The Young Riders: General Series Prompt 45: Moon
Title: Wondering
Fandom: The Young Riders
Characters: Emma, James Butler Hickok, Louise, Buck, Ike, Kid, Cody & Teaspoon.
Prompt: 045 - Moon
Word Count: 1102
Rating: PG13
Summary: With Longley gone… there’s a new issue to deal with… two men she dearly cares for.
Author's Notes: There is a single AU point in this story, which will continue on in future entries. It deals with some of the 'real history' of the PX.
Lou approached the table, her hands stuffed in her pockets. She watched as Emma set the table, her hands worn with work but still graceful to watch. Hands like Lou’s mother had before… before she got sick.
Emma lifted her gaze for a moment and saw the young woman standing there just inside of the light. “You need somethin’ Lou?”
“I was…” she cleared her throat, “gonna ask you the same thing, Emma.”
Emma’s smile was easy, swaying her lips into a wide bow. “Well now, that’s real sweet of ya, Loulabelle.”
The two enjoyed a moment to themselves and Emma nodded at the pile of plates in the middle of the table and Lou swept them up into one hand so she could put them out for the others. It was rare to get some quiet time at the Sweetwater Station. If it wasn’t Indian raids or murder suspects and their gangs, then it was long lost fathers and secrets revealed. Sometimes chores were downright fun to do if that’s all they had to deal with.
Lou set down the last plate and looked up at Emma. “Somethin’ wrong with the marshal?”
A fork clattered against a plate as Emma misjudged the distance. “What makes you say that, Lou?”
“Well,” she half turned and picked up the stack of napkins, sliding her thumb along the edge of the freshly washed cloths, “It’s just that he ain’t been around much the last few days and I know how much you enjoy his company.”
“Now folks shouldn’t pay that much attention to what’s goin’ on between the marshal and me-”
“You do that for us, Emma.” Lou was quick to defend her words she didn’t want Emma to think she was being nosey. “You say it’s ‘cause you think of us as family.”
“I do.” Emma straightened up and rubbed at the base of her back, “and yes, I said it,” she leveled a look at the younger woman, “and I mean it. You bo- riders are family to me and I watch out for you.”
“Then that’s just what I’m doin’ Emma… you smile when the marshal’s around and I want you to be happy.”
The door opened up and Buck stepped inside he looked down at his hands to make sure they were clean. “The others’ll be in as soon as they wash up, Emma.”
“Thank you, Buck.” She gave the half-blooded Kiowa a grin. “Go ahead and take your place.”
Emma turned to the sideboard to grab the first trencher and found Lou standing just a few inches from her side. “You can take your seat too, Louise.”
Lou didn’t move, she sent a furtive glance over at Buck who was now studying the table with rapt attention. “What about Hickok.”
“Excuse me?” The lid to the soup pot clattered back down on the metal pot below and Emma turned to catch the younger woman’s attention. “What about Mr. Hickok.”
Looknig up at Emma over her round rimmed glasses, Lou bit her lower lip for a moment before she answered. “Well, does he make you smile too?”
A little laugh escaped Emma’s lips as she saw beyond the young girl’s words. “I don’t think that’s an appropriate question right now, Loulabelle. Folks just don’t ask each other ‘bout those things… at least not with others around.”
“But I thought-”
The door banged open and Cody and Kid were in a hurry to get through the door ending up in both tangled and wedged in between. “Get your elbow out of my gut, Cody.”
“I’d be happy to Kid, only problem is y’er steppin’ on my foot!”
“Then let me help both of you.” Both boys stumbled into the room, Cody grabbing onto Kid for support as he nearly fell against a chair. Standing in the open door of the bunkhouse was James Hickok. “Now that solved the problem, didn’t it?”
Teaspoon gave a little sigh as he entered in behind Hickok. “One way to get in, that’s for sure.”
“You’d have preferred if I’d invited them to get the hell outta my way?” Hickok stepped in passed Emma givin’ her a wink and gently brushing back a curly lock of her hair that had escaped her bun. “Then the lady in the room might be angry with me and then where would I be?”
Emma raised a warning brow at him. “You’d be eattin’ outside with the horses.”
“I dunno,” started Cody from his seat at the table. “The Kid might like that.”
Ike laughed behind his hand as though that would keep anyone from seeing the mirth in his eyes and Emma watched as Lou gave the gunman a wide birth as she went to her seat. Her eyes were constantly drawn to the tall man as she found her place. Emma looked at James and saw that he’d already involved himself in conversation with Teaspoon and hadn’t noticed the strange actions.
Emma took off her apron and draped it over an extra chair to the side. “Well, let’s see… Kid, how about you lead the prayer tonight.”
As the others bowed their heads Emma caught the little glance that Lou had at Hickok sitting across and one seat over from her at the table. Emma hid her smile in her downturned expression. Poor Lou. She had to hide herself as a boy to keep her job and yet, she’d developed quite the crush on Hickok. She could certainly see the attraction for her. The man was only a few years older and had quite a reputation for his bravery and courage… it made sense for a young woman who had her own taste for adventure to see the appeal of such a man.
She wanted to talk to Lou, but this just wasn’t the time and then a moment late she almost regretted having the Kid say the prayer, the poor boy just didn’t know when to stop, but it did give her time to think a bit… to wonder what it was about both Sam Cain and James Hickok that had her in such a quandary.
Sure, both of them were fine looking, there wasn’t a woman that could argue the fact in any of the neighboring territories. Both of them were carrying men… they’d both seen her through some trying times… and then again… only one of them had really shown any… jealousy so far… she’d need time to think about it and this just wasn’t that time. She needed to concentrate on the servin’ and the feedin’ and then, God help her, the cleanin’… “Amen.”
