ABCJ02—Coming Things
By VStarTraveler
Summary: A planned collection of standalone but loosely-connected short stories about characters from the series.
Disclaimer: This story is a work of fiction, written entirely for fun and not for profit. This interpretation of the world of The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr., is entirely my own. The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr., and any and all of its various components remain the property of their respective owners.
Story 1: Socrates' Sunday Sleep-in
Summary: Socrates awakens after a long, late night to thoughts of how he hopes for and will deal with Brisco's often-promised "coming thing."
This story takes place on the morning after the conclusion to "When Dixie Calls," but no knowledge of that story is required. It was written for and winner of the Caesar's Palace February 2019 Monthly One-shot Contest, with the prompt adjusting to a change.
Socrates Poole awoke to the sounds of birds twittering outside and the tickle of a stray hair bothering his nose.
It had been a very late night and the ever-dapper lawyer really wasn't ready to get up to begin a new day. There had been more champagne toasts than he could remember—three or four at least. Whatever the number, it considerably exceeded his usual tolerance for alcohol, but he was surprised to not be suffering from a hangover. No, he actually felt good, the bed was quite comfortable, and all seemed right with the world. Therefore, he decided to stay right where he was and enjoy it; however, it went further than that. Since it was Sunday and was his day off, he didn't even want to know the time so he kept his eyes shut and gave a little puff that sent the offending hair out of the way.
That little action, though, was all it took to cause a number of thoughts to start racing through his mind.
First, he'd initially felt bad about not being in on the rescue of Dixie and the apprehension of the outlaws behind it all. He felt like the odd man out, as the only one of their group who hadn't personally been present to observe the events on the ships or the pier. Even the professor was there, creating the diversion that allowed the plan to succeed. As the party continued, he felt worse and worse so he'd pulled Brisco aside and apologized.
"Soc, everybody's got strengths and weaknesses. Yours are different than mine and different than Bowler's—
"Ahem, some of yours and Bowler's are pretty similar."
"Well, true, but can you imagine Bowler in front of a courtroom or me appraising antiques and fine collectibles?"
"Truthfully, Brisco, I really couldn't imagine Bowler doing that last part either until I saw it with my own eyes."
Brisco laughed. "Touché, as they say. Seriously, Socrates, I don't know if we would have ever found Dixie without your efforts. You know how to open doors and record books that would have been sealed tight for the rest of us. More importantly, while we might have figured out what some of the things meant eventually, you knew how to do it efficiently and quickly before the bad guys disappeared for good with Dixie. You helped bring her home safe."
He knew that was quite true, but he still felt bad that his assigned station, rather than being out in the action, had been to stay at the Westerfield Club and liaison with the government men and the San Francisco police and the fire departments via the newfangled telephone recently installed in his office. Brisco said everyone would have one of those scratchy-sounding devices before long, and some might even put them in every room in their house so they could call from room to room. Personally, Soc suspected that his friend was pulling his leg on that, but once again, the bounty hunter with an eye for the "coming thing" had predicted how the device could be used to make their plan work better.
Another tiny tickle of his nose led to another puff, getting rid of the offending hair once more and allowing him to think of the countless changes in society and in his own life. Brisco was always talking about and looking for the "coming thing," and he'd told Socrates that there was a flood of such changes like the telephone already on the way.
"Just look at that silly game, Soc. Almost nobody but a bunch of guys in skirts played it for hundreds of years until someone suddenly realized that they were pushing the wrong outfit for it. Dress the guys up in snazzy outfits to impress the ladies at the club afterwards and suddenly everybody, even the ladies, wants to play and you can sell them the suits. By the way, how's your game coming along?"
Socrates was indeed enjoying his golf game, though he was still somewhat shocked at the cost of replacing windows. Another change he was hoping Brisco was right about was the coming of horseless carriages. Though he had to ride from time to time, Socrates was not a fan of horses in general and the sooner most of the beasts could be relegated to stables in the countryside, the better.
