The Young Riders: General Series Prompt: 19 - White
Title: The White Flag
Fandom: The Young Riders
Characters: James Butler Hickok, Emma Shannon, Sam Cain, Lou McCloud
Prompt: 019 - White
Word Count: 997
Rating: PG13
Summary: Sam and Jimmy have their own minds about who Emma should end up with…
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.
Emma shook out yet another sheet again… and again… until the rhythmic slap of fabric against the air was all she could hear. Then the pins, pinching against her fingers but it didn’t hurt all that much and didn’t seem to bother her at all. Hickok stepped up behind her and picked up a hunk of cloth in his hand and held it out for her.
When she turned around she stopped short, her hand covering her heart as she began to laugh. The other hand, with a want to do something wagged at him. “James Hickok!! You’re gonna be the death of me.”
“Aw, Emma… I just wanted to give you a hand.” He shook the sheet at her and then stared down at it when her eyes grew wide with horror. “Hell.” He turned ‘round to put it back in the basket but she called out to him. “What?”
She shook her head. “You can’t just put it back in the basket.”
He shrugged, contrite. “Sorry, Emma… I just didn’t think.”
“I guess you were just tryin’ to help.” She hissed but couldn’t help the smile that curled her lips when he tried to shake the dirt out of the fabric. “Just put it over the corral fence and I’ll wash it again after supper.”
“I’ll take it Emma,” Lou was suddenly there, “Mr. Hickok.” Holding up her hands she took the white and mud stained cloth from his hands and gave him another look before retreating off a step or two. Then she cut and ran for the house.
Hickok looked back at the way Lou was running and shook his head. Turning back to Emma. “Did I do something to make her scared of me?”
“Her?” Emma leaned back a little and looked up at him. “What do you mean, her?”
For a moment she saw a little niggling fear on his face. “You didn’t know?” He ground his teeth together and swept his hat off and then back on his head. “I’m just makin’ a mess out of everythin’ aren’t I?”
She saw the stirring of understanding in his eyes and they squared off to each other. “You knew?”
The laughter was instantaneous and blinding and the two didn’t see or hear the rider that came through the yard at a walk.
Emma stumbled forward and righted herself when she bumped into Hickok chest by grabbing onto his arm. “Oh thank God… I was near out of my mind tryin’ to keep it from you and Mr. Spoon.”
“Keep what from them?”
Emma straightened and wiped at the tears of laughter on her cheeks. “Nothin’… “ Emma looked back at the house where Louise had run off to and then back to Sam. “It’s not my secret to tell.”
“Oh?” Sam stepped down off his mare and walked over holding the reins to his horse loosely in his hand. “You can’t tell me, but Hickok here… he’s in on the secret.”
Looking up at Hickok Emma was at a loss for words. “Well yes, but-”
He took pity on them both. “I found out ‘bout it on my own and then I thought I was the only one who knew… and Emma’s right… it ain’t our secret to share.”
Sam seemed to be at a loss for words and then they all seemed to fall out of his mouth. “I guess that’s it then… the two of you and your secrets and stayin’ here together at the station.” He swiped his hat off his head and knocked it against his leg, dislodging the dust that he’d heaped on riding over to the Express. “I ain’t got the time to hang around here all day and court ya like I should. I can’t put up the kind of fight that Hickok can… the way that I want to…” Sam looked away for a moment and sighed, pulling his thoughts together, “the way that you deserve.”
He moved forward, squaring his shoulders and ignoring Jimmy entirely. “Emma… I ain’t perfect… never claimed to be… I’m just a man that gets my foot shoved so far up into my throat I’m afraid I’ll never get it back out again… so you go and you figure out what’s between the two of you… and then you figure out if there’s somethin’ between the two of us… and then you let me know.” He swung back up into his saddle and with a tip of his hat, he rode off toward town.
Emma stood there watching after him, her voice caught in her throat. It wasn’t what she expected. No… that wasn’t the truth of it, she didn’t know what she expected, but Sam Cain’s impassioned speech had affected her greatly. He’d taken her notion of what was in his head and turned it on its ear. She barely registered the softly spoken words of Hickok until he touched her gently on the shoulder.
“I’m sorry,” she began, “what did you say?”
She looked up at him and he smiled a tender almost sad little smile. “I was just tellin’ you that I got a couple of deliveries to make, a circuit of sorts and well-”
“You’re sayin’ that you’ll be gone for awhile.”
He nodded. “A couple of weeks I think… less if the weather holds up.” He held out his hand waiting for her to take it to say goodbye.
Instead, Emma gave him a sweet smile and hugged him. Hugged him tight and brushed her lips against his cheek as she stepped back. “You come back safe, James Hickok.”
“If you want,” he turned and moved toward the barn and turned back after a step or two, “and then maybe you’ll have had time to figure out what it is you’re gonna do about the two of us.”
“Maybe.” She gave him a bittersweet sigh. “I can only hope.”
