Hello Everybody!

I know people will think I'm crazy for starting a new story when I have so many unfinished ones, but rest assured THIS IS A COMPLETE STORY ... told in several parts.

The thing is, I discovered the FABULOUS show The Wild Wild West over the summer and almost immediately started to come up with ideas for fics. This particular story is the first one I wrote down and I've been working on it - on the side - since September. (So no long waits between posts.)

I would like to thank my amazing beta readers, The Wild Whovian and Andamogirl, for their support and help in bringing this story to fruition.

DISCLAIMER: I tried to buy them, but the train would not fit on my apartment's patio and the boys are just too slippery to pin down for long. Alas, they remain in the hands of their rightful creators. (However, all original characters are mine.)

Enjoy ...

Chapter 1

Jim rode up the street, his partner right beside him. The telegraph message had not given any details of their assignment, only that they had to report to the St. Louis Marshal's office right away. The only thing he could think of was that this had something to do with a stash of stolen weapons that had come across the wire a few weeks back, as the theft had taken place not far from the city. Artie, however, seemed to have other things on his mind.

"I'm telling you, Jim, not many towns can compete with St. Louis. The food, the culture – the women. Why can't more of our jobs be in places like this?"

"Luck of the draw, I guess," he answered, coming up to their destination.

Artie sighed and followed suit, leading the way into the building. It looked like any other law office, though maybe a little busier than most. One man noticed their approach and headed over. Based on the gray in his hair and the authority in his stride, Jim was willing to place money that he was the one in charge.

"Are you the men from the government?"

"Yes, my name is James West and this is my partner, Artemus Gordon."

"I'm Marshal Ezra Linfield and I must say your arrival couldn't come too soon."

"It's that bad?" Artie asked grimly.

"Well … no," the man hesitated. "Are you aware of the weapons that disappeared last month?"

"We heard about it," Jim confirmed.

It was a slight understatement. Every law officer from San Francisco to Albany had been on the lookout for any trace of it. Ten crates of rifles and dynamite weren't something to be taken lightly.

"We have a witness who has named the man behind the theft," Linfield reported. "You may have heard of him as well; Douglas Scranton."

Jim knew of him; his reputation was well known in the agency. Scranton had been suspected of being behind a number of crimes in the past, from theft to murder, but always managed to keep his hands clean. If this witness turned out to be reliable, it was the first step to putting him behind bars where he belonged.

"The witness was able to tell us where the shipment was being stored, but by the time we got there we were only able to recover a small amount of what had been taken," Linfield continued. "On top of that, Scranton seems to have disappeared."

"And as long as he's loose, your witness is in danger," Jim concluded.

"Exactly."

"I suppose that's where we come in?" Artie guessed.

He shared a look with Jim, both knowing what was coming. Protecting people was one of their primary duties and someone with information on Douglas Scranton was most definitely in need of protection. The man had worked too hard for too long to let the word of a single person put him in jail. The only question now was …

"Who's the witness?"

"A young lady by the name of Olivia."

Artie's eyes lit up and Jim had a hard time suppressing a smile. If they had to protect someone, at least it would be someone nice to look at. Though with their luck, Olivia would probably turn out to be a 70-year-old nun.

"Oh, miss," Linfield called into the adjoining room. "The agents are here."

The witness stepped into the room and Jim's smile widened. Far from being 70-years-old, the young lady was just that: young. Smooth fair skin with just a touch of freckles dotted across on her cheeks, glossy black curls fell just past the shoulders of her violet dress, and wide brown eyes stared up at him with a mix of distrust and curiosity. Yes, young lady indeed … about 12 if he were to hazard a guess.

"You don't look like agents," she said, tilting her chin up to look him in the throat.

"Have you seen many agents before?" Artie asked brightly, apparently over whatever disappointment her age caused.

"No," she admitted, "but I've seen tougher."

While his partner tried to pretend that he wasn't offended, Jim turned to Linfield to get more details – particularly how this child managed to get incriminating information on one of America's most elusive criminals. The answer to that was easy enough: she was his daughter. Her mother had become suspicious of Scranton around the time of the weapons theft and had sent Olivia to the authorities for help. Unfortunately, Mrs. Scranton was not able to accompany her and stayed with her husband to keep up appearances, telling him that Olivia was visiting an aunt in Boston. Of course, if he so much as suspected what his wife was plotting, there was a good chance the woman was dead.

"She's not dead," Olivia snapped. "She had an escape plan, same as me. She just knew that we would be caught if we left together, so I went first."

The three lawmen agreed with her claim, though Jim could tell the other two still had their doubts. Douglas Scranton was not one to trifle with, even for family. So Artie gathered the little girl's things and brought her out to the horses, but Jim was stopped by Linfield.

"You better keep a sharp eye out, Mr. West."

"Don't worry," he assured him. "Scranton won't get near her."

"It wasn't Scranton I was worried about," the Marshal said with a slight smirk.

Jim frowned and headed out to his horse, seeing the girl was already mounted. She gave him a nervous look as she clung to his partner's back like a monkey, Artie's assurances seeming to do nothing for her confidence in his riding abilities. Olivia Scranton certainly didn't look dangerous.

Then again … most girls didn't.

What do you think of my very first venture into the Wild West?

I await your comments, suggestions, and feedback. The next chapter will be posted in the next 24 hours (unless otherwise requested.)

NOTE: I am a college student, so homework and classes may cause future updates to be posted early/late.