TITLE: Once Upon A Fair
AUTHOR: The Stationmistress 
FEEDBACK: Louandkid@aol.com
COMMENTS: The time frame I had in mind for this story is third season, between Jesse and Blood Of Others
STANDARD DISCLAIMER: The Young Riders don't belong to the author, but to
MGM/UA Television, Ed Spielman and Josh Kane. No copyright infringement
intended.


                              Once Upon A Fair
                           By THE STATIONMISTRESS

"I wish I had a fuller figure like Rachel."

Lou watched as their housekeeper made her way to the bunkhouse, her wistful
comment drawing her fellow riders' attention from the foals they were
inspecting to the lovely woman walking down the street.

"She knows how to fill up a dress, that's for sure." Cody turned to fully
appreciate the view.

Jimmy, who caught the longing and hint of envy in Lou's voice, disgustedly
pushed the insensitive Cody away from the fence and moved closer to the
female rider. "Now, Lou. You are beautiful as you are."

"Besides I don't see Kid complaining," Noah added with a wink. With a smile
that didn't quite reach her eyes, Lou glanced at Hickok and Noah and then
continued watching Rachel. "Still... it would be nice to look like someone
no one can mistake for a boy."

                                   *****

"Noah, Noah," Jimmy whispered, motioning the black rider to follow him into
the barn.

Cody, Buck and Ike were already inside when Noah stepped in. "What's this?,"
he asked eyeing the guys who were gathered near the stalls.

"Jimmy's got a hare-brained idea."

"Shut up, Cody," Jimmy barked. "I was thinking..."

"Uh-oh."

Jimmy took a swipe at Cody with his hat. "You better keep your lid on, Cody,
or I'll tell Rachel about the pouch you nearly misplaced in the saloon last
week."

Red-faced, the blonde rider was about to lash back when Buck, ever the
peacemaker, intervened, "Why are whispering here in this smelly stall when
we could be inside the warm bunkhouse, Jimmy?"

"Because I plan to give Lou a surprise and I'd like you to help me out."

"Surprise?"

"Well, it's about something Lou said this afternoon."

"You mean about looking more like Rachel?"

Jimmy turned to Noah. "I don't think it's just about looking like Rachel.
It's about being a woman. Lou hasn't had the chance to be a girl except
maybe that one time when Emma called us to her house, remember?"

The boys, remembering the sight of their "Lou" in a beautiful pink dress,
smiled at the memory. Noah, who wasn't with the Pony Express then, had a
different memory of a dress-clad Lou.

"Now I heard there's this fair in St. Joe. No one knows us there. I say we
take Lou to the city, let her dress like girl, get her a fine meal, maybe
take her to a dance and then we'll go home. What do you say?"

Buck turned to look at the bunkhouse where Rachel was trying in vain to
teach Lou how to cook. He realized he never heard Lou complain about not
being able to be who she really was. Even when Teaspoon learned her secret,
Lou wasn't able to completely be at ease, forever on her guard against the
snooty townspeople of Sweetwater.

Noah, on the other hand, remembered that time Kid went back to Willow Creek
and they went with him. Lou got hired on as a saloon girl, and boy did that
dress she wore open their eyes to the beauty in their midst. Noah chuckled
at the memory, earning a questioning look from Cody. Looking around and
getting nods from the other riders, Noah said, "I guess we're all in."

"Good."

Suddenly, Ike reached out and grabbed Jimmy's hand, furiously signing.

"What about him?"

>>He'll kill us.<<

"No, he won't. He won't know about it. Besides, him and Teaspoon will be
away for two weeks. We have enough time."

>>If ever he finds out, you be the one to face him, Jimmy.<<

"Yellow," Hickok said derisively, "I'll take care of the Kid."

                                   *****

"You can't all go. Who will deliver the mail?"

Jimmy and Noah approached Rachel about their idea of taking Lou for a quick
trip to St. Joe and though she is more than happy to let Lou have some fun,
she is also practical enough to know the station will not run by itself.

