguish, the young woman reached up and took his arm. He returned his attention to her and smiled warmly.
"Are you ready for this?" She asked him, her sparkling hazel blue eyes shining with happiness.
He returned the expression with equal tenderness. "Yeah. Ready as I'll ever be." With that, the two walked arm in arm down the busy street towards the end of town. *~*~*~*~
"Lou, are you sure this is where you want it?" The weary husband turned to his beloved wife with a mocking grin on his face. "I'll only lift this barrel once today." Already she had asked him to move it, of course that was after she'd already filled it with some dirt and flowers. It must have weighed three hundred pounds. Okay, so that's just a slight exaggeration. Needless to say, it felt that heavy.
She came over to him and hugged him tightly. "Thank you, Kid." It was perfect, just the way she had been hoping her home would be. The Express had shut down a few short weeks ago, and their wedding had only been a month ago. Rachel and Teaspoon decided that since the Express wouldn't be needing the station house, it would be the perfect start for the two young people.
He pushed her back long enough to see the joy that filled her eyes. "Are you sure you're happy?" Kid asked, his own face reflecting his feelings. He didn't think that it was possible that he could ever be so content. There had been some bumpy times with Lou and their relationship, but their love defied the odds. He didn't give her much of a chance to answer before he kissed her gently.
"Well, if I wasn't then, I sure am now!" She laughed as she stepped back and continued about her work. "If we keep up like that, nothing will get done!"
Just as he was about to reply with one of his coy statements, she saw something in the distance and took off running towards it. Bewildered by her sudden action, he turned to see what it was that had drawn her attention.
"Stacy!" Louise exclaimed as she raced down the road and embraced her friend. They spun around, each of them laughing with excitement as they did.
"Oh Louise, I've missed you so much!" She smiled at her lifelong friend. "I just couldn't stay away any longer." Stacy saw Kid approaching and so she smiled warmly and he welcomed her with open arms.
"It's great to see you, Stacy." He said. Praying to himself that she wasn't here to enlist the aid of Lou on another one of her spicy adventures.
Stacy stepped back and looked over her two friends, noticing that they were quite dirty from some sort of outside work. "Thank you." She finally managed to reply. "I hear you managed to finally get married! No two people are more suited for each other if I have anything to say about it." Stacy grinned at them.
Lou looked at Kid and took his hand. "Yeah, I'd say we're happy. At least one of us isn't dead yet!" She laughed.
A few moments later, someone that Louise and Kid both knew quite well rounded the corner. He was dirty and looked like the perfect match for Stacy and her dust covered clothes.
"Jimmy!?" Lou exclaimed as he came up and stood beside Stacy. There was another round of hugs and laughs as the friends reunited. A few minutes had passed before they realized that they had been standing out in the middle of the street.
"My word," Lou started. "Let's not just stand out here, come inside. Believe it or not, Stacy, if nothing else, being married to Kid is teaching me how to keep some food on the table." She teased with her brown eyes lit with excitement.
The two women went ahead of the guys, leaving them to an uncomfortable silence. In spite of the fact that they had been friendly towards each other, there had been a division between them.........it was the same dividing line that was separating the nation in two.
Jimmy truly believed that Kid would return to the South, and to Virginia. He on the other hand, had great plans to help the North, or else forget the whole bloody mess and go elsewhere.
"So what brings you two out here, together?" Lou finally asked after they had seated themselves at the table and were sipping some steaming coffee.
Jimmy shifted uncomfortably in his chair. He placed his hand on Stacy's and they exchanged knowing glances. Clearing his throat he looked directly into Lou's eyes. "Well, it was Stacy's suggestion that we come see you because she said you're her closest relative." He paused. "Actually we've come to tell you that we're getting married."
The words hung in the air like smoke on a hot sizzling summer day for an eternal moment, before both Lou and Kid's mouths formed into large smiles. They looked at each other, and then back at their friends directly across the table. "That's wonderful!" Louise exclaimed as she stood up and hugged her friend. She did her best to conceal the shock that was inside of her at the thought, "I'm so happy for you." She gave Jimmy an approving smirk. "You'll have your hands full with this one."
"Yeah, I know it." He teased.
"You'll stay here for a while of course." Kid added and then questioned himself. "Won't you?
