A/N This story is for SingerMe, who had faith that I could turn my story, "A Little Buckshot," into a series of stories about Kitty's strength and determination. Thanks to your encouragement I've been able to push my writing envelope way further than I thought I could. Enjoy.

Mrs. Emmett Holly

Sgt. Holly… (Kitty kisses Holly on the lips)...You're a dear. (She kisses him again as Matt walks through the door)

What's goin' on around here?

Nothin' to worry your head about.

"Sgt. Holly" Season 16 Episode 14, Writer: William Kelley, Director: Bernard McEveety

"Mrs. Emmett Holly!" Matt looked at her incredulously. No one, least of all Matt, had expected the first words out of Pinero's mouth, once he was cut down and the apple was no longer an impediment, to be about Kitty's so-called marriage to Sgt. Holly. More specifically, he had to comment on their "wedding night" in the room over the outlaw's hangout. Kitty was less worried about the scathing look Matt gave Holly as he pushed Pinero out the door of the saloon than she was about the hurt look in his eyes during his disgusted utterance of her supposed married name.

Pinero, realizing he'd been taken in by Holly's hasty cover story and noticing the tension between the two men over the shapely redhead, decided a little payback over the loss of $24,000 was in order. He really didn't care which one of the three was hurt the most by it. "Hey, soldier boy, that was some wedding night, eh? Mrs. Emmett Holly ees quite de woman!" he was saying when Kitty walked back into the saloon, having thought better of kissing Holly in front of Matt and leaving him there to draw his own conclusions. Unfortunately, Pinero had been only too happy to help him in that regard.

Kitty heard Matt telling Festus and Newly to go on ahead with the prisoners and they would catch up later. He reappeared in the doorway, hands clenched into fists, raking his steely gaze over the both of them. "Seems like the two of you have a little explaining to do." She felt a stab of irritation upon hearing this. Now, he wants an explanation? He had brushed her off on many occasions over the years when she tried to tell him her feelings by saying they didn't need them. She knew he thought that was a good thing; that they understood each other; that she was her own woman and didn't have to answer to him for anything she did; that even if he didn't like something she did she generally had a good reason for it. Was he actually going to take the word of an outlaw that she would just betray him by marrying a man he detested without at the very least talking to him about it first? She wasn't about to explain a damn thing to him. Let the two of them sort it out.

"Go ahead, Holly, tell him about it," she said, with some amusement. Holly got them into this; let him get them out of it. Kitty knew immediately what a serious error she had made when she saw the look of glee on Holly's face.

"That's right, Big Fist!" he chortled. "Sorry we didn't invite you to the wedding, but you know how women are. Once I popped the question, she didn't want to waste any time. And she made such a pretty bride, too, didn't you darlin'?"

"Ooh, you…." Kitty was too stunned to form coherent words. Leave it to Holly to add fuel to the fire.

"Well, that's fine. Congratulations. I hope the two of you will be very happy together," Matt growled sarcastically.

"Matt!" Kitty protested.

Sgt. Holly put both arms around Kitty and pulled her next to him. "Well, if last night was any indication-" he began. Kitty put both hands against his chest and tried to shove him away from her.

"Get your hands off me!" Kitty, finally finding her voice, hissed. "This has gone far enough." At this, Matt crossed the room, grabbing Holly by the collar and jerking him away from Kitty. He still wasn't sure what the real story was, and in a rational frame of mind he would give Kitty the benefit of the doubt no matter what anyone said, but he was finding it increasingly difficult to think rationally in this situation. He wasn't sure which was worse, the thought of possibly losing Kitty forever to the likes of this buffoon or the implications of Pinero's taunts about the previous night. When Holly put his hands on Kitty, the decision was made for him. Whether Kitty had been with him willingly or not, if it was even true, someone was going to pay, and it couldn't be Kitty. Matt let go of Holly's collar and a second later he felt his knuckles split as his fist met Holly's chin.

Kitty winced at the audible crack of Matt's fist making contact with Holly's jawbone, and a second later the sergeant went flying across the room. Not content with this, Matt strode after him, intending to finish the job.

"Matt!" she repeated.

Holly, not ready to give up so easily this time around, stood unsteadily, shaking his head, and took a swing as Matt approached him, missing his mark wildly. Matt backhanded him, then stood, hands on his gun belt, waiting for the sergeant's next move. He didn't have long to wait. Holly regained his footing and came back, landing a punch on the side of Matt's face. Matt shoved him backwards with one hand and he fell against the table behind him, turning it on its side. Matt reached down and hauled Holly to his feet, and both men raised their fists. Kitty was afraid they meant to kill each other.

"Matt!" she pleaded once more. "Holly!" Both men ignored her and continued trading punches. Desperate, Kitty ran behind the bar, hoping the saloon hadn't been abandoned for so long that there wasn't something back there she could use as a weapon. She wouldn't hurt Matt, but if she could knock Holly out she would save his life and keep Matt from a murder charge. A determined smile came to her face when she saw it. Picking it up, she verified that the shotgun was loaded and came back around in front of the bar. Seeing that the two men were still pounding on each other and not giving her so much as a glance, she aimed at the ceiling above their heads and pulled the trigger. Dust and wood chips fell down on top of the men and for a moment Kitty was worried the ceiling might cave in on top of them, even though it had held up to Sgt. Holly's antics the night before. Both men stopped in mid-swing and turned to look at her.

"Stop it! Both of you! This isn't even about me anymore, it's just a-a measuring contest!" Male pride caused both men to flush in embarrassment at her implication. "Holly, you tell Matt the truth. Right now!" She jabbed the shotgun in his direction for emphasis.