"Sorry, but only two of you can go with Lou. The rest stays. It's bad enough
Kid and Teaspoon aren't here. It will be worse with the whole lot of you
gone."

"We'll draw straws then," Noah said.

"No, you draw straws and I'll take the winner." When Jimmy saw Noah was
about to protest, he added. "It's my idea after all."

                                   *****

"Are we there yet?" Lou asked for what seemed to Noah was the hundredth
time. Lou had been beside herself with excitement since she was told about
the trip by Rachel. They also managed to make her cry when they presented
her with a new pale blue dress AND a pink one. Buck, Ike and Cody took up a
collection since they lost in the draw and wouldn't be able to go. Rachel
went to town to buy the dresses and added a little gift of her own, one of
those stylish hats like those worn by ladies in the East -- or so Mrs.
Taylor, the boutique, owner said.

"Lou, you'll be worn out by the time we get to St. Joe if you don't settle
in your saddle," Jimmy admonished gently, though he was happy to see Lou
this happy. Leaning towards Noah, he added in a whisper, "It's wearing me
out just hearing her ask that question again and again."

"I heard that," Lou moved her horse closer the two male riders. "But I will
pretend I didn't. Nothing you say will dampen my spirits."

                                   *****

"No rooms?!" After nearly three days of hard riding, the tired trio finally
reached their destination only to find that they had no place to stay. The
clerk at the St. Joseph Hotel, nervously eyeing Hickok's twin Colt Navy
revolvers and Noah's silver-handle whip, managed to stutter that there were
no more rooms in the hotel because of the fair which was being held that
week. "Do you know of any other place we could stay, even for just one
night?" Noah asked.

"I-I'm sss-sorry sir, but all rooms around the city have been taken."

With a sigh of disappointment, Noah turned away from the table and walked
back to where Hickok and Lou were seated.

"Well?"

"No rooms."

"I guess we'll have to camp under the stars for one more night," Lou said,
smiling at Noah and Hickok. "C'mon, Hickok."

Jimmy hesitated and looked back at the clerk. Noting the rapid bobbing of
the young man's Adam's apple, Hickok moved towards him. "Let me try," he
said, motioning for Lou to settle back into her seat. He was just a few
steps away from the counter when he felt Noah and Lou's hands on his arms,
dragging him into the street.

"We don't want to get into trouble the first day we're here, Jimmy."

As they stepped outside the hotel, a young woman -- dressed in a smart blue
dress with a stylish hat on top her short hair -- blocked their path. "I'm
sorry to bother you, sir, but are you "Wild Bill" Hickok?

Unconsciously, Jimmy's right hand moved closer to the Colt Navy revolver on
his left hip. Trouble usually follows when people learn his name is Hickok.
Behind him, Noah and Lou have also dropped their hands to the guns on their
sides. The young woman was oblivious to the subtle movements of the trio,
but the older man behind her took note of the trio's alertness.

"No."

"No?"

"It's James Butler Hickok." Nonplused, the young woman turned around,
seeking the assistance of the much older man who had stayed in the sidelines
during the short exchange.

"We're sorry to inconvenience you, but all we wanted was to offer you our
rooms." The man was also smartly dressed, though a little travel-worn. With
a lean, intelligent face, he looked dignified, educated. And judging by the
way his fingers played with his cane, more than a little fidgety.

"Why would you want to give your rooms to strangers?" Noah noticed the man's
agitated state, the way he kept looking behind his shoulder. There's
something wrong here, he thought.

"We, uh, heard your dilemma and we thought we could help. My daughter and I
have rooms here but we have decided to leave this evening. Our reservations
are until the day after tomorrow."

With no real cause to suspect the old man and his daughter and because they
badly needed the rooms, Hickok was already inclined to accept the offer but
he looked at Lou and Noah for confirmation. Both gave slight nods. "Well,
then it's a deal."

He offered his hand. "Mr.?"

