Demons and Angels
"And I heard that she just up and ran off with those Winston boys! " one said in astonishment even as she explained it.
Rain heard it, too, and looked over at Mary, who was standing frozen as she listened.
The other woman replied to the first. "I just can't believe Buck Wilmington would let his daughter live in sin with that...Gambler! I always thought Buck had a keen sense of right and wrong."
"I wouldn't trust Ezra Standish any further than I could throw my Grandmothers table," they went on conversing. "But I would have thought Samantha Crawford has more sense than to get involved with him. Just wait, she'll get pregnant and he'll beat feet out of this town so fast..."
Mary's eyes grew wide. Ezra and Sam? That couldn't be.
"Mrs. Travis, is everything alright?" Virgil asked, wondering what had caused the lovely blonde to freeze. Mary snapped out of her trance, as Rain led her from the store quickly.
Once outside, they stopped and looked at each other, both wondering the same thing...
"Morning, darling," Ezra greeted as Samantha joined him on the steps of the hotel. The days guests would be arriving soon, and the perfect hosts they were, Ezra and Sam would be there to greet them.
Sam's early morning smiles were becoming a highlight of his days, in these times when no one else in town acknowledged them. The smile he recieved that morning warmed his heart as always. "Good morning, Ezra," she said, her voice still a little sleepy-sounding.
Her dress was a deep maroon color, which offset her dark hair and pale skin perfectly. In the past few months, she had gone from being innocent and childlike to mature, womanly, and had become more radiant with every passing day. Originally, Ezra had tried to keep these thoughts from circulating in his head. In their situation, it could only bring trouble. Lately, however, he had come to realize what a valuable friend and ally she was to him. He'd never had a best friend before, and if she happened to be beautiful that was an added bonus.
Sam woke up every morning to hear his voice address her as 'darling.' It was that simple. Everyone else in the world was against her, and Ezra was the one person still on her side. He was the reason she kept breathing, living, refusing to run away or hide or die from the broken heart and loneliness billowing inside her.
"Eight o'clock," Buck Wilmington said to Chris Larabee from across the street at their new regular table in the saloon, the window seat. "Every morning, eight o'clock, they're both there waiting for the coach."
"Buck, do we have to go through this every morning?" Chris had seen his friend obsessing over his estrangement from Sam for the past two months. Honestly, it was getting boring and annoying.
Ignoring him, Buck pointed across the street. "See that? He never stops looking at her!"
Chris left a coin on the table and left the saloon. Buck didnt really notice.
Ezra knew perfectly well that they were being watched every moment, he'd known for weeks, since the day Buck had started the creeping around. It didnt take Sam long to notice either.
"If I were really the town Jezebel everyone thinks I am, I'd just kiss you right now in front of everyone," Sam said softly, smiling.
Ezra nodded. "That is true. However, I have a slight interest in remaining alive at least until the coach gets here, can we postpone that for a while?"
Sam smiled at him. "He's still watching, isnt he?"
Ezra didnt look at the window. "Every second."
"Damn," she cursed under her breath.
Seeing Chris emerge from the saloon, they both stopped and watched the man in black go down the street away from them.
Mary had excused herself from Rain and headed toward her office. The ladies in the store and their gossiping had made her furious. Whether Sam knew it or not, she was tarnishing the name of Four Corners, a name Mary had worked too hard to see destroyed by some gossip.
She picked up her pen and began to write. It was about time someone taught Sam and Ezra a lesson.
Maude sashayed across the street toward the hotel.
"Good morning Mrs. Standish," Edmund Reys, the hotel pianist, greeted warmly.
Maude gave him her most lovely smile. "Mr. Reys," Maude knocked on the door to the office and then went inside without an invitation.
Ezra sat at the desk, going over the books. "Mother," he said.
She plopped down in the velvet covered chair across the desk from him. "Ezra, darling, I was out walking this morning and came up with a brilliant idea."
"Oh, did you?" He knew his mothers schemes, and was almost afraid to hear what she wanted to do now.