Fandom: The Young Riders
Characters: Emma, James Butler Hickok, Louise, Buck, Ike, Kid, Cody & Teaspoon.
Prompt: 045 - Moon
Word Count: 1102
Rating: PG13
Summary: With Longley gone… there’s a new issue to deal with… two men she dearly cares for.
Author's Notes: There is a single AU point in this story, which will continue on in future entries. It deals with some of the 'real history' of the PX.
Lou approached the table, her hands stuffed in her pockets. She watched as Emma set the table, her hands worn with work but still graceful to watch. Hands like Lou’s mother had before… before she got sick.
Emma lifted her gaze for a moment and saw the young woman standing there just inside of the light. “You need somethin’ Lou?”
“I was…” she cleared her throat, “gonna ask you the same thing, Emma.”
Emma’s smile was easy, swaying her lips into a wide bow. “Well now, that’s real sweet of ya, Loulabelle.”
The two enjoyed a moment to themselves and Emma nodded at the pile of plates in the middle of the table and Lou swept them up into one hand so she could put them out for the others. It was rare to get some quiet time at the Sweetwater Station. If it wasn’t Indian raids or murder suspects and their gangs, then it was long lost fathers and secrets revealed. Sometimes chores were downright fun to do if that’s all they had to deal with.
Lou set down the last plate and looked up at Emma. “Somethin’ wrong with the marshal?”
A fork clattered against a plate as Emma misjudged the distance. “What makes you say that, Lou?”
“Well,” she half turned and picked up the stack of napkins, sliding her thumb along the edge of the freshly washed cloths, “It’s just that he ain’t been around much the last few days and I know how much you enjoy his company.”
“Now folks shouldn’t pay that much attention to what’s goin’ on between the marshal and me-”
“You do that for us, Emma.” Lou was quick to defend her words she didn’t want Emma to think she was being nosey. “You say it’s ‘cause you think of us as family.”
“I do.” Emma straightened up and rubbed at the base of her back, “and yes, I said it,” she leveled a look at the younger woman, “and I mean it. You bo- riders are family to me and I watch out for you.”
“Then that’s just what I’m doin’ Emma… you smile when the marshal’s around and I want you to be happy.”
The door opened up and Buck stepped inside he looked down at his hands to make sure they were clean. “The others’ll be in as soon as they wash up, Emma.”
“Thank you, Buck.” She gave the half-blooded Kiowa a grin. “Go ahead and take your place.”
Emma turned to the sideboard to grab the first trencher and found Lou standing just a few inches from her side. “You can take your seat too, Louise.”
Lou didn’t move, she sent a furtive glance over at Buck who was now studying the table with rapt attention. “What about Hickok.”
“Excuse me?” The lid to the soup pot clattered back down on the metal pot below and Emma turned to catch the younger woman’s attention. “What about Mr. Hickok.”
Looknig up at Emma over her round rimmed glasses, Lou bit her lower lip for a moment before she answered. “Well, does he make you smile too?”
A little laugh escaped Emma’s lips as she saw beyond the young girl’s words. “I don’t think that’s an appropriate question right now, Loulabelle. Folks just don’t ask each other ‘bout those things… at least not with others around.”
“But I thought-”
The door banged open and Cody and Kid were in a hurry to get through the door ending up in both tangled and wedged in between. “Get your elbow out of my gut, Cody.”
“I’d be happy to Kid, only problem is y’er steppin’ on my foot!”
“Then let me help both of you.” Both boys stumbled into the room, Cody grabbing onto Kid for support as he nearly fell against a chair. Standing in the open door of the bunkhouse was James Hickok. “Now that solved the problem, didn’t it?”
Teaspoon gave a little sigh as he entered in behind Hickok. “One way to get in, that’s for sure.”
“You’d have preferred if I’d invited them to get the hell outta my way?” Hickok stepped in passed Emma givin’ her a wink and gently brushing back a curly lock of her hair that had escaped her bun. “Then the lady in the room might be angry with me and then where would I be?”
Emma raised a warning brow at him. “You’d be eattin’ outside with the horses.”
“I dunno,” started Cody from his seat at the table. “The Kid might like that.”
Ike laughed behind his hand as though that would keep anyone from seeing the mirth in his eyes and Emma watched as Lou gave the gunman a wide birth as she went to her seat. Her eyes were constantly drawn to the tall man as she found her place. Emma looked at James and saw that he’d already involved himself in conversation with Teaspoon and hadn’t noticed the strange actions.
Emma took off her apron and draped it over an extra chair to the side. “Well, let’s see… Kid, how about you lead the prayer tonight.”
As the others bowed their heads Emma caught the little glance that Lou had at Hickok sitting across and one seat over from her at the table. Emma hid her smile in her downturned expression. Poor Lou. She had to hide herself as a boy to keep her job and yet, she’d developed quite the crush on Hickok. She could certainly see the attraction for her. The man was only a few years older and had quite a reputation for his bravery and courage… it made sense for a young woman who had her own taste for adventure to see the appeal of such a man.
She wanted to talk to Lou, but this just wasn’t the time and then a moment late she almost regretted having the Kid say the prayer, the poor boy just didn’t know when to stop, but it did give her time to think a bit… to wonder what it was about both Sam Cain and James Hickok that had her in such a quandary.
Sure, both of them were fine looking, there wasn’t a woman that could argue the fact in any of the neighboring territories. Both of them were carrying men… they’d both seen her through some trying times… and then again… only one of them had really shown any… jealousy so far… she’d need time to think about it and this just wasn’t that time. She needed to concentrate on the servin’ and the feedin’ and then, God help her, the cleanin’… “Amen.”