"Uh... Wentworth. Alfred Wentworth. And this here is my daughter Sarah." Mr.
Wentworth dipped into his pocket and handed two keys to Hickok. "Here, rooms
2B and 2C." He then turned and gathered their suitcases. "Now, if you'll
excuse us now, we still have a stage to catch. I hope you enjoy your stay in
the fair city."

"I'm sure we will," Lou responded, as she snatched the key for room 2C from
Jimmy.

                                   *****

"Darcy and his daughter are staying on the second floor. The woman is in
2C." The man nervously lighted a cheroot, the quick burst of light from his
match briefly illuminating the face of the man he spoke to. He felt a slight
shudder run through his back as he felt obsidian eyes follow the movements
of his hands. Not for the first time, Dick Bowler thought whether he made a
mistake betraying his long-time employer Mr. Darcy and joining with this
man. It's too late for recriminations, the deed is done. Now, he debated
whether to ask for his payment now or wait until later. Better sooner than
never, he thought. He wouldn't want to work for the man in front of him
again. Hell, he wouldn't want to be in the same town as the man again.

"Your payment is with Wilkes. I'll call you if I need you for anything
else."

Just like that he was dismissed. With a last glance at the man, Bowler
headed out of the livery stable. As he passed by the hotel, he felt a pang
of regret. He sent a quick prayer for his former employers. May God save
them from the devil. May God save them from John James Booth...

ou stared at herself in the mirror. The woman who stared back was
unfamiliar. Freshly-washed brown hair was piled up high, but because of its
shortness, a few tendrils escaped and settled themselves in delicate wisps
around her face. The dress is shaped and fitted at the waist, accentuating
her slender figure. The bodice is a bit lower than most of the dresses she
wore before. Glancing self-consciously at her chest, Lou had the weird
feeling that Cody chose the dress. The pale blue color of the dress set of
her golden complexion quite nicely. 'Guess I'm ready, she thought. Lou
patted her hair one last time, praying the numerous pins she put would hold
her hair together. The last thing she wanted was for her hair to fall apart
in the middle of dinner with pins dropping into the soup. She gave a nervous
laugh at the funny image.

"Lou, are you ready?" Jimmy said from behind her closed door. "We'll be late
for dinner."

"Coming." Lou crossed her room to pick up the matching blue bag on her bed,
the gloves and the shawl Rachel lent her. She threw one last look at the
mirror and was a bit surprised at the image she saw. I wish Kid could see me
now, she thought. Shaking her head to clear the sudden pang of regret, she
opened the door.

                                   *****

Stunned. Hickok's jaw literally dropped at the sight of the dressed up Lou
in front of him. Though the face looked vaguely familiar, it was the look in
her eyes that jolted Jimmy. There was a tentativeness there, as if the young
woman was just finding out who she was, what she was. And for some reason
Jimmy is finding her shyness incredibly sexy. As his gaze dropped down to
her bodice, where a hint of swelling peeked from the lace, Jimmy felt like
he was punched.

A slow smile spread across Noah's face as he watched Lou awkwardly pull on
the silk gloves. There is nothing like seeing a woman blossom right in front
of your eyes, he thought. Oh Kid, you're missing a lot, Noah thought, as his
gaze drifted towards Hickok's shocked countenance. A helluva lot.

With a graceful bow, Noah took Lou's gloved hand and kissed it before
tucking it under his arm. He and Lou had started down the stairs when he
looked back to find Hickok still staring at them. "Jimmy..." Noah motioned
with his head for his friend to follow them. Shaken out of his reverie,
Jimmy ran and snatched Lou's other hand, tucking under his own. Together the
trio went down for dinner.

                                   *****

"I'm not complaining about Rachel's cooking but that was the best dinner
I've ever had." Lou, Jimmy and Noah decided to walk towards the fair after
dinner, to enjoy both the lovely weather and to give their stomachs time to
settle after the full meal they enjoyed.

