The Way It Should Have Been

I don't own these characters; I just like spending time with them. No other profit to be had.

(Author's note: This was written as sort of a challenge. I've never liked the way the episode "The Way It Is", Season 8, ended and was never happy with the way Matt acted towards Kitty (nor Doc or Chester for that matter) so I changed it to my own liking. The first part of this follows the first part of the episode, including actual scenes and dialogue from the episode. The second part of this is non-canon so if that bothers you, then you can stop reading when you reach that point.)

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Kitty Russell was furious, among other things. Marching down the stairs of the Long Branch she silently made her way to the bar and resolutely poured herself a glass of whiskey, drinking it down in two gulps.

Sam, standing behind the bar, was astounded. "Good morning, Miss Kitty." He said as he watched her drink the whiskey with an angry set to her jaw. This was not normal behavior for his boss. Her usual breakfast was a cup of coffee.

Kitty finished the last of her drink before her eyes flickered up to Sam and her expression softened just a touch. "Morning, Sam." She said as her face darkened again, her fury returning full force. Resolutely, she turned and pounded out of the saloon, nearly knocking down an incoming patron, and stomped down to the stable.

Passing by Doc and Chester, without even seeing them, she continued on her angry march down to the stable. Paying very little attention to Moss, she went in, got her own horse and rode out of town, trying desperately to outdistance the hurt and anger that was threatening to take her down in its wake.

It wasn't like Matt had never disappointed her before, had never abruptly canceled their plans for his job, he had, many times. And each time, she had accepted it as part of loving a big man with a big badge. But this time was different. He had steadfastly promised her now, for some time, that he would be there to take her to the sociable.

But once again he was canceling.

The ache in her heart was, this time, unmanageable in the confines of her rooms. She had to get away from town and people and everything else where no one could see the anguish she currently carried in her heart.

After riding as far as she could, Kitty sat atop her horse and sobbed out her pain and frustration and disappointment. She knew he had a job to do, she understood his responsibilities and how seriously he took them. And she had never had a desire to turn him into anything less than what he was. She had no need of a ladies man, she had need of him.

But all too often, lately, she seldom got him.

When he told her late the evening before that he wasn't going to be able to take her to the sociable, she had valiantly stifled the urge to scream and throw something at him. Calmly, she had accepted his terrible news and said nothing as he turned and left, stating he had a prisoner to look after and wouldn't be staying.

But once he had gone, she had collapsed in tears and cried herself to sleep in her lonely bed. The next morning, her anger fueled her, and her grief over the situation drove her, to get away. She hadn't even seen or heard Chester or Doc as they called after her, when she passed them.

All she could see was a life spent waiting for a man that cared less for her than he did the shiny tin star on his chest. A man that would always put her last.

When she'd finally made it back to town, she thought she'd gotten it all out of her system. She thought she was once again in complete control of her emotions and would be able to hide the anger and resentment behind her carefully applied poker face.

That was until she saw them, all three of them, standing at the bar. "Well, I see the troops have assembled." She snapped.

"Kitty." Matt had exclaimed. "You're alright after all."

"After all, what?" She glared at him.

"Well, I don't know. Doc, here, said that..'

"Well, I said you passed me on the street this morning just like I wasn't there at all. And Chester when I saw him…" Doc interrupted Matt only to be interrupted by Chester.

"Yeah, you almost stepped on me. Do you remember? Heaven's," he looked at Matt to emphasize her slight of him, "that wasn't like you atall."

"Well, we thought maybe something was wrong." Matt finished up for them.

"Just when everything was so right." Kitty quipped with irritation.

Doc could tell there was going to be a fight brewing and he thought to distract the angry red head by offering to buy her breakfast but Kitty was having none of it. "I've had my breakfast, haven't I, Sam?" She looked to her bartender to back her up.

He didn't disappoint, sort of. "Well, you had an eye opener sure enough."

"Every woman ought to have her eyes wide open every once in a while." She was looking at Sam when she said it but her barb was thrown directly at the tall, somewhat befuddled US Marshal standing in front of her.

