A/