"Possibly because you didn't have to compete with six boys for the meat,"
Noah said. The black rider noticed the admiring, lingering looks Lou earned
as they walked down the street. But a glance at Hickok's twin revolvers and
Noah's whip discouraged would-be admirers.

"Did I say thank you for bringing me here?" Lou smiled at Hickok, then at
Noah. Glancing down at the petite figure by his side, Jimmy wondered if
he'll ever think of Lou the same way again.

"A thousand times, but me and Noah like the way you say thank you."

"Well, thank you again." Lou remembered the riders back home who pooled
their resources to buy her the dress she is wearing. "Buck, Cody and Ike,
too. Oh I wish everybody was here."

"Now, Lou, don't forget. We can't tell the Kid about this. He'll kill us."

"No, he won't." At the guys skeptical look, she relented. "I know. Don't
worry."

"Okay, we're here." Jimmy looked around as they reached the entrance of the
fair. Several couples were already dancing in the makeshift floor in the
center of the town. As one of the ladies passed by them, Jimmy caught sight
of one wearing a necklace and he remembered the small box inside his pocket.
Feeling uncomfortable with Noah right there with them, he decided to wait
until later to give Lou his gift.

"I see an empty table over there." Noah made his way across the dance floor,
deftly avoiding the pounding, stamping feet, pulling Lou behind him. As they
reached their destination, a slow song started and Noah surprisingly beat
Hickok to the draw. "May I have this dance?" he asked Lou formally. Her soft
giggle was all the permission he needed to whirl her into the dance floor,
leaving Hickok holding Lou's shawl and bag.

                                   *****

The whole night seemed magical to Lou. Aside from Hickok and Noah, several
men lined up to dance with her. She sipped punch, danced, ate cake and
nearly got hitched, if not for Noah's timely intervention. She remembered as
one eager young man actually offered her a proposal of marriage right in the
middle of the two-step. It was an effort just to keep a straight face during
his recitation, and she sent a quick plea to the heavens praying that she
never receive a proposal in the form of a practiced speech.

"How can I ever thank you?" They were at the hotel, outside their rooms, all
unwilling to put an end to the wonderful evening. Lou gazed at her friends,
feeling tears sting her eyes. Impulsively, Lou pulled Noah's hand so she
could kiss his cheek. She was about to the same thing to Hickok when he
raised his hand.

"Now, before you go all watery on us, I have one more thing for you." He
pulled out from his jacket a small box and handed it to Lou. Slowly, she
lifted the lid and saw an ivory cameo nestled inside the thick black velvet,
a delicate gold chain pooled around it.

"You remembered," Lou whispered as he lifted the jewelry from its box and
placed it around her neck. The tears she valiantly tried to hold back sprang
forth, as she gazed at Hickok with wonder and gratitude.

"I may have wanted to forget that particular episode in my life. I nearly
got hanged because of a woman," Jimmy explained to Noah, who was looking at
them curiously. "But I'll never forget the look in your eyes, nor the
wistfulness in your voice when you described the cameo to me."

"Thank you." Lou cupped Jimmy's face with her hands and pulled his head down
to kiss his cheek. His fingers involuntarily curled on her wrists. She was
about to release him when he suddenly turned her hand. With utmost
gentleness, Jimmy Hickok placed a soft, intimate kiss in the middle of Lou's
palm. For one brief second, time stood still and they stood oblivious to
their surroundings, caught up in each other and in the moment. There they
stood, gazing at each other until Noah's soft cough roused them.
Embarrassed, Lou turned and fiddled with the lock to her room.

"Goodnight, Lou." Noah opened the door to the room next door 2B which he and
Hickok were sharing. "Don't forget to lock your door," he reminded.

"I won't. Goodnight." Lou cast one more glance at Noah, then at Hickok
before entering her room.