Jimmy replied. "Yeah, we'll hang around for about a week."
Louise slowly returned to her chair next to Kid. She couldn't believe that her friend, Stacy, would actually consider hooking herself up with James Hickok. Of course, what was wrong with that? Nothing, she guessed, it just somehow didn't seem right. It wasn't as if Stacy wasn't good enough for Jimmy, or vice versa, it had just come about so quickly. Why hadn't Stacy told her before now?
"I don't know what else to say." Lou finally said as she sat there looking at the two of them.
Stacy took her friend's hand. "Then don't say anything."
Lou had insisted that Jimmy and Stacy stay at their house rather than getting rooms at the town's hotel. Stacy had readily agreed, but Jimmy said that he'd prefer to stay in town. He used the excuse that the giggles and the chatters of the girls talking all night would probably keep him awake.
Against the flow of their usual visits, Stacy had politely excused herself early to go to bed. It had been a long trip for her, and she wanted to get some sleep in preparation for the busy day ahead.
After saying their good-nights, Lou went outside and sat down on some piled hay in the barn. She listened to the contented chewing sounds of Lightning and Katy as they munched on their oats.
Kid had remained inside for quite a while, figuring that she probably needed to be alone. The news that had been brought to them was pretty surprising, even for him. He busied himself inside and sat down to do something that he hadn't done in ages.........read a book. He positioned himself next to the window to make sure that if Lou needed him, he could be there in a flash.
After hour had passed, and she still hadn't returned to the house, Kid wanted to go outside and check on her. He knew that the barn was one of her favorite places to go, especially when she wanted to be alone and think. Therefore, he was able to find her right away. "Hey." He called softly opening the heavy door, and not wanting to disturb her in case she was asleep.
There was a rustling sound as she hoisted herself up off the ground. "Hey." She replied.
"Don't get up." Kid sat down beside her, "You doing all right?"
In the short time that they had been married, Kid had been pleased that Lou wasn't as afraid to tell him her problems. They had both learned to share their secrets and feelings without the other one feeling as if they were prying into something that wasn't their concern.
"Yeah, I'm just a little confused, that's all." She replied.
"You thinking about Jimmy?"
The question hit it right on the mark and she immediately opened up her heart to Kid. "I never thought he'd do it. I mean really be serious about someone." She took a piece of straw off the floor and began pulling it apart in strips, quite absentmindedly. "I just don't want to see either one of them get hurt. What if he doesn't really love her? What if she doesn't love him? It just doesn't feel right, Kid."
"Want me to talk to him?" Kid hated seeing his wife in distress. He knew that by talking to Jimmy about something that had to do with his personal life, it might cause a fight. That was a chance he was willing to take though.
Lou looked relieved. "Would you?"
Kid took her hand and helped her to stand up. "Yes, as long as you promise me one thing."
"What's that?" She was afraid of what he might be asking her to promise.
He smirked, "Please make sure that Stacy isn't here to get you on another wild goose chase."
She laughed. Yeah, their last time together had been an adventure, and one that she didn't really care to repeat. "That's fair enough."
Chapter II
The sun decided to rise much too early for James Hickok. He turned away from the window and hoped that when he rolled back over, it would have disappeared. Unfortunately, however, it hadn't. He groaned to himself and reached for his gunbelt, one of the first things he ever touched before his morning coffee.
Today, he had a feeling that something was going to happen. What, or with whom, or how, he could never be sure. It was a gut feeling that he had trained himself to have, and had mastered it shortly after the Express closed down. Life was growing more and more unstable for him as young men approached him almost every day to beg him for a gunfight, or at least to see him split a penny with one of his fancy Navy Colts.
His thoughts turned back to Stacy.........Stacy the young woman who had made the biggest difference in his life next to Lou. She could understand who he was. In fact, she was not much different from him in a lot of ways. She could ride, she could shoot, and he wouldn't put it past her to be able to outspit the best of them. Jimmy chuckled to himself at the thought, but that would be the day because she was most certainly a lady of respect and dignity.
What am I thinking? He asked himself, as he reached for his boots and plopped down on the bed. How could he settle down? How could he ever expect to make a lady like her happy? She needed stability, he didn't have that, she needed a home, he didn't have that, and most of all she needed love, which was almost regretfully something that he could give. What kind of love do I have to offer? A life of love by the gun, never knowing if I'm going to be shot in the back for no reason? Stacy needs a life of ease, and shouldn't have to worry about getting caught in the crossfire.