Maude nodded, her eyes sparkling with excitement. "I think this town needs a dress shop. The women in this town are starved for the latest fashions."
"And who would run said dress shop?" Ezra asked, wondering where this was leading.
"You could get Catherine to come back here," Maudes blood was hot with the idea of getting Catherine back into Ezras life and saving the women of Four Corners from outdated fashions at the same time. "I think it would be nice to have her around, don't you?"
Catherine, Ezra hadn't thought about her in so long. The time they'd shared had been brief but wonderful. Having her back in town would surely be at least interesting. Besides, he was willing to do just about anything to keep Maude off his back.
Ezra nodded. "Well, thats certainly an intriguing vision Mother. I will definately think it over." Maude stood up, smiled and trotted out the door.
Suddenly, Vin broke through their cheerful talk. "Uh-oh," Vin sat up straight in his chair. Everyone turned to see Buck coming into the saloon, furious.
"Son of a-!"Buck cried, throwing his hat on the ground. "Did you read this?" He thrust the days paper onto the table.
"Hotel Proprietor and Lawman's daughter in lovenest?" Nathan read, amazed. "Mrs. Travis wrote this?" He went on to read the rest of the article. It wasn't painting a pretty picture, with sources saying that Ezra was the real reason Sam broke off her engagement to JD and they were living in suggested sin within the hotel.
Buck looked at Chris. "Ezra is going to have to explain this one to me!" Everyone hurriedly followed him as he burst out of the saloon and into the hotel. The refined guests of the hotel looked surprised at seeing these western men in their establishment.
"Ezra," Buck demanded. The frazzled looking clerk pointed upstairs.
They started up the stairs, Buck in the led angrily looking for Ezra and everyone else there to hold him back, when Sam appeared and stopped them.
"Where's Ezra?" Buck insisted, trying to push past her.
Sam blocked his way. "Why?"
"Sam, I do not need to explain this to you!" Buck called.
She looked right back at him, as tough and stubborn as he was. Chris had never seen them look more alike. "Any business you might have with Ezra is with me too."
Chris handed her the paper. She looked confused, until she saw the headline. Her hand flew to her mouth.
"I see you've read it," Ezra was coming down the stairs. "Gentlemen, I must request we take this outside." They all backed out of the hotel, leaving the guests in their little elegant world.
"What is going on?" Maude demanded to know. She followed them outside.
"What in the hell is this all about?" Buck demanded angrily once they were in the street. "I swear, Sam, I will drag you out of here so fast..."
"Try it" she challenged, not backing down.
"Damn, girl!" Buck cried, towering over her. The two were about to start screaming.
"Let them talk, Buck," Josiah interjected, his deep voice getting through.
Ezra appreciated Josiah's calming effect on Buck, who did actually shut up. Sam fumed but backed up, she couldn't believe Buck was acting so childishly over something that was such a lie, and she couldn't believe Mary would have written something so vile and untrue. The article was downright vicious. Maude took the newspaper from Sam and began to read it.
Ezra cleared his throat. "The only thing in that article that is true is the fact that both Sam and myself are currently residing within the hotel," he explained. "There is no 'lovenest,' and I suggest you warn Mrs. Travis about the penalities for slander and libel before she tries to blacklist someone without the emotional ties to her that Sam and myself posess."
"Why would Mary write it if it wasn't true?" Buck challenged them.
Sam had a theory on that. "To make sure I would never show my face in town again," she said, hands on hips, ready to yell or whatever it would take.
Buck shook his head. "I don't believe a word coming from either of you," he said. "Something is going on here. Sam, I know you, and-"
She cut him off, getting in his face and screaming back at him. "You don't know me!" she replied. "You haven't said two words to me since we got back from Tulsa, and now you show up and try to run my life. You have no idea about any of this!" Ezra put a hand on her shoulder to restrain her. Buck saw the contact and his temper flared even more.