                                   *****

Two figures stood in the shadows in front of the hotel, patiently waiting
for the light in room 2C to be turned off. Tom and Jack decided it would be
easier to get the Darcy woman while she is asleep. With the ether they got
from Doc Williams' clinic, taking the woman would be no problem. They waited
for several more minutes after the light went off before they climbed the
balcony and crept towards the room. Silently they cracked the lock of the
window open. They held their breath when the woman in the bed stirred. But
settled right back in. Tom and Jack crawled inside and stood on either side
of the bed. At Tom's signal, Jack clamped the rug soaked in ether on the
lady's face.

                                   *****

Lou woke with a start when she felt something moist thrust in her face. One
man was holding the rug, while the other pinned her down by the arms. Lou
tried to shout but the rug muffled the sound. Her struggle was brief,
however, as the ether fumes overcame her and she fainted.

                                   *****

John James Booth coldly gazed at the men standing in front of him.
Imbeciles, he thought. Give them one simple job and they mess it up. As he
thought about the woman in the holding room right now, his control snapped.

"Fools." He strike Tom across the face. "How can you get the wrong woman?!"

"Sir. Mr. Booths, sir. You told us to take the woman in 2C. You never told
us what she looked like," Jack nervously pointed out as Booth's attention
shifted from Tom to him.

Unwilling to admit his mistake before his men, Booths ordered Tom and Jack
taken out to the yard "for some lessons." Twenty lashes each. Fear is the
only way you can keep this ragtag band together he told himself as he
settled back into his chair. He was this close to getting everything he
wanted. Everything he worked for since that day he killed the man and woman
who took him as their child.

John James Booth was a considered a social outcast. He was half-white and
half-Pauite, but his tribe always considered him an enemy. At the age of 7,
he was left in the wilderness to die until a minister and his wife found him
three days later, feverish and hungry. Childless after twenty years of
marriage, they saw him as God's answer to their prayers. They clothed him,
fed him and even gave them their name. It took them seven years to find out
what spawn of the devil they have brought to their home.

From the sanctity of the minister's house, Booth quickly moved through the
dens of iniquity -- a whorehouse, a gambler's establishment. He learned the
fine art of thieving, card cheating and killing. He associated himself with
a well-known gunrunner, a man named Boggs. From him he learned the power of
fear and the whip.

When he died, Booth took over his operations, expanding it until he had a
hand in almost all shady dealings in the territory. But Booth knew he could
only stay in the other side of the law for so long. That's why he needs
Darcy, holder of majority of the stocks of the Transcontinental railroad.
With a stake in the railroad that promises to tie the country together,
Booth will not only make money but also gain the respectability he always
craved.

But Darcy had been difficult to talk to, wanting nothing from a lowlife like
Booth. He would have never left the privacy of his home in the East if it
wasn't for an important meeting in California about the railroad. Darcy
surrounded himself with men, only to find them picked off one by one by
Booth's hired guns. Only sheer luck saved him and his daughter from Booth's
clutches.

The sound of the opening door roused Booth from his reverie. His second in
command, an ambitious young man by the name of Arthur Wilkes, stepped in and
closed the door behind him. "The young woman doesn't know anything."

"You are sure she is not working for Darcy? That she is not a decoy?"

"She swears she hasn't met a man named Darcy, that she and her friends were
just in town for the fair."

"Convenient excuse," Booth dismissed. "Work on her. Make sure she is not
lying."

Lou shivered, the flimsy nightgown she wore barely protecting her from the
cold, damp air inside the room. She was able to work out the knots tying her
to the chair but escape still seemed hopeless. She knew the man who
questioned her before will be back. And the malicious gleam in his eyes told
her he wasn't interested in just answers. She looked around the room, no
windows, no other way out aside from the door. 'Guess my way in is the only
way out, she thought. As she heard the sound of footsteps, Lou took the
chair and moved behind the door. As soon as it opened and Wilkes went in,
Lou slammed the chair on his back, knocking him unconscious. She immediately
drew his gun from its holster, knowing the sound of the crash would have
alerted somebody. Carefully she stepped out of the room and hurried down the
corridor. Finding the hall clear, she rushed down the stairs and nearly
slammed into a guard. She butted him on the head with her own, knocking him.
Cleared, she run out the door. A shout came from behind as the guards around
the house noticed a figure in white running out of the house. Gunshots
followed but Lou managed to duck them. She spotted a horse and went for it
with a running mount, effectively dodging the hail of bullets from behind.