Despite the changes they were bringing to society, none of the coming things were quite as momentous to Socrates as the change he was experiencing in his own life. That change was entirely due to a woman, or more accurately, two women. As a result, for the first time in his life, he actually had an interest in the fairer sex.
He and Brisco had spoken about it recently on more than one occasion. "Someday, Socrates, you'll find the love and happiness you're seeking," Brisco told him.
"But Brisco, you and Dixie love each other but you guys aren't together."
His friend's face dropped. "Soc, Dix and I love each other and we know that. We'll be together someday, but things are sort of complicated between us right now. We've both got things we're trying to work out so when the time's finally right—hey! Wait! Why are you comparing us? We're a terrible example!"
Brisco's explanation clearly pained him and he said nothing more about his own problem, but focused instead on Socrates. "Someday, you'll find somebody who'll love you for who you are, Soc. There are a lot of women out there, and there's somebody out there for you, some woman who's going to make you happy, someone who you can be with forever."
Socrates' problem was, with the exception of his mother, he had never been close to women. Even his relationship with Iphy had always been more like a competitor than a girl. While his little sister had been out climbing trees, fishing, riding her horse around town, or doing other tomboy-like things, he'd usually been inside rereading The Odyssey or Ivanhoe or some other favorite for the twentieth time. They'd drifted even farther apart once he left for college. Only in recent months, since her horrible experience with Jack Randolph, had they finally bonded again as adults and begun to have something of a real brother-sister relationship.
He'd even sent Iphigenia a letter about the big change in his life, but he'd had a difficult time coming right out and saying it. Therefore, he'd couched the discussion in euphemistic terms that Iphy had missed entirely. Her reply was actually quite humorous as a result but was absolutely no help at all in solving his problem.
The problem itself had started almost a year before when he was called to a lunch meeting with Misters Kilbride, Drummond, and Emerson, the executive committee representing his employers.
"Socrates, we've been pleased with the work you're doing for us, but we've noticed that you've had to be away as on-site assistance to Mr. County on more than one occasion."
"But Mr. Drummond, I can explain—"
"No need, son," said the crusty Mr. Kilbride. "You've done a very thorough—but outstanding, mind you—job with that in your reports."
"Indeed," added Mr. Emerson. "Which is why we're here."
Drummond continued, "Yes, your workload has been heavier than we originally anticipated so we've taken the liberty of hiring you a personal assistant. She's been working for me for the past week to learn the ropes and has proven herself to be diligent and very efficient."
"And she's quite gentle on the eyes, too," added Kilbride with a wink.
Miss Rita Avnet turned out to be both efficient and beautiful as they'd said. In a matter of days, Socrates was finding her efforts indispensable. In that same time, they were also falling head over heels for each other, or so Socrates believed. While it didn't turn out as he wished, the experience opened his eyes; he didn't want to be a bachelor all the days of his life. He wanted to live and love and know the happiness that he'd experienced ever-so-briefly with Miss Avnet in that delightful time before her treachery had been exposed and she'd tried so desperately to kill him and his friends.
It was after that, over a period of several months, he'd slowly started to see the second woman as possibly something more than a friend. It started as an occasional short talk about Brisco or Bowler or their case, but then it slowly developed into short, slightly broader discussions that sometimes strayed into their personal lives, skipping the bounty hunters altogether.
Then, one night a few weeks before when her hand brushed his, it was electric, causing him to tingle all over and his tongue to tie up as if in Gordium's famous knot. He looked up at her with fear in his eyes, not knowing what to do or say. Rather than run away, she surprised him by giving him a smile and a little hand squeeze. "See you tomorrow, Socrates?"
That tiny bit of encouragement was what he needed to return the next night and the next. Their little talks slowly became real conversations that lingered on about life and family and even touched on hopes and dreams. It was the night when he looked at his watch to find that it was already 2 AM that he finally realized that he really and truly cared about this remarkable woman.