"Hold it!" Chris couldn't take it anymore, and stepped in between Buck and Sam. "Both of you, stop it right now!" He looked around, everyone was curious to see how he was going to handle this. He turned to Buck. "Go to the saloon."
"The hell I will," Buck said. "Ezra's not dead yet!" He lunged for the Southerner, but Sam leapt in to stop him and Buck's fist collided with her right cheek, sending her staggering backwards.
Everything stopped. No one could believe it. There was no noise but the breeze.
Vin saw Sam's eyes as they went from anger, to fear, to intense grief in a split second.
"Sam..." Buck could barely breathe. He'd been powerful angry at her, but had never even considered hurting her. He saw her hand move to her face and she stared at him with eyes raging full of fire and pain. Quietly, she turned and ran into the hotel. Maude walked directly up to Buck and slapped him across the face, as angry as anyone had ever seen her.
"You deserve worse than that!" she hollered at him, throwing the newspaper in his face. "How dare you!" Then Maude turned and went into the hotel after Sam.
Chris jumped on Buck. "What in the hell are you doing?" His fury was unbridled, he pushed Buck to the ground. "Goddammit Buck! This whole damn thing has gone too far!" He didn't have to tell Buck that, the man was feeling it in every breath. Buck had the sudden urge to shoot something, anything. In all the years Chris had known Buck, this was the first time he had ever seen him treat a woman with less than reverence, and it was his own daughter.
Backing off a little, Chris turned his attention to Ezra, who stood at a complete loss for what to say or do. "You tell me now. You swear this is all a lie?"
Ezra nodded. "I never touched Sam. I swear. " He knew Chris was studying his face, looking for reassurance. Apparently, he found it too, because he nodded.
Turning back to Buck, Chris looked down at his friend. "This ends right now, Buck, you hear me?"
Buck nodded. He had no more energy in him to fight anyone anymore.
Inside the hotel, Maude noticed the guests staring into the office. She followed their eyes and saw Sam's green skirt peeking around a corner. Going into the office, Maude found Sam sitting with her back against the wall right inside the door, crying hard but trying to keep quiet about it.
"Samantha," Maude said, kneeling down by the girl and taking her in her arms. "Now, now, Samantha. It's alright." She felt odd mothering this young girl, but despite everything there was a maternal side to Maude, and she knew where she was needed.
Mary ran up to the commotion in the street, and saw Buck on the ground and Chris standing over him.
"What's going on?" she demanded to know.
Chris looked at her, then picked up the newspaper thrust it at her. "Don't write anything else about me, or any of my associates, that isn't true. That includes Ezra, Maude, and especially Sam. "
"Or what?" Mary challenged. She wasn't about to let him know he was terrifying when he was angry.
Chris stared at her. "Someone else explain everything to her. Maybe she'll understand the word consequence coming from someone else." No one had ever heard Chris speak that way, as if he was disgusted by her. At that moment, Chris was disgusted by a lot of things. Mary, Buck, and himself for not putting an end to all this a long time ago. He turned and walked away.
With Chris gone, Buck got to his feet and faced Mary.
"You deliberately wrote lies?" he asked her, paritally mad and partially not understanding.
"I was trying to teach Sam a lesson," Mary tried to explain. Her intention hadn't been to create a massive problem, which apparently she had.
Buck shook his head. "No offense, but that ain't your place Mrs. Travis." He then turned his attention to Ezra, but the Southerner ignored his eyes and walked back into the hotel. Moments ago, he would have gladly accepted an apology from Buck Wilmington, but not now. He honestly didn't care if he ever spoke to Buck again.
"Mother!" Ezra called as he entered the hotel. "Sam!" Melanie Hills and Edmund Reys stood nervously outside the office, and pointed him in the right direction. In the office, he saw Maude leaning against the wall with an arm around Sam, whose tear-stained face broke his heart. He could see the cheek where Buck had struck her beginning to swell.
"What's going on around here?" Maude asked him. "Whats happening to all of you? When a man like Buck Wilmington does something like this..." She simply didn't know what to say, so instead she stroked Sam's hair comfortingly.