James tugged on the brim of his hat. “So can I, darlin’… so can I.”
Fandom: The Young Riders
Characters: James Butler Hickok, Emma Shannon, Sam Cain, Lou McCloud
Prompt: 019 - White
Word Count: 997
Rating: PG13
Summary: Sam and Jimmy have their own minds about who Emma should end up with…
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.
Emma shook out yet another sheet again… and again… until the rhythmic slap of fabric against the air was all she could hear. Then the pins, pinching against her fingers but it didn’t hurt all that much and didn’t seem to bother her at all. Hickok stepped up behind her and picked up a hunk of cloth in his hand and held it out for her.
When she turned around she stopped short, her hand covering her heart as she began to laugh. The other hand, with a want to do something wagged at him. “James Hickok!! You’re gonna be the death of me.”
“Aw, Emma… I just wanted to give you a hand.” He shook the sheet at her and then stared down at it when her eyes grew wide with horror. “Hell.” He turned ‘round to put it back in the basket but she called out to him. “What?”
She shook her head. “You can’t just put it back in the basket.”
He shrugged, contrite. “Sorry, Emma… I just didn’t think.”
“I guess you were just tryin’ to help.” She hissed but couldn’t help the smile that curled her lips when he tried to shake the dirt out of the fabric. “Just put it over the corral fence and I’ll wash it again after supper.”
“I’ll take it Emma,” Lou was suddenly there, “Mr. Hickok.” Holding up her hands she took the white and mud stained cloth from his hands and gave him another look before retreating off a step or two. Then she cut and ran for the house.
Hickok looked back at the way Lou was running and shook his head. Turning back to Emma. “Did I do something to make her scared of me?”
“Her?” Emma leaned back a little and looked up at him. “What do you mean, her?”
For a moment she saw a little niggling fear on his face. “You didn’t know?” He ground his teeth together and swept his hat off and then back on his head. “I’m just makin’ a mess out of everythin’ aren’t I?”
She saw the stirring of understanding in his eyes and they squared off to each other. “You knew?”
The laughter was instantaneous and blinding and the two didn’t see or hear the rider that came through the yard at a walk.
Emma stumbled forward and righted herself when she bumped into Hickok chest by grabbing onto his arm. “Oh thank God… I was near out of my mind tryin’ to keep it from you and Mr. Spoon.”
“Keep what from them?”
Emma straightened and wiped at the tears of laughter on her cheeks. “Nothin’… “ Emma looked back at the house where Louise had run off to and then back to Sam. “It’s not my secret to tell.”
“Oh?” Sam stepped down off his mare and walked over holding the reins to his horse loosely in his hand. “You can’t tell me, but Hickok here… he’s in on the secret.”
Looking up at Hickok Emma was at a loss for words. “Well yes, but-”
He took pity on them both. “I found out ‘bout it on my own and then I thought I was the only one who knew… and Emma’s right… it ain’t our secret to share.”
Sam seemed to be at a loss for words and then they all seemed to fall out of his mouth. “I guess that’s it then… the two of you and your secrets and stayin’ here together at the station.” He swiped his hat off his head and knocked it against his leg, dislodging the dust that he’d heaped on riding over to the Express. “I ain’t got the time to hang around here all day and court ya like I should. I can’t put up the kind of fight that Hickok can… the way that I want to…” Sam looked away for a moment and sighed, pulling his thoughts together, “the way that you deserve.”
He moved forward, squaring his shoulders and ignoring Jimmy entirely. “Emma… I ain’t perfect… never claimed to be… I’m just a man that gets my foot shoved so far up into my throat I’m afraid I’ll never get it back out again… so you go and you figure out what’s between the two of you… and then you figure out if there’s somethin’ between the two of us… and then you let me know.” He swung back up into his saddle and with a tip of his hat, he rode off toward town.
Emma stood there watching after him, her voice caught in her throat. It wasn’t what she expected. No… that wasn’t the truth of it, she didn’t know what she expected, but Sam Cain’s impassioned speech had affected her greatly. He’d taken her notion of what was in his head and turned it on its ear. She barely registered the softly spoken words of Hickok until he touched her gently on the shoulder.
“I’m sorry,” she began, “what did you say?”
She looked up at him and he smiled a tender almost sad little smile. “I was just tellin’ you that I got a couple of deliveries to make, a circuit of sorts and well-”
“You’re sayin’ that you’ll be gone for awhile.”
He nodded. “A couple of weeks I think… less if the weather holds up.” He held out his hand waiting for her to take it to say goodbye.
Instead, Emma gave him a sweet smile and hugged him. Hugged him tight and brushed her lips against his cheek as she stepped back. “You come back safe, James Hickok.”
“If you want,” he turned and moved toward the barn and turned back after a step or two, “and then maybe you’ll have had time to figure out what it is you’re gonna do about the two of us.”
“Maybe.” She gave him a bittersweet sigh. “I can only hope.”
James tugged on the brim of his hat. “So can I, darlin’… so can I.”