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Fic: Just Another Day at the Office
Title: Just Another Day at the Office
Author: Erin (erinm_4600)
Characters, Pairing: Jared Stone, Katie Owen, Emma Smith and some OCs
Rating: PG
Summary: Silver City's got a new mortician.
Warning: pre-series *Written for Round 16 of prompt_in_a_box. Prompt #6: "See, morbid and creepifying, I got no problem with, long as she does it quiet-like." (Mal, Ep. 05 Safe) My thanks to gatechic, because she's the only one I can talk to about Silver City. \O/
Disclaimer: The original characters of Peacemakers belong to USA/NBC and their respective actors. The OCs are mine.
Silver City, Colorado was a pretty quiet town - aside from the mine and Luci's place and the railroad - and not much happened that was exciting. Sure, there were horse races and the occasional bar fight... but, generally, Marshall Jared Stone didn't have much to do.
That particular morning, he'd headed across the street to the general store for more coffee and found himself stuck in the middle of a war zone. The latest fabrics had come in from back east and the ladies in town were fighting over them.
Rolling his eyes, he managed to push through the crowd - and was hit with at least two handbags in the process - before he made it to the counter and was able to get a bag of coffee. When the voices rose, Jared sighed and turned, throwing his hands up.
"Ladies!" All the women in the shop stopped fighting and looked at him. "If you keep this up, I'm gonna shut the place down and none of you will be able to buy anything," he warned. "Now, please," he pleaded, nodding toward the rather frazzled storekeeper. Jared doubted the man would be staying in town until the end of the year if the women kept up.
They all nodded and he sighed, took his coffee and moved back to the door. As soon as he was on the porch, the voices went up again and his head dropped. Shaking his head, Jared let out a groan and decided he'd rather just hold up in his office for the rest of the day than deal with the crazy women of Silver City.
He was half-way across the street when the mayor's wife came toward him. "Mornin', Emma," he offered reaching up to his hat and giving her a nod.
"Marshall," she snapped, "it's horrible! You have to do something." Emma Smith grabbed his arm and pulled him down the middle of the street.
"What's going on?" he asked, stopping short and pulling her back. Emma threw her hands up and shook her head.
"She's cutting Bob Gundy up like, like... like a piece of steak!" she screeched, keeping her voice low enough so that the onlookers couldn't hear.
"What?" Jared asked, shaking his head. Bob Gundy died from a fall the day before and was now in the care of the funeral parlor. Doc Gates was in Denver, getting supplies, so Bob had been put in the ice house until the doctor's return.
"You have to stop her! Lock her up, hang her. Whatever you have to do!" Emma announced with a curt nod. Jared glanced up and let his eyes fall on the funeral parlor at the end of the street. Silver City had no mortician since Terk Jessup headed to Durango, with a guarantee that he'd find a replacement.
"Hold this," Jared said with a huff and pushed the bag of coffee into Emma's hands. Had the whole town gone crazy? Putting a little speed in his step, Jared moved down the street and pushed into the funeral parlor.
His eyes swept the room and he saw the parlor looking just like it always did, Bob Gundy laid out on the table and a young woman glaring back at him with bluish-grey eyes. "Excuse me?" she snapped.
"That's her!" Emma announced from behind Jared, pointing with the bag of coffee. Jared turned back and pointed back outside.
"Emma," he said sternly. Emma simmered for a moment, glared at the woman inside and turned. Jared sighed and pushed the door shut, then turned back. "What are you doing?" he asked as the woman went back about her task.
"Well, Mister Gundy won't fit in a casket with this pitchfork still in his stomach," she said, motioning toward the farming implement in question. Jared took a step closer and leaned over to see what she was doing. Grimacing, he leaned back and shrugged.
"Can't you just pull it out? I mean, do you have to cut on him?" She looked up with an expression he hadn't seen since his father found him after jumping off the chicken coop. Luckily, he hadn't broken his leg, but his backside sure got tanned.
"Would you rather I just leave it in?" she snapped, returning to her work.
"Not particularly, no," Jared winced, forcing himself to look at anything but Bob Gundy. "Look," he started, stopping for a second when he turned back and caught sight of Bob, again, and had to turn away again, "You're not gonna try and save the pitchfork, are you?"
"Do you want it?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.
"No." Jared noticed Emma peeking through the window and he gave her another look. "Who are you, anyway?" he asked with a bit more bite than he'd intended. She was young enough to be his daughter, and had no place being in the company of death. She did look familiar, but he couldn't place her.
"Who are you?" she countered, looking up from Bob.
"I'm Marshall Stone," Jared answered, looking at her. She blinked and averted her eyes for a moment. She'd remembered mention of a new Marshall in town in the last letter from her father.