Sam wasn't speaking, and wasn't looking at him either. Her head was buried in Maude's shoulder. Ezra didn't know what to say.
He sank down to his knees on the floor with them. "I'm not sure anymore," he said.
"And where on earth is JD?" Maude wondered. "I'd like to see his reaction to all this. Someone needs to beat the tar out of Mr. Wilmington, and I think JD should be first up." As she spoke, Ezra watched Sam's eyes well up with tears, but admirably she held them back. JD wasn't an option at that moment, and both of them knew it. The look Ezra gave her, Maude knew to shut up about that point.
On the street, Buck still stood where Ezra had walked away from him. Only Mary, Vin, and Josiah were still with him. Nathan had gone into the saloon after Chris. Buck wanted more than anything to rewind the world for four minutes and control himself and his runaway fist.
"Oh, Buck," Josiah sighed.
"Save it Josiah!" Buck answered him, then began to walk away quickly. He walked down the street toward the livery, leaving them all behind.
Mary hated not knowing what was going on. She looked to Vin or Josiah for an explanation, but both of them turned and went into the saloon to join their friends.
Buck needed to talk to JD. He needed to figure everything out, and JD was probably the only person in the world who wouldn't have liked to see Buck swinging from a tree by his neck at that point. At the livery, he quickly saddled his horse and rode out of town toward the village.
Melanie knocked on the hotel door quietly. She handed Maude an icepack.
"I thought you might need this," she said in her soft little voice.
Maude nodded. "Thank you dear."
Melanie looked at the three of them for a moment, then retreated quickly. Maude handed the icepack to Sam. "Hold this against your cheek," she said, and Sam obeyed. Immediately, she was grateful for the coolness on her stinging cheek. Physically, it was hurting quite a bit, but emotionally it was worse. She wanted everything in the world: to run, to scream, to cry, to laugh bitterly, to hide and never emerge. She sat there with Maude's arms around her and Ezra's eyes on her, and wanted to sink into herself and leave this terrible world.
Most of all, she wanted to go back in time to a year ago, when everything was simple and JD's arms would have been the ones around her. His eyes would be the ones watching her. Sam knew she'd probably ruined all her chances of happiness with him, but she had been in paradise on earth with him, and every event in her recent life was solidifying that belief. If he'd ridden back into town at that moment, she would have run to him and run away with him with no second thoughts.
"Ezra, dear," Maude had a new idea. "Where is Mrs. Travis's newspaper office exactly?"
He finally took his eyes off Sam and looked at his mother. "Now, Mother, I don't see how giving Mrs. Travis a piece of your mind is prudent at this time." She glared at him, and he gave in. "Next to the bathhouse, but she was outside a few minutes ago."
"Stay with Sam," Maude ordered him. "Sam, honey, keep that ice on your face. I'm going to take care of this for once and for all." The woman stood up and left the office, leaving Sam with Ezra.
"I suppose its stupid to ask if you're alright?" he attempted conversation in a gentle voice, his heart breaking at how young and lost she looked.
Sam nodded. "The stupidest question I've ever heard," she replied, not in a mean tone.
He slid against the wall so he was next to her. "If it means anything, I know Buck was aiming for me. You know he'd never hurt you, Sam, not on purpose." In his heart, Ezra really did believe that was true. At least, he was working hard to convince himself he believed it. Buck's face in the aftermath had been too honestly scared for it to be a lie.
"I hate him," Sam said. "I hate all of them. Everyone."
He knew she meant it, but wouldn't feel the same later. Gently, he put an arm around her and pulled her to him. She was breathing heavily, shaking a little, but she rested against him and seemed to relax a little.
Ezra kissed her forehead and sat there with her, at a loss for what to say.
Later that night, things had calmed down a lot. The streets were basically empty, except for Vin and Nathan who sat outside the saloon, enjoying the cool spring air. Buck hadn't come back from the village yet, no one knew how that was going to turn out.