Since that time, it had been a constant struggle, trying to organize the thoughts he was feeling, but despite reading every word that Shakespeare ever wrote at least a half dozen times, he couldn't put his own thoughts, his feelings, into words. He wanted to tell her how much she meant to him and how he cared for her, but his written attempts were laughable compared to the great works of the Bard. He also knew that even if he were to somehow get them perfect on the page, if he tried to speak them aloud, he would stutter and stammer and stumble over them, becoming unable to continue, making the situation even more laughable. She would never want to see him again.
Therefore, each night when he was in town, their discussions continued, but Socrates never strayed across that fine line that might damage their relationship as it was. Still, somehow, someday, he had to find the perfect words to tell her so he could find out if she felt anything for him, to learn if this change in his heart was more than his alone.
Socrates' nose twitched again as that bothersome hair settled down to tickle him again. This time, though, instead of blowing, he opened his eyes to blurry vision to see a hand just inches from his face holding a lock of dark hair with one or two hairs hanging down below it. Startled, his eyes widened as the hand drew back and a giggle sounded next to him.
Fumbling for his glasses and seeing surroundings he didn't recognize as he turned, he was embarrassed and afraid as he suddenly remembered the end of the night before. He wasn't in his own bedroom in his own apartment. He was at—
"Ellie!"
"Good morning, Socrates," she said softly as she let herself down from her propped elbow where she'd been observing him. She gently set his glasses in place on his face and then rested her chin in her hands on his chest, looking at him with that smile that caused his heart to pitter-patter so wildly. He was, he noticed, still wearing his shirt—and, he realized, his pants—from the night before. "I thought you were awake," she added.
"Ahem," he stammered as he adjusted his glasses and shifted around to better see her looking at his face, into his eyes. She was still dressed in her same outfit, too. He almost quivered as he looked at her, but in that moment, he realized that the change that had been coming wasn't coming after all. It was, as Brisco once explained, already here. It was then, too, that the words with which he had struggled for so long finally came to him. Rather than the eloquent, flowery words of the poets, the words he most needed to say were surprisingly simple.
"Ellie, I, ah...ah...I love you."
She had a sympathetic look as she gave a slow shake of her head. "Oh, Socrates. Don't you think I know that?"
With his eyes wide, she kissed the tips of two fingers and then brushed his lips with them before adding, "Actually, it's really nice to hear you say it, but I've known that for a good while. Do you honestly think you'd be here in my bed if I didn't? And if I didn't love you, too?"
A goofy grin broke across Socrates' face. "You...you love me, too?"
Her shake became a nod as she smiled at him and said, "I do, Socrates. I love you, too."
The joyous feeling he initially experienced at their exchange changed to a growing excitement as Ellie's lips touched his for the first time. He responded, taking her into his arms when their kiss continued. As it did, Socrates realized that sometimes change isn't exactly what you're looking for or what you're expecting. Sometimes it's even better.
The End
Author's Note:
Thanks so much for reading. If you enjoyed the story (or if you have constructive criticism of it) please let me know.
Mr. Kilbride, Mr. Drummond, and Mr. Emerson were played in two episodes each by veteran western actors Paul Brinegar, Robert Fuller, and James Drury, respectively. They were some of the leaders of the San Francisco businessmen that Brisco called the robber barons and were responsible for hiring Brisco to track down the Bly Gang due to the damage it was causing their interests.
Miss Rita Avnet, played by Andrea Parker, appeared in two episodes opposite Socrates.
The Gordian Knot was supposedly located in Phrygia Gordium. There are different versions of the legend but it was said to be an impossibly tangled knot that an oracle declared would be undone by the man destined to become ruler of all of Asia. Alexander the Great dealt with it in an unconventional way on his way to conquering the east.
Ellie, played by Yvette Nipar, appeared in three episodes of the series, starting off as a waitress at the Horseshoe Club but seemed to take more of a management role by the last episode. It was in that episode that we see Socrates and her speaking, as if there could be a spark between them. Unfortunately, she didn't get to return for another episode, but I like to believe she might have done so if the show had continued for Season Two.