The man was apparently too stubborn to admit the truth, merely asking, "Anyone ever tell you you're a damn fool, Dillon?"

Matt glanced over at Kitty, who still had the shotgun trained on Holly. "Once or twice." He seemed to recall Doc telling him that exact thing on more than one occasion, most recently when he tried to talk Matt into taking off his badge and keeping Kitty from going to Ballard.

"You and I both know whose name she wants...Marshal," Holly said, defeat in his voice. He gave Matt a grudging salute and picked up the saddlebags containing the army payroll. They watched him walk out the door, then Matt turned back to look at her. It was one of the few times in sixteen years that she hadn't been able to read his expression. He turned away and started walking toward the door.

"Matt!" she gasped. When he didn't stop, or acknowledge her in any way, she raised the shotgun and took aim again. It was a risky move, taking a shot when his back was to her, but she took a gamble that he knew exactly what she was about to do and wouldn't suddenly change direction on her.

"Oh, no. You aren't going anywhere until we've talked this out, mister." She pulled the trigger and peppered the right swinging door and the wall next to it with buckshot.

Matt stopped walking, but didn't turn around. "We can talk on the way back. I'll drive you." He continued to stand still, waiting for her to respond, even though he knew the shotgun was no longer loaded.

Kitty stood, caught in indecision for a moment, wanting more. She wanted to insist that he stay here and do things her way this time. He continued to wait instead of walking away and she decided that was enough. It didn't matter where they talked, as long as they did.

"All right," she answered quietly.

Other than Matt asking her if she was ready to go, before helping her into the buggy, neither of them said a word for the first ten miles of the trip home. When they were finally away from the canyons and back in grassy, hilly country, the silence finally became too big for either of them.

"Matt," Kitty murmured, just as he turned his head and said, "Kitty." She gave him a sad smile and he took her hand, looking back at the road.

"You ready to have that talk now?" he asked.

"Yeah."

Matt pulled the buggy into a small stand of trees, out of the sun. Again, they both felt at a loss for words, neither wanting to begin a conversation that might well change things for the worse. Kitty squeezed Matt's hand and held back the tears she felt coming on. "Ladies first," he said.

"All right, Matt, I do have some things to say, but first I want to know what you're thinking, because I honestly can't tell right now."

"Kitty, I don't want you to have anything to do with that...that…." Matt had several highly descriptive words he could have used for Holly, but he rarely used that kind of language in front of Kitty. "Ever again," he finished.

Kitty sighed, "Understood, and believe me, I don't want to see him any more than you want me to, but that's not what I was asking you. Did you really think I had married Holly? And why couldn't you have just asked me if it was true, instead of demanding an explanation? And why would you believe those two men over me?"

Matt shook his head in confusion. Kitty's questions raised too many more in his mind. "I didn't want to believe it, Kitty. I know I've told you a half dozen times you'd be better off finding someone else and forgetting about me, but I never thought you'd really do it. And not someone like him. But what was I supposed to think, when I walked in there to see you kissing him, and then Pinero and Holly both said it. And you wouldn't deny it."

"Force of habit." How many times had they both kept silent when others brought up their relationship, neither confirming nor denying?

"Well, you have to admit it looked pretty bad from where I was standing."

"I suppose," she agreed. "You know, he's right about one thing, Matt."

"What's that?"

"There's only one name, other than my own, that I want."

He put his arm around her and pulled her close. "Oh, Kitty," he said, sadly. "I'm sorry."

"I know, Matt. I'm not asking for anything you can't give me, but I'm not going to say I don't want it, either."

"I wouldn't expect you to. You gonna explain to me exactly how you came to be 'Mrs. Emmett Holly?'" He grinned down at her.

"Well, I followed him to that outlaws' hideout, and when I showed up right when he was working out a deal with them so he could get that money back from Jeeter, he had to think of something. I know he was just stalling for time, but I think he was trying to protect me, too." They both reflected on the irony of that for a moment.

"I see. So, what about this wedding night?"

She could see he had finally gotten to the thing that was bothering him the most. "Well, I'm sure we put on quite a performance, as far as the men listening downstairs were concerned." She laughed softly. "But that's all it was, a performance. I spent the night on the floor, right in front of the door."

"The floor!" Matt began to feel outrage again. It was a good thing Holly wasn't standing in front of him. "Why, exactly, were you the one on the floor?"

"Well, after Holly passed out on the bed and broke it, it seemed like the best course of action at the time. Believe me." She looked into Matt's eyes and put one hand on his cheek. "Other than being in the same room, I did not sleep with him."

"I believe you." Matt bent down and captured her mouth with his, and they sat wrapped in each other's arms for what seemed like hours, while Kitty's mare and Matt's buckskin waited patiently. When daylight started to fade, Matt finally took notice of their surroundings again, and told her they'd better get going if they wanted to get back to Dodge before night. Kitty reluctantly agreed.

"Kitty, uh, just one more thing." Matt seemed a little embarrassed.

"What's that?"

"I know I don't have any business asking you this, since I can't make you any promises, but can you promise me something?"

Kitty looked at him, brows raised.

"Don't go off and get married to anyone else without telling me first?"

"I think I can safely promise that, Cowboy." She couldn't imagine ever wanting to be married to anyone other than Matt. She stretched up for one more kiss and then lowered her head to Matt's shoulder comfortably. He held her with one arm while he drove the buggy with the other hand. Not for the first time, he felt regret that he wasn't able to give Kitty what she needed and deserved. The part of him that wasn't married to his badge prayed that the day would come when he would be free to give her just that. The name they both wanted her to have. Mrs. Matt Dillon.

END