"Well, well, well," Nathan said, standing up suddenly. Looking up, Vin saw what caught his attention. Sam was walking out of the hotel, looking more like the old Sam than they'd seen her in a while. She wore her brown coat again, and her hair was loose, covering the bruise on her face admirably.
Nathan's guilt over letting Sam go just because of Mary's ignorance had been eating at him for too long. He went down into the street toward her.
"Hey Sam," he called. She stopped walking, but didnt go closer to her. He took the initiative and walked toward her. "How are you?"
She laughed bitterly. "I dont really have to answer that, do I?"
Nathan stepped very close to her and reached for her face, to take a look at the damage. "Does it hurt?" He touched it, lightly. The swelling was down, but there was a black and blue bruise as proof. Nathan was amazed Sam wasn't fighting him, she was letting him examine it.
"It did," she said. "We iced it."
He nodded. "Good idea. The color'll go away in a few days."
"The memory won't," she stated flatly.
Nathan nodded back. "I know, honey."
"So," Sam wanted to know. "Did you not want me at the clinic anymore, or was it Mary's idea?"
How he wished she hadn't asked that, but it was a fair question. He shuffled his feet a little, but answered honestly. "She had the idea, and at the time I guess I just thought she was right. Now I know she wasn't, but its too late."
"No," she shook her head. "Its not too late. I'm not mad at you, Nathan."
"What about me?" Vin asked, coming up to them. "You mad at me?"
Sam nodded and faced him defiantly. "Hell yes."
Vin wasn't surprised. He had expected that. He nodded.
"I'm mad at you cause you haven't talked to me in about two months, either." Sam said. "Nathan hasn't, but I figure he felt bad about letting Mary throw me out of the clinic. You don't have an excuse, Tanner."
He nodded. "Yes, I do. Pure Pigheadedness."
Nathan jumped in on it. "Me, Personally I'm stubborn as a mule."
She looked at them for a moment, and they could see her fighting a smile. That was exactly what they were aiming for.
"Hell Sam, we're a couple of donkeys," Nathan said. "And you've always been a friend to animals."
Sam finally broke into a smile. "Dammit, I wanted to hate you both forever."
"Its impossible," Nathan said. "Because you can't hate your family."
Sam laughed out loud at that. "Oh yes, I can. I hate Buck, and theres no way I'm changing my opinion on that."
"Where were you headed?" Vin asked.
She pointed to the livery. "I just wanted to see a friendly face. There arent a whole lot of those around anymore. Echo seemed a good choice."
"I'll go with you," Vin offered, after all this time he still didnt want her walking around alone at night. There were still evil people in the world, and in his mind Sam had endured enough hardships for three girls her age. If he could help it, she'd never see another.
Sam nodded, grateful. "You comin too?" she asked Nathan.
He shook his head. "I got to get back to the clinic. Got a gunshot victim I need to check on. You two go ahead," He took Sam in his arms and gave her a great big hug. "I missed you, girl."
She nodded into his shoulder. "I missed you too. I miss Rain, too."
Nathan winked. "She misses you too. I'll see what I can do."
Nathan went toward the clinic, Vin and Sam started walking the other way toward the livery.
"Where's Buck?" she asked, wondering why Vin and Nathan had been so eager to talk to her in public.
"At the village," Vin replied. "He went there right after...-" Vin indicated Sam's bruise. "After all that happened."
She nodded. Then she half-wished she'd have gone to the village immediately afer that, too. Gone out there, away from everyone, and ran to JD and begged him, pleaded to take her back. Being with JD was the only place where she imagined she would ever be able to feel safe again.
Then she realized, maybe things weren't so bad. Vin, and Nathan, were talking to her again. She had Ezra and Maude and Melanie, had never lost them. Maybe she could go on without everyone else, as long as she had these select few.
"You know, If I could go back a few months," Sam blurted from nowhere. "I would have stayed at the clinic until Nathan was ready to leave with me that night." It took Vin a moment to figure out what she meant, then he realized she meant the night Daniel Walker had abducted her and taken her away from the town and raped her and then left her in the woods. Everyone knew that was the underlying reason for Sam's actions these past few months, but no one ever said it.
