A Given Purpose
The sun began to set over the horizon of the West over a country reformed from its once dangerous and notoriously wild land. The days of the renegade outlaws and dishonourable gang's that once roamed the Old West were now very much scarce, all but a stray criminal here and there. America was now a country governed by laws and rules, the Pinkerton's and their Government officials wheedling out the few remaining bounty's.
Sadie was one of these officials, although if asked she'd insist she worked for herself, only referring to her work as assisting the local law enforcement. She carried out the work that no other Bounty Hunter was brave enough to do, and each time proved them all wrong as she dumped the Bounty of the floor of the cell each time. She was brave, courageous and sometimes rather reckless.
Sadie rode into town on Hera, yet another criminal hogtied on the back and as she hitched her horse to the post she leaned down to pat her neck affectionately. The hunter climbed down off the horse and slung the outlaw over her shoulder before unceremoniously dropping him to the floor.
"Sadie Adler, yet another bounty caught. Money will appear in your account before the weeks end."
"Better be, Mr. Leeman here was a tricky one ta catch." Sadie quipped back, and with a tip of her hat she began the long ride home.
…
Sadie's small cabin in the woods rather resembled the one her and Jake had owned up in the Grizzlies all those years ago. She quite liked the similarity between the two, finding what little comfort she could in that detail.
The cabin didn't have much in the way of decor or furniture despite the amount of money the Hunter was raking in. She didn't see the point since a majority of her time was spent camping in the outdoors. But she had what she needed, even more so in terms of her clothing in which she did like to splurge just a little bit. It was both a quiet but exciting life to lead, but of course even Sadie knew that this life would catch up to her. She had always been a realist rather than an idealist.
…
"William Burke huh?" Sadie muttered out loud as she tugged the poster off the wall outside the Sheriff's department in Saint Denis. She'd somehow found herself further North than she'd been in years, not having been back since receiving the news of John's death.
'Last known location east of Tall Trees. Approach with caution. Crimes include robbery and murder. Wanted alive, a reward of $500.'
An exaggerated whistle passed through Sadie's front teeth as she read through the poster, considering on whether to undertake the Bounty. It was a tough call, with an even tougher criminal on the end of it but with that reward…well someone had to do it.
Sadie folded the poster and slid it into her saddle bag before mounting Hera and kicked into the Mustang's side. It would be a long ride that was for sure, but with what was at the end of it she didn't mind at all.
…
Sadie camped for the night just South of Valentine, not too far from Horseshoe Overlook. She hadn't returned to any of the Gang's old camps, not wanting to revisit and dredge up the past which she had moved on from long ago. The campfire crackled into the silence of the night, the sound accompanied by the noises from various nightlife around her. The sounds combined tended to settle her nerves, not that she had many of those anymore.
As she brewed up a rabbit stew over the open flame, Hera whinnied and scuffed his hoof against the ground beside her. She wasn't normally one to be restless for no reason and with this in mind Sadie reached for her carbine repeater from her horse and climbed to her feet.
Shouts of a ruckus suddenly shot through the night, yelling and arguing of some kind not too far away. She crept through the trees and undergrowth as the voices suddenly became recognisable.
"What are you doing in these parts boy?" A man snickered, Sadie just catching a glimpse of the boy in question being shoved hard in the chest. "Same as you just with a brain." A harsh laugh soon followed, the bounty hunter thinking this kid really had some death wish to be talking like that.
Sadie squinted into the darkness, approaching with silent caution as she gained a better view. There were four men surrounding the boy who she realised seemed much older than they'd originally made him out to be. Antagonising. They'd wanted a fight, although not a fair one.
"Move on before I blow your brains from your skull." The 'boy' threatened, his tone gruff and as big as he could make it. Another amused chuckle soon followed from the four men and just as one of them slowly moved to put a hand on their pistols to shoot, the hunted became the hunter as he drew his own, taking out two in one shot.
Sadie emerged from the trees then, her own repeater aimed and shooting. Within two seconds they too fell to the ground and the rifle was casually slipped onto her back. An angry face whirled on her as the man holstered his own weapon, beginning to charge towards the woman. "I had it under control!"
Without a flinch or a flash of surprise Sadie approached the bodies, kicking one of them with her boots. "I'm sure you did." The man's eyes flashed in recognition, momentarily stunned as to who was standing before him. "Sadie Adler?" Now it was the Bounty Hunter's turn to look astonished, as she came face to face with Jack Marston.