                                   *****

Back in town, Noah and Hickok were just waking up, oblivious to what
happened to their female companion. As they dressed, Jimmy noticed how Noah
kept throwing him weird glances. "Spit it out, Noah. I ain't in the mood for
guessing games."

"What?" Noah finished buttoning his shirt and worked on his sleeves.

"Whatever it is which is on your mind." With hands on his hips, Jimmy faced
his friend.

"I ain't thinking nothing."

"Yes you are. I can see it in your eyes. You are thinking I have a thing for
Lou. That I shouldn't have done what I did last night. That you consider Lou
spoken for, though she and the Kid have broken up months ago. That's what
you are thinking."

For a long time, the two riders stared at each other until Noah broke off
the contact by turning around and stuffing his clothes in his saddlebag.
"Then don't make Lou anymore confused than she already is."

"You think I won't be able to make her happy? I'd die for her."

Noah turned to see his friend staring at him with utmost conviction. He
hadn't known Hickok's feelings ran this deep. "I know you would," he assured
Hickok. "We all would. Except that we would be doing it because we love her
and she is our friend. Kid would lay down his life for her because he could
not, would not imagine a life without her." Noah smiled to soften the blow
of his words. "Now I'll go see if Lou is ready. We have a long ride ahead of
us." In more ways than one, he muttered to himself.

                                   *****

"She's gone."

Hickok entered Lou's room only to find Noah standing in the middle of it
holding Lou's dress. "What do you mean she is gone?"

"She is not here, Jimmy."

"Maybe Lou went down for breakfast," Hickok said, though he began to go
through Lou's saddlebags. "Her clothes are still here and her shoes." Hickok
held up the dress. But it was the item Noah was holding that left his blood
cold.

"Ether. And this rag is soaked enough to knock off anybody."

"There is one person who might be able to explain this."

"Wentworth. But they left town." Noah followed Hickok out of the hotel.

"I'm betting they didn't."

Hickok furiously strode into the general store while Noah stood outside,
scanning the street for the old man and the young woman they met yesterday.
When Jimmy came out, his face was grim. "They are still here, Noah. No stage
arrived or left yesterday. That double-crossing son-of-a-bitch is still
here."

A huge black horse suddenly came barreling down the street. The rider, a
female clad in sheer white batiste nightgown, reined the horse in front of
the hotel, jumped and ran up the steps towards the hotel. With a quick
glance at each other, Noah and Jimmy took off after the figure. "Lou, Lou."

Lou heard her name called and glanced back to find Noah and Jimmy running
after her. She turned back and went straight into Noah's open arms.

"What happened?" Jimmy asked.

Noticing the people milling around, staring at them with more than a hint of
curiosity, Noah motioned to Jimmy with his head and directed Lou upstairs to
their rooms. In the privacy of their room, Lou told her story.

"The man kept saying something about me being the wrong woman."

"Sarah Wentworth. Or whatever her name is."

Lou shook her head. "Her father's name is Darcy, Edgar Darcy. Seems like he
is a really important man."

"Important or not, I say we don't get tangled up in this and leave right
now."

"I was hoping you won't." Edgar Darcy said from the doorway. "That you'll
help us."

                                   *****

"You son-of-a..." Hickok went straight for Darcy's throat. Only Noah's
strong grip stopped him from crushing the man's windpipe. To Darcy's credit,
he stood his ground though a stricken look crossed his face. "What more do
you want?" Hickok shrugged off Noah's hold on his shoulders, the moment of
intense fury has passed. A cold anger was now simmering behind the calm
exterior.