Vin looked at her. "Thats understandable. But you can't go back, Sam."
"Dont you think I know that?" she asked. "I lost the best thing I've ever had. I let him go, and I may never get him back." Confiding in Vin was strange, but he'd once upon a time been an ally to her and maybe now was the time to trust him again. "Without JD and Buck, I don't know why I'm still here."
"You thinkin' of leavin'?" he asked. That was a terrible thought, to lose both JD and Sam over this.
She shook her head. "If I'm still here after this long, I'm a lifer."
"Aint we all?" Vin asked.
She stopped walking and addressed him face to face. "I can understand how Belle felt when we all turned on her. I did to JD what Belle did to you. You should have as much against me as anyone."
Vin shook his head. "Theres a big difference. You're not Belle." Boy, was that ever the truth. Whereas Belle Dawson had fled Four Corners at the first moment she'd had, Sam was still there, fighting her way through every day and event. Also, Belle's motives were material: marrying a rich man. Sam's were driven purely by confusion and insecurity.
"Dont you ever want some security on your life?" she asked. "I know thats all I want now. I want to feel safe, in a place that feels like home. I used to have that." She saw him looking at her. "I'm sorry, I should shut up."
Vin smiled at her. "You should never shut up."
"You've never heard me really get started, have you?" Sam almost giggled. "I'm downright obnoxious."
He shook his head. "That would be damn near impossible."
Both smiling, they headed into the livery to revisit Sam's old friend Echo.
The next day, the sun was just beginning to set. A figure rode into town. "Buck's back!" Vin called into the saloon, and everyone gathered to see the man's return. Sam, Ezra, and Maude stood outside the saloon, also watching. Buck rode his horse up to the hotel and addressed everyone.
"JD is gone," Buck informed everyone as he got off his horse.
"What?" Sam was furious. Vin came up next to her and saw the frantic fear on her face.
Buck nodded. "He rode out last night, told Osheela he was going back east. They don't know how long he'll be gone or where he's going."
"Why?" Vin asked.
With a dark look at Mary, Buck explained. "Apparently, one of the villagers was in town the day the article ran and brought it back to JD."
"Oh my god!" Mary breathed. "This is terrible."
Sam turned around to face her and spoke in a cold voice. "If anything happens to him-" Then she stopped herself for a moment and smiled ironically. "Congratulations, Mary. You win. You drove someone away from this town for good." Sam left them all and walked back into the hotel.
Buck watched Sam go. If this had happened three months ago, she would have run to him for comfort, and he wished more than anything that she had done that then. Would he ever get his little girl back?
Mary looked at the accusing faces, and tried to speak, but was suddenly aware of how Sam must be feeling with everyone against her all of a sudden. "I'm sorry. But JD's departure isnt my fault. If anything, its a collective-"
"No," Chris said. "Don't." He had a sudden feeling he didnt know the woman at all. And once upon a time he'd been so close to letting her in.
"What do we do now?" Rain asked, clinging to Nathan. There was so much hatred around right now, it was tearing this family apart.
"We get JD back," Maude insisted.
Josiah shook his head. "Let the boy go. He'll come back."
"How do you know?" Maude was frustrated with everyone.
A glance up at the sky, which was still blue, and Josiah smiled. "That boy's blood runs with the west, and this town, and all of us sad cases. He'll come back, when he's ready and we're ready for him. I think the first thing we need to do is mend some broken bonds."
"Such as?" Ezra asked.
Josiah looked directly at Buck. "Buck, don't you think you owe Ezra an apology?"
His face was turning red, Buck hated being ordered around like a little kid punished for misbehaving. But Josiah was right and he knew it. Buck turned to Ezra and offered his hand. "I'm real sorry about everything that happened."
It took a moment for Ezra to gague his sincerity, but when Bucks eyes didnt lie, Ezra took his hand and shook it.
"Well," Josiah smiled. "Its a start."