Sadie pulled him into a hug, elated that she'd come across him. The last time she'd seen him was after his father's death in which Sadie came running to Beecher's Hope to be of comfort to Abigail and Jack. All three of the men she'd come to love and treasure were gone now, her husband Jake above the other two. The finality of losing John had been a huge blow, and she now lived with the knowledge that aside from Abigail, Jack and Charles, there was no one else left she trusted or could call family.
Sadie studied the boy who was now a man, the difference between the two throwing her completely off. The boy she'd hugged goodbye five years ago was most certainly not the man who stood before her now. His entire demeanour had changed, anger and self-loathing radiating off of him and his need for revenge a blaring beacon.
"Jack! What are ya doin' out here? How've you been?" Sadie asked as soon as she'd finished her once over, checking for any signs of harm. She soon relaxed upon finding none, but still held him at arm's length.
"It's a long story, and not a very nice one."
…
The two sat around the open fire, their bellies full of rabbit stew. It wasn't as good as what Pearson used to make, but it was far better than what Jack had been living off for the past few weeks. With now sated appetites, it was time for Jack to retell the tale as to how he came to be so far from home.
"Ma and I did our best to keep the farm goin' after Pa died, but it wasn't easy since Uncle was gone now too so we didn't have anyone else helpin'. We didn't have the money to hire anyone, so I was workin' over 12 hours a day just keeping it goin'." Jack began to explain, staring blankly into the flames. He spoke as if he were both furious and lost at the same time. It hurt Sadie to see him like this, particularly since everyone who cared about him tried to shelter him from this life.
"Five years later, two months ago, Ma passed away to somethin' called pneumonia. I went out and killed Edger Ross, the man who killed Pa and who made him kill Bill, Javier and Dutch. I been wonderin' ever since. I couldn't stay down in New Austin, so I rode up here." Jack finished explaining and as he finally looked up to meet Sadie's stare he regretted it immediately.
"So you thought killin' the man who killed your Pa would make it all alright? Do you think any of us wanted that life for you?! Arthur? John? Abigail? This isn't the life they wanted to you live Jack. Your Ma was good Jack, and Arthur and John in their own way. But they did everything to prevent this life for you."
Anger and infuriation flashed in the young man's eyes at Sadie's words, but he knew better than argue with Mrs. Adler. She was family and family sometimes made you angry, but the rage he'd felt had been building since he was a child. It was hard to let go from all the horrible things life had made him suffer through. But Sadie's words struck a chord within him that made him want to cry out in frustration. So that's what he did.
Tears formed in Jack's eyes and he quickly looked away, not wanting Mrs. Adler to see him in such a state. He barely even let his Ma see him this way when she was still alive. But Sadie knew, she knew she could only sit and wait for the tears to subside with a comforting pat to his back. And she knew they were what needed to happen for him to move on.
The tears eventually subsided, and the two sat in silence both reflecting the past. They'd both been scarred and may never heal completely, but at least Sadie had forced Jack to realise that to honour his father and mother was not to kill those responsible, but rather to live the life they'd wanted for him.
Sadie finally caught Jack's eye as she took a swig from the hip flask she carried, the whiskey burning down her throat. She passed it to the young man who accepted it and took a mouthful of his own before handing it back to her.
"I have a proposition for you Jack, you can say no if you want. This path you're headin' down isn't a good one which is no surprisin' considerin' what you've been through. I need someone I can trust in my line of work, and I've never met anyone that I can call a friend. Of course, you and I are more than that, we're family. But some of these criminals can be challenging and it will be dangerous, so I don't just ask anyone. But you, if you're any good like your Pa was with a gun I'd like to have ya along."
Jack took a moment to consider his options, or rather lack thereof. He couldn't turn around and go home, and he was honestly tired of wondering around aimlessly for days on end with this built up anger inside of him. So, with a nod and a handshake, Sadie explained who she was hunting and the two packed up camp the next morning then headed towards Tall Trees together.
AN: This will be a two or a three-shot depending on how long the next chapter ends up. I was asked to write something along these lines for my other fic of various character drabbles reacting to John's death but felt like this could be a short fic of its own.
Let me know what you guys think and thanks for reading!
~xoUselessLesbianxo~
