Seven Brides for Seven Brothers only had one season and these stories are how I imagined the future. It is really just one story, starting with No Orphans Live Here, Family Debts and Sacrifices. It is my AU, I guess. It might not be how you imagined their future, but it is how I see it.
I've really appreciated the reviews and hope people will continue to help me improve the stories - thanks for pointing out my Ford/Evan confusion. I don't know why I mix them up! Since I can't thank Just A Reviewer with a PM, I wanted to mention my appreciation for your encouragement and comments.
I hope you enjoy this one. I guess you could say this is a Brian story, but you can't really separate the brothers, so they are all in there.
SCARS
Brian McFadden watched as the auburn-haired woman walked away. He was stunned. When he had first seen her sitting alone in the cafe, he had smiled, and with his usual charm had walked right up to her.
"Hello, mind if I sit here?" He asked indicating the chair beside her.
"No other seats open?" She asked looking around barely giving him a glance.
"No, but I'd rather sit next to a beautiful woman like you."
Now she did look at him, but only to glare. He felt a wave of fear come over him briefly. Her bright blue eyes bore into him with a fire. Wow! He thought to himself.
"Does that line work?" She asked studying him.
"Sometimes." He said nervously. He sat in the chair.
"This is a small town, then." She said turning back to the paper she'd been reading.
"How about if I just introduce myself." He grinned at her. "My name's Brian, and I'm actually a nice guy." He stretched his hand across the table.
She rose and laying money on the table said, "Good for you." She turned and walked out.
He sat frozen, shocked. Then shaking himself out of his stupor he followed her out into the bright sunlight.
"Hey, wait!" He called after her. She paused a hand on her hip. She was illuminated by the sun's rays, and she was stunning. Her red hair was laced with blonde which shone bright in the sunshine. Her nose was covered with a sprinkling of freckles, and her legs seemed to stretch for miles.
"What?" She asked irritated.
"Nothing, I just . . ." He stumbled for words.
"Oh, you've got to be kidding me!" She laughed. "I'm the first girl who said no? Really?"
"No, plenty of women have said no to me." He said defensively, blushing. "I just, . . . what's your name anyway?"
She opened her mouth to answer, but then caught herself. "Oh, no! I'm not getting suckered into a pity date." She turned and continued walking.
He ran to catch up to her surprising himself. "Why not? I'm kind of pathetic. One little pity date wouldn't hurt." She stared at him. "I'm an orphan, if that helps." He said raising his eyebrows at her.
She paused again looking at him. "What did you say your name was?" She asked.
"Brian, Brian McFadden. I'm from around here. Ask anyone. They can vouch for me. I'm a nice guy and definitely worthy of one measly pity date."
"McFadden?" She wrinkled her brow. "Are you related to Guthrie?"
"Yeah, he's my kid brother. How do you know him?"
"I'm his math teacher." She said. "Maybe you should skip a date, and help him with his algebra."
"Oh! You're his math teacher." He glanced at her. "Now, that D makes sense."
"What is that supposed to mean?" She glared at him.
"I'm' just saying, Guthrie's fourteen and you're . . .well . . ." He was unsure how to continue.
"I think you just blew any chance you had." She said turning and continuing walking.
"Hey, you've never been a fourteen year old boy, I have. Trust me. You put any woman in the room, and there's no way he's thinking about algebra, and you throw in someone as beautiful as you and . . . I'm not helping things am I?" He asked.
"No." She said firmly.
"Oh, come on! Give me a chance to redeem myself! I'm usually much more . . ." He sighed and hanging his head, resigned. "Never mind."
She laughed and turned to walk again, but pausing said, "Are you going to the dance at the town hall tonight? I might be there." And before he could respond, she turned the corner and was gone.
***7***
Hannah finally found Brian standing in the middle of sidewalk just outside the hardware store.
"You get what you need?" She asked him.
"Huh?" He stared at her dumbly.
"At the hardware store? I'm ready to head back if you are." She glanced at him. "Are you okay?"
"There was this woman and . . ." He turned to her. "What hardware store?"
"Brian!" Hannah laughed. She took him by the shoulders and turned him so he faced the hardware store. "Right there. What woman?"
"Guthrie's math teacher. Hannah, you gotta find out her name for me! Please!" He turned toward his sister-in-law, suddenly desperate. "I gotta know!"
"You could just ask Guthrie." She said surprised at how rattled he was.
"Oh! That's right! Guthrie would know! You are a genius, Sis!" He kissed her on both cheeks and then turned to run to the jeep.
"What are you doing? Brian, have you lost your mind?" She asked.