Finally turning her glance to all three men, she made certain to meet each of theirs gazes as she spoke next. "You just troop along without me. I'm through being one of the boys." With one last scowl she turned and headed up to her rooms.

But Matt stopped her before she got to the top. "Kitty?" He asked, not understanding her anger. "What is it?"

Kitty turned and looked down at him. Could he really be that dense? "You just give it a little quiet thought and it might come to you." She answered.

"Everything was alright last night?" Matt protested, finally realizing what just might lie behind her anger.

"Was it?" She asked pointedly as she turned back and finished climbing the stairs, Matt hot on her heels.

Doc, realizing that he and Chester were not needed there to witness the argument that was certain to follow, took Chester away with him with the promise of breakfast. That was the only thing he knew for certain could lure the ever hungry and nosy assistant away.

Once inside her rooms, Kitty turned her back when Matt entered behind her and closed the door. "You want to talk about it?" He asked.

"No." She said not wanting to say more, and crossed her arms firmly in front of her to emphasize her point.

"Now, Kitty, if it's about that Ford County Sociable, I'm sorry about that but I just can't help it. I've got to go to Topeka." He tried to make her understand how important this was.

"So you told me." She said with a deep breath, her back still turned to him.

Still not totally understanding her anger, Matt lightly chuckled. "Well, you ought to be able to understand that."

That at least at least earned him a look from her, well a scowl anyway. But only for a moment. "Good old understanding Kitty." She sighed in frustration.

Still lightly chuckling, Matt wasn't totally getting it. "You know if you and I are going to have a fight, it looks to me like we could find something better to fight about than a sociable."

Kitty favored him with another scowl as she looked at him. "How would you know? As far as I know you've never been to one." She was so irritated she had to step away from him to keep to from slapping that halfway grin off of his face.

"Aw, Kitty, if you're that set on going to the dance, Doc and Chester will take you. You know that." He reasoned.

Kitty turned back to him, totally amazed. He STILL didn't get it. "Doc and Chester." She said stunned at his denseness. "I don't think you've got a grain of sense. They'll be glad to take me but maybe I won't be glad to go."

Finally opening her arms she extended her hands to make her point. "Matt, don't you understand? I don't want to go with Doc and Chester. I want to go with you." She was trying to keep the frustration and pain out of her voice, but she wasn't completely successful.

"Kitty, I wanted to go with you, I was looking forward to this dance until this thing with Topeka came up." He tried to reason with her. He didn't want her to think that he was just trying to get out of the dance and that he really did have to leave.

"Something always comes up." Kitty said, remembering the many other times he'd canceled their plans at the last moment. She'd always tried to understand and usually said nothing but this was the straw that broke the camel's back and her heart.

"Oh, it's not as bad as all that." He scoffed.

"You don't think so?" Her pain was coming out as anger but she couldn't help it. She had to make him understand. Marching over to a chair, she showed him the dress lying across it and the many other dresses in her wardrobe. "I've got a whole closet full of rejections." She said almost brokenly, refusing herself more tears.

(Now here's where it detours and for those of you who are canon police and don't like anything non-canon, you have been warned to quit right here.)

Matt stood silently for several minutes watching her. He now had it. He understood. It wasn't the social in and of itself. It was the whole package. She wanted to be with him at a social event where they could both let down their guard and spend time together without fear. She simply wanted to be with him. And his leaving now was like telling her, he didn't want her.

Matt's first inclination was to shrug off her concerns, tell her, "sorry but that's the way it is" and leave to get ready for his trip. But something in her stance, something in the almost fragile way she stood, caused him to pause and really look at her. Really listen to her.

"This is really important to you, isn't it?" He asked.

Kitty nodded and turned away, once again wrapping her arms protectively around herself, valiantly fighting against threatening tears. She hated feeling this way, but this time she couldn't seem to help it.

Matt sighed deeply, hat in hand, looking at the floor before finally raising his eyes back to her. "I could really get into trouble if I don't go to Topeka, Kitty. They pretty much demanded that I be there."

"Then maybe you ought to just go, Matt." She said refusing to look at him. She knew she'd break down if she did.