"I can't do this to you, Stacy," he said aloud. "I love you too much. Find someone who can truly take care of you."
Solemnly and with much anguish and pain, Jimmy collected the few things that he had with him and proceeded downstairs to find his horse. He would at least leave a message for her with the hotel clerk. He did owe her that much. And he would tell her how much he loved her.
I'll head to California, and who knows, if I ever strike it rich, I'll be able to send some money to Stacy, Kid, and Lou. Jimmy stopped dead in his tracks. When would he stop running and face up to what he really was? Yes, he was by definition a gunfighter, but couldn't he do something to change that. Stacy, who am I kidding in all of this?
With eagerness in his stride he hastily threw his things back into his room and darted down the stairs and over to the home of his dear friends. There was just one person who he longed to talk to in all of this. Someone that he could trust, or at least thought he could.
Kid felt a hand on his back, and rolled over. "Time to get up sleepy head." Lou said teasingly. She knew how much he hated to be awakened by her little schemes. One morning she had brought a pan of icy cold water over to the bed and stuck his toes in it. He had just about killed her for that one.
"Oh really?" He asked sarcastically.
"Really."
He sat up and tried to wiped the sleepiness from his eyes. "Well, in that case," with one swift movement he tackled her down on the bed, "If you insist that I get up," he began the cruel process of pinning her down and tickling her, while her pleas for him to stop continued, "I'll get up."
"Kid stop!" She gasped between laughter. "We've got company, and you'll wake Stacy up!" Lou reasoned, trying to get him to stop.
Finally, he let up with some mercy and sat on the bed grinning at her bright red face. "That was just mean." She said.
"Oh, and I suppose that sticking my toes in cold water isn't?" He asked.
She contemplated for a moment. "No, that's different."
Kid stood up and towered over her, his face beaming with mischief. "We'll see about that."
Seeing the look on his face, she took off and darted to the other side of the room. "Kid, you touch me and I'll scream!"
"Oh no you won't." He said inching his way closer.
"Oh yes I will!" She shot back, now mashing herself against the wall.
He smiled, "What about the company?"
"It's OK, I'll wake Stacy! I mean it Kid, you step closer and......" She paused as she glanced out the window and saw Jimmy walking up the steps. "Kid, Jimmy's here." She said, her voice changing back to a more serious tone. It wasn't like their friend to be up this early, which made his early arrival one more little surprise for them.
Kid turned around and caught a quick glimpse of him on the porch before they heard a light knock on the front door. Lou pushed Kid towards the bedroom door. "Go answer it, I'll get dressed."
He looked at her nightgown. "You mean you aren't dressed? Looks like clothes to me."
Lou looked at him in a scolding manner and he put his hands up as if he were in a stick up. "OK, I'm going I'm going." He smiled.
Kid walked down the short hallway and opened the door, ushering Jimmy in. "Everything all right?" He asked.
Jimmy looked down at the ground and then up at Kid. "Is Stacy up yet?"
"No, but I imagine she will be soon. Is everything all right?" Kid asked again, growing more concerned.
Kid motioned for Jimmy to come in and sit at the table. He walked over to the stove where Lou usually kept a pot of ready-to-be-heated coffee. Taking a few cups out of the cabinet, he poured them each one. Jimmy didn't say another word until Lou walked into the room, her hair now brushed, and her casual skirt now proving how much she had once again become a woman in these past few weeks.
"Good morning, Lou." Jimmy said, looking up for the first time since sitting down.
"Morning." She pulled out a cup and also filled it before she sat next to Kid. "So, what's going on, some sort of man talk that I shouldn't be hearing?"
Hickok fidgeted with his cup and cleared his throat. What he was about to ask wasn't going to be easy. In fact it would have been a lot easier if Kid hadn't been there. "Ah, Lou........."
"Yeah?"
He cleared his throat again. "Can you and I go somewhere and talk?"
Lou felt Kid shift uncomfortably. She wasn't sure if that would be such a good idea. With the way that Jimmy was looking at her, though, she didn't see how she could say no. "Uh, sure. Whenever you want, Jimmy." She tried to sound as casual as possible. "How about if I fix you guys some breakfast?"