"Let's go. I gotta talk to Guthrie!" He said already behind the wheel, and gunning the engine.
"What about the cable you needed? From the hardware store!" She put a hand on her hip studying him.
"Oh, who cares about that! Let's go!" Shaking her head and laughing, she climbed into the passenger seat.
"You McFadden men!" She said.
"What?" He asked. "She was pretty, that's all." He said glancing at her.
"Uh, huh." She said knowingly.
"Nothing wrong with liking a pretty girl." He said.
"You need to look at your face in the mirror, Brian. You are already gone." She laughed the whole way home.
***7***
"No way!" Guthrie said shaking his head at Brian.
"What?" Brian was stunned. "Guthrie, come on!"
"Nope. I know how this will end. You won't call her, she'll cry and keep calling the house. And then I flunk algebra and I'm not taking it again next year!"
"He's got a point, Brian." Hannah said laughing.
"Oh, don't gang up on me, you two! I'm your brother, you have to do what I say. Now, spill it or you're grounded!" Brian put a hand on his hip.
"You can't do that!" Guthrie said irritated.
"Oh, I can and I will." He said.
"Hannah!" Guthrie whined.
"He outranks me, Guth. Sorry." She turned back into the kitchen. "But if he's right, Brian. You're paying for tutoring out of your own pocket!"
"Fine. But you are ruining my life, you realize that. Completely . . . ruining . . .my . . . life!" Guthrie emphasized each word.
"Yeah, fine, whatever. What is her name?"
"Miss Brennan." Guthrie sighed.
"Miss? Well, that's good. What's her first name? Do you know?"
"Yeah, it is Kathleen. It stuck because . . ."
"Wow! It's a sign!" He turned and ran towards the apartment he shared outside with Crane, and Daniel, when he wasn't on the road. But pausing he ran back and kissed Guthrie right on the lips.
"Oh, my God!" Guthrie yelled. "What is wrong with you?"
***7***
"When's the last time you took Hannah out dancing?" Brian asked his older brother who was changing Jeb's diaper.
"Um . . .a year ago maybe." Adam said.
"There's a dance at the town hall tonight. Take her out."
"Why?" Adam asked.
"What do you mean why? She's a good woman, works hard, gave you not one, but TWO sons, you don't think she deserves to go out?"
"She deserves it, but why do you want me take her out?" Adam tossed the dirty diaper in the bin and dressed Jeb, who squirmed. "Seriously, buddy, you got to hold still!" He said to his son.
"I need to look respectable." Brian said quietly.
"This the girl you met in town?" Adam asked.
"Why does everyone in this family talk so much!" Brian said exasperated.
"Hannah said you nearly backed the jeep into a tree! And where's that cable we need?"
"Adam! Adam! Don't torture me! Listen, you owe me!" Brian said pointing.
Adam lifted Jeb off the changing table. "I owe you?"
"Yeah, I never got to go to college."
"Neither did I, and I had a scholarship." Adam said carrying his son downstairs.
"That's true. Alright, well, I've never been outside California."
"Neither have I." Adam said.
"You threw Hannah at us with no warning whatsoever! You never once brought her home, and then kicked me out of my own bedroom!"
"You want to sleep with Hannah and me?" Adam asked laughing as he walked into the kitchen.
"What?" His wife said from where she sat at the table mending one of Ford's shirts.
"Ignore him, honey, he's lost his mind." He said putting Jeb in the fenced off area with his brother Jack. They crawled along the floor playing together.
"Hannah! Talk to him! Please, please go to the dance tonight!" Brian begged her. He turned on her thinking how to persuade her. "You know, I saved your life once!"
"Brian!" She said laughing. "I had it under control, mostly." She looked at Brian who hadn't been himself since he'd left the cafe that morning. "She's going to be there?" He nodded hopefully and she sighed. "I would rather take a nap, these days, to be honest, but it has been ages since we went out." She looked up at her husband.
"Please, please!" Brian got down on a knee. "I'll babysit for weeks!"
"Why do you want us along? You never have before?" Hannah asked.
"He needs to be 'respectable'" Adam told her laughing.
"Oh, so this is different." She studied Brian. "Adam, I think you are going to have to take me dancing."
"Oh, thank you! Thank you!" Brian jumped up and throwing his arms around Hannah lifted her and spun her around the room. Setting her down, he ran upstairs.
"What the hell was that?" Adam asked.
"Well, it might be love." She said laughing.
"He just met her! He didn't even know her name!" Adam said skeptical.
"Adam . . ." She grinned at him.
"Well, that was different," He said putting his arms around her. "You are the most beautiful girl to have ever lived." And even as she laughed, he kissed her.