Darcy looked at Lou, who remained seated on her bed during the whole thing.
"I'm very sorry, my child." Inclining his head towards Noah and Jimmy, "To
you, too. I didn't think your lady friend would be harmed. I thought after
the men saw that it wasn't Sarah, they would leave her alone. I also thought
with you both around, nothing would happen to her."

"Don't you dare pin this on us." Hickok raked his cold gaze across the older
man's face.

"That's the reason you gave us your rooms, isn't it? To get away from those
hired guns," Noah said, finally realizing the reason behind Darcy's
nervousness at their initial meeting.

"Yes." Darcy hesitated before he pressed on. "I know you don't recognize my
name, but I own majority of the stocks of the Transcontinental Railroad. A
criminal by the name of John James Booth is after me. On the pretense that
he wants to become a legitimate businessman, he says he wants to buy shares
of the railroad. I don't believe him, of course."

Seeing the interested faces of Noah, Jimmy and Lou, he went on. "I suspect
he wants the railroad for his gunrunning activities. War is coming and both
sides will need guns and ammunition. Whoever holds the railroad will be a
very powerful man."

"I don't see why it would be of any interest to us whether you die or not."
Hickok dismissed Darcy with barely a glance.

"Your lady friend has been to Booth's hide out. He'll go after her."

Darcy's softly spoken words finally ignited Hickok's anger. Even Noah wasn't
able to stop Jimmy in time. With a loud crack, Jimmy punched Darcy in the
face. He would have hit him again, if not for Lou's intervention.

"Jimmy, stop it. If he is telling the truth then somebody has to stop Booth.
Now, let's go tell the Marshall. Maybe he can round up a posse. I can take
them to Booth's place."

"No, you won't." Lou's chin went up just a bit higher, but Hickok knew the
look in her eyes well enough to know he already lost the battle.

"We'll take them," he said grudgingly, as Noah sympathetically patted his
shoulder.

                                   *****

The Marshall turned out to be a fair no-nonsense kind of man who was able to
round up a posse in less than an hour, though he was quite miffed that Edgar
Darcy did not make him aware of his presence. He was also very much
impressed and a little awed at meeting and working with the legendary 'Wild
Bill' Hickok. After he instructed his men to prepare for the ride, Marshall
Butler turned to Lou.

"Ma'am, again I would like to thank you for your cooperation. Now if you
could just tell me how to get to Booth's hideout."

"I'll take you there."

Lou's direct gaze unnerved him, but he knew a round-up of criminals is no
place for a lady. Even for one who is dressed up like he is and carrying a
mighty strong pistol. "No, you see ma'am, we're going to a very dangerous
place and ..."

"I know. I've been there" Lou's clipped tone rattled the Marshall further.
He didn't like one bit where the direction of the conversation was going. He
decided to try one more time.

"I heard about the unfortunate incident and I'm sure you'll be much
safer..."

"She'll go with us." Hickok finally said, smiling at Lou, then at the
Marshall. "Lou can hold her own in any fight."

"Well, it's just..." the Marshall began.

"She can take of herself," Noah added.

Outnumbered, Marshall Butler finally gave in. Who is this woman who has
earned Wild Bill's respect in a fight, he asked himself.

                                   *****

Fifteen riders sent dust flying as they galloped down the street towards the
end of the town. Noah, Marshall Butler and the men followed about ten paces
behind Hickok and Lou. As they neared a canyon, Lou noticed a faint rumble
and signaled the group to stop. As they waited and listened, the rumble
became louder like thunder.

"Riders."

With a wave of the Marshall's arm, everyone dismounted and climbed the
rocks. Noah stayed with the Marshall on one side of the canyon, Hickok and
Lou hid behind a rock on the other side. Their position made picking Booth's
men off easier. Or so they thought.

As the riders approached, it became clear that they underestimated the
number of Booth's men. More than thirty riders came down the canyon. The
Marshall's men started firing, knocking down several riders at once but many
managed to evade the hail of bullets and began to climb the canyon.