"Katie Owen."
Author: Erin (erinm_4600)
Characters, Pairing: Jared Stone, Katie Owen, Emma Smith and some OCs
Rating: PG
Summary: Silver City's got a new mortician.
Warning: pre-series *Written for Round 16 of prompt_in_a_box. Prompt #6: "See, morbid and creepifying, I got no problem with, long as she does it quiet-like." (Mal, Ep. 05 Safe) My thanks to gatechic, because she's the only one I can talk to about Silver City. \O/
Disclaimer: The original characters of Peacemakers belong to USA/NBC and their respective actors. The OCs are mine.
Silver City, Colorado was a pretty quiet town - aside from the mine and Luci's place and the railroad - and not much happened that was exciting. Sure, there were horse races and the occasional bar fight... but, generally, Marshall Jared Stone didn't have much to do.
That particular morning, he'd headed across the street to the general store for more coffee and found himself stuck in the middle of a war zone. The latest fabrics had come in from back east and the ladies in town were fighting over them.
Rolling his eyes, he managed to push through the crowd - and was hit with at least two handbags in the process - before he made it to the counter and was able to get a bag of coffee. When the voices rose, Jared sighed and turned, throwing his hands up.
"Ladies!" All the women in the shop stopped fighting and looked at him. "If you keep this up, I'm gonna shut the place down and none of you will be able to buy anything," he warned. "Now, please," he pleaded, nodding toward the rather frazzled storekeeper. Jared doubted the man would be staying in town until the end of the year if the women kept up.
They all nodded and he sighed, took his coffee and moved back to the door. As soon as he was on the porch, the voices went up again and his head dropped. Shaking his head, Jared let out a groan and decided he'd rather just hold up in his office for the rest of the day than deal with the crazy women of Silver City.
He was half-way across the street when the mayor's wife came toward him. "Mornin', Emma," he offered reaching up to his hat and giving her a nod.
"Marshall," she snapped, "it's horrible! You have to do something." Emma Smith grabbed his arm and pulled him down the middle of the street.
"What's going on?" he asked, stopping short and pulling her back. Emma threw her hands up and shook her head.
"She's cutting Bob Gundy up like, like... like a piece of steak!" she screeched, keeping her voice low enough so that the onlookers couldn't hear.
"What?" Jared asked, shaking his head. Bob Gundy died from a fall the day before and was now in the care of the funeral parlor. Doc Gates was in Denver, getting supplies, so Bob had been put in the ice house until the doctor's return.
"You have to stop her! Lock her up, hang her. Whatever you have to do!" Emma announced with a curt nod. Jared glanced up and let his eyes fall on the funeral parlor at the end of the street. Silver City had no mortician since Terk Jessup headed to Durango, with a guarantee that he'd find a replacement.
"Hold this," Jared said with a huff and pushed the bag of coffee into Emma's hands. Had the whole town gone crazy? Putting a little speed in his step, Jared moved down the street and pushed into the funeral parlor.
His eyes swept the room and he saw the parlor looking just like it always did, Bob Gundy laid out on the table and a young woman glaring back at him with bluish-grey eyes. "Excuse me?" she snapped.
"That's her!" Emma announced from behind Jared, pointing with the bag of coffee. Jared turned back and pointed back outside.
"Emma," he said sternly. Emma simmered for a moment, glared at the woman inside and turned. Jared sighed and pushed the door shut, then turned back. "What are you doing?" he asked as the woman went back about her task.
"Well, Mister Gundy won't fit in a casket with this pitchfork still in his stomach," she said, motioning toward the farming implement in question. Jared took a step closer and leaned over to see what she was doing. Grimacing, he leaned back and shrugged.
"Can't you just pull it out? I mean, do you have to cut on him?" She looked up with an expression he hadn't seen since his father found him after jumping off the chicken coop. Luckily, he hadn't broken his leg, but his backside sure got tanned.
"Would you rather I just leave it in?" she snapped, returning to her work.
"Not particularly, no," Jared winced, forcing himself to look at anything but Bob Gundy. "Look," he started, stopping for a second when he turned back and caught sight of Bob, again, and had to turn away again, "You're not gonna try and save the pitchfork, are you?"
"Do you want it?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.
"No." Jared noticed Emma peeking through the window and he gave her another look. "Who are you, anyway?" he asked with a bit more bite than he'd intended. She was young enough to be his daughter, and had no place being in the company of death. She did look familiar, but he couldn't place her.
"Who are you?" she countered, looking up from Bob.
"I'm Marshall Stone," Jared answered, looking at her. She blinked and averted her eyes for a moment. She'd remembered mention of a new Marshall in town in the last letter from her father.
"Katie Owen."