Author: Pirate Turner
Rating: PG
Summary: Chris suffers through his first Christmas without Sarah and Adam.
Warnings: Altnerate Universe
Timeline: Set before the start of the series.
Disclaimer: All recognizable characters and The Magnificent Seven are & TM CBS, The Mirisch Group, MGM, and Trilogy Entertainment, not the author. The beings who have been mixed with the regular Seven to create the characters within this AU are & TM themselves. Everything else is & TM the author. The author makes absolutely no profit off of this work of fan fiction, and no copyright infringement is intended.
Author's Note: Any one who wants to play in this universe may do so with two exceptions: We ask that you give Queen Cindy and ourselves, Pirates Turner and Sparrow, proper credit for the creation of this AU and we require that you absolutely do not kill or greatly injure any of these characters, the latter being due to the fact that we do not want such a thing to come back and bite our sweet children. Yes, the beings who are mixed with the Seven to make this new breed of heroes, as well as the other characters, are very real and dear to our hearts. :-) They have all already been rescued from various dangers and perils in the world, and we do not wish to have to do so again nor would we ever wish such tragedy upon our loved ones. We have pictures of the kids used herein if any one would like to see.
He growled as the noise outside assaulted his hearing. His ears laid back against his ebony head, he rose from his seat. The fingers of one furry hand closed around the hilt of the one thing in all the world that was still faithful to him - his gun - as his other hand brought his whiskey bottle to his lips again. He drowned the remainder in one solid gulp and tossed it behind him. He only paused as the glass shattered to snatch another bottle from the hand of the tomcat who had been about to drink from it.
"Hey!"
The look the catman in black fixed the weary farmhand with was enough to break the strongest of wills and send the bravest crawling in retreat. His emerald eyes bore right through him as though they had the ability to sear his very soul. The farmhand shivered, his fur fluffing, and quieted with an accepting mumble. "Go 'head, pard. Ya need it wors'n I do."
The tom called Larabee spoke not a word as he walked through the saloon and out the flapping doors into the chilling night air. His fur bristled, but that involuntary action was his only reaction to the cold for his heart and soul were already incased in ice that he personally thought was not thick enough. He walked out onto the boardwalk and swung toward the unsuspecting carolers.
"SHOVE YOUR DAMN JOY TO THE WORLD," he bellowed, the tip of his black tail twitching as his hand itched to pull his gun to blow the strangers away just for the need to spill blood that he cared nothing about, as though somehow all the blood that he caused to pour could flood over the blood he did care about and wash it out of existence, out of his mind, and most of all, out of his heart.
A silent night suddenly fell over the little town as all eyes focused on the man the people had once called friend. Chris half-swaggered, half-stumbled his way to his horse. He unhooked his reins and slung himself into the saddle. This had been a mistake. This town held nothing for him but ghosts. He should not have come back, even to honor the memories of his wife and kitten at Christmas by visiting their graves and leaving them flowers.
He took another long swig of his whiskey, his lips curling and whiskers twitching as he felt it burn through his body. If only it possessed the power to burn away the pain that engulfed his heart and soul, but that was an impossibility. There would be no more merry Christmases, Feliz Navidads, or happy new years for him. He had known that when he had come here, but he had not known how much greater the pain would swell within him. Now he only wanted out of this town and back out into the empty desert.
Steed and rider turned as one dark force away from the saloon and galloped through the darkness. Chris' long, anguished howl haunted the small town long into the night.
The End