"There is too many of them." Lou dropped down beside Hickok to reload her
gun, as he fired a couple more rounds. As she looked around for more
protection, Lou noticed the jutting rocks several feet above them.
Calculating just how much damage the rocks can do to the riders below, Lou
began to crawl up the canyon dodging the bullets coming from below.

"What the hell are you doing?" Hickok shouted at Lou. He was forced to give
up the protection of the rock to give Lou more cover.

"Got to get to those rocks."

The sharp edges of the canyon's side cut through her hand but Lou pressed
on. One of the bullets hit the spot where her hand had been, showering her
with bits of stone. A couple more feet and Lou reached the rocks. She tried
to push them but they wouldn't budge. Bracing her back with the rock behind
her, Lou positioned her feet in the middle of the one of the rocks and
pushed with all her might. Loosened, the rocks came tumbling down the
mountainside, pounding the men on horseback below.

Seeing imminent defeat and capture, Booth turned his horse around. Noah saw
Booth's plan so he quickly bounded from his position behind a boulder and
went after the gunrunner. With no horse available, Noah ran after booth at
the same time unhooking his whip. With one crack, the thin cord of the lash
wrapped itself around Booth's neck. He fell down from his horse, dead.

                                   *****

"I don't know how I can ever thank you." Darcy and his daughter Sarah walked
with Noah, Jimmy and Lou as the three riders prepared to head back to
Sweetwater. Not only was Booth killed, but with his death one of the largest
gunrunning operations in the territory was disbanded.

"Just don't go offering your rooms to strangers again," Hickok muttered as
he tightened his cinch, prompting Lou -- who was already on Lightning's back
-- to give him a nudge with her leg. Since they were about to leave Jimmy
told himself he could afford to be magnanimous to the old man who gave them
so much trouble. "Well, good-bye."

"God speed, my children," Darcy shouted as he took of his hat and waved at
the rapidly disappearing riders. As he turned back towards the hotel, a
reporter from the St. Joe Gazette stopped him for an interview about the
shoot-out in the canyon. When asked about Hickok's companions, a sudden
realization struck him. "I never knew the woman and the other man's name."

                                   *****

Rachel stood in the middle of the kitchen instructing Cody in the fine art
of peeling a potato. Her patience is wearing thin but since Cody was going
to eat most of the meal anyway, it made sense for him to do most of the
peeling chore. Teaspoon and Kid will be back tonight from meeting with the
other stationmasters of Russell, Majors and Waddell and after two weeks of
eating gruel and dried beef, Rachel was sure the two men would appreciate a
nice home-cooked meal.

"Riders coming!"

Buck rushed out of the barn where he and Ike were tending a new foal. There
was a lot of back-slapping and dust flying as the riders greeted Teaspoon
and Kid. Lou was among the first to welcome the two back from their two-week
absence. Dinner was a boisterous affair as the make-shift family feasted on
Rachel's roast and creamed potatoes and caught up on news.

"Speaking of news," Teaspoon stood up and reached for his saddlebag, "I got
this from St. Joe. Good thing Jimmy is out on a run tonight. He won't see
this."

"What is it, Teaspoon?" Rachel asked, drying her hands on her apron before
she accepted the piece of folded paper the stationmaster handed her. As she
unfolded the paper, she realized it was the front page of the St. Joseph
Gazette. Right there in big, bold letters was Jimmy's name. Rachel's eyes
flicked at Noah and Lou as she read, "WILD BILL HICKOK KILLS NOTORIOUS
GUNRUNNER, Mysterious Woman And Black Cowboy Help Gunfighter Defeat John
James Booth."

"If these people have their way, they'll make Jimmy responsible for
everything including bad weather." Teaspoon shook his head as he munched on
his fresh roll. "Killed a gunrunner... Why, Jimmy's has been delivering the
mail for the last two weeks. Right , Rachel?"

                                  The End
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