Matt tossed his hat in his hand for a moment, trying to think of what to do. Save his job, or save his relationship with Kitty. Suddenly a thought came to him. If he worked it just right… Making his decision, Matt tossed his hat on her bed and stepped over, grabbing her by the shoulders and spinning her around to face him.

"To hell with Topeka," he said gruffly as his lips descended onto hers. "I'm going to a dance with my lady."

As she responded to the kiss, Kitty's stunned mind was trying to figure out just what had happened. When their lips finally parted, she looked at him in confusion. "You're… you're not going?" She asked. "Really?"

Matt nodded. "I'm a marshal in charge of a large territory. Sometimes, I have to take off after bank robbers and such and can't always be where I promised I'd be."

Kitty looked at him in confusion. "That's why you said you couldn't go to the dance."

"Yep, but I figure if it can be a reason for not being here for the dance and it can also be a reason for not being in Topeka."

Kitty looked at him in shock. "Matt Dillon! You wouldn't lie like that. You couldn't. I know you better than that."

Matt grinned as he wrapped his arms around her. "Nope, I wouldn't but I don't have to. Remember those posters I have tacked up outside my office?"

Kitty nodded, still not understanding how he was going to take her to the sociable without getting himself into trouble.

"Well," Matt placed another kiss onto her soft pliable lips before continuing. "One of those posters looks just like that man that lives south of here. And since my duty to arrest any outlaw that I have a poster on, especially dangerous ones, supersedes that of any other order, I figure that's what I have to do. And of course the trip down there to get the man and then get him back is gonna take a day or two, which means I probably won't get back to town until the night of the sociable. And of course I couldn't go then because being the Marshal, it's my duty to attend the dance and make sure no trouble comes up."

Kitty looked up at him and suddenly burst into laughter, with a shake of her head. "Matt, you know as well as I do that the man who lives south of here is Bent Dillard and he is not on any wanted poster."

"Do I?" Matt arched a brow at her. "He looks like that man on the poster. How do I know he didn't move here and change his name to escape the law? I think I really need to go and check it out."

Kitty shook her head again but reached up on tip toes and placed her lips on his, softly kissing him at first before the kiss deepened. When they finally parted Matt released her waist and reached for his hat. "Well, if I'm gonna get that outlaw, I guess I'd better go. I'll have Chester send a wire to Topeka to tell them I had to leave town suddenly. But I'll be back in time to pick you up for the sociable. Six o'clock alright?"

"I'll be ready." She replied happily as he turned and left.

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The night of the dance, Matt showed up promptly at six, freshly bathed and shaved and wearing his best shirt and courting jacket, string tie around his neck.

"You have any trouble capturing that outlaw?" Kitty teased as she grabbed her wrap and took one more glance in the mirror to check her appearance.

"Well, it turns out Bent Dillard wasn't an outlaw, after all." Matt told her with a grin. "But I did run into a man on the prairie by the name of Ad Bellam that gave me some trouble. I found him lying where he'd fallen and hit his head. But when I tried to help him, he turned on me and I realized I did have a poster on him, for real. I didn't think it possible, due to his head injury, but he actually got loose from me and led me on a merry chase for a couple of days."

"But you did catch him, didn't you? I mean he didn't do anything to you?" She asked, taking a second look at Matt to reassure herself that he had indeed not been hurt.

Matt smiled as he stepped over to her. "Yep, I caught him and he's now locked up over in the jail, with Chester keeping watch over him for the night. I also sent Doc over to have a look at him so it looks like both of them will miss the sociable and won't be able to take you to the dance tonight."

"Oh, how disappointing." Kitty grinned not sorry in the slightest.

Matt chuckled. "I'll have to take Bellam to Hays in the next couple of days maybe, but not tonight. Tonight, since her escorts are otherwise occupied, I decided, I will take the prettiest woman in Ford County to the dance myself, to you know, protect her."

"Oh, so that's the way it is?" She chuckled as she wrapped her arm around his and followed him to the door.

"Yep," Matt paused to kiss her before they left the privacy of her room. "That's the way it is."

The End