Lou busied herself with mixing together the dough to make their meal. It was quite uncomfortable with the way that few words were exchanged between the three of them. Kid would try to ask Jimmy what it was that he had been up to, but could hardly get a response.
"Morning Stacy," Lou smiled at her friend as she entered the room. She was glad that the dynamics might now change a bit. "You're just in time for some breakfast."
Stacy came over and sniffed the freshly baked biscuits that were sitting on top of the stove. Jimmy and Kid were continently involved in their own eating process.
"Mmm, this looks great." Stacy said as she took a plate, placed a biscuit on it and then spread some honey-butter on the inside.
After the few dishes had been tended to, and the table was wiped, Jimmy once again approached Lou about talking to him. Stacy wrinkled her brow in confusion, and Kid licked his lips. Lou couldn't help but notice both of the expressions. "Yeah, let me get my coat."
Lou knew that Kid must be extremely steamed, especially since Jimmy wouldn't even talk to him, yet he wanted to talk to his wife. She tried to make light of the situation, and went over to kiss her husband's cheek. Then turning to Stacy she smiled. "Don't worry, I'm not going to tell him everything that you used to do at the orphanage. Just the high points." She added with a wink.
"We won't be long." Jimmy said as they headed out the door. He looked over at Stacy one last time. Her face was something that he was going to etch in his mind forever. And forever meant that it would have to last him a long time.
He waited until they were a short distance from the house before he began. "Lou I can't do this."
Lou stopped in her tracks. She was going to give him a little bit of her mind before she listened to his problems. "Jimmy, this is a little bit strange for you to talk to me like this, and I'm not sure if you should be coming to me with your problems. I'm not sure how I feel about this yet."
He seemed surprised at her outburst, it wasn't like Lou to cut him off before he had even had a chance to speak his mind. Being married had really caused her to change.
She saw the look in his eyes and changed her tune. "But I'm here to listen to whatever you need to say."
He took the offer glady, "You know Stacy better than anyone." Lou nodded in agreement. "That's why I need you to tell her that I can't go through with this."
"What?" She looked at him disgustedly. It had been just as she had expected, Jimmy was going to hurt one of her best friends.
Jimmy lifted his head to the sky. "What kind of life to I have to offer a woman like that? People want to take a shot at me everywhere I go."
Lou could see him fighting back the tears. She wanted so much to reach out to him, but she didn't know how. Did she even know Jimmy any more? His life must have gotten worse after he lost his job riding for the Express, which was something she couldn't understand, because her's had only gotten better.
"Haven't you talked about this with Stacy? She should be the one to hear this, not me."
Jimmy took Lou's hand. "I can't Lou. I need to leave, and I can't tell her. She'll take it much better coming from you." He was begging her for the first time in their friendship. "Lou, please."
Lou crossed her arms and turned away from him. She sighed heavily and frowned at him when she turned back around. "You've made your final decision, haven't you?"
He nodded his head in shame, "Yes. Just tell her that I really do love her."
She threw up her arms and started her way back inside. Anger building inside of her with each step. "I'll tell her, but you better leave now, James Hickok, because I never want to see you at our home again."
Lou ran the rest of the way to the house and dried her tears before she opened the door. She didn't want Stacy or Kid to see her like this.
Jimmy's heart was nearly torn in half when she took off running. Above all else he didn't mean to hurt the two women that he loved the most. So it was with forced effort and powerful strides that he went back to his room, once again gathered his things, saddled and mounted his horse, then ran out of town as fast as he possibly could.
Stacy and Kid were engaged in pleasant conversation, which made it all that much harder for Lou to walk in with the bad news about Jimmy. She didn't know how she would even begin to tell her best friend that the man she loved had just run away from her.
"Hi, Lou." Stacy greeted warmly.
"Hi."
"Where's Jimmy?" She asked rising to her feet.
Lou swallowed hard and felt the words stick in her throat. She looked to Kid to find support, but of course it wasn't there because he didn't know what had happened either. "Stacy, he's gone."
To be continued… Chapter III
Copyright 1998-This work is not to be reproduced without the permission of the author
The Way Station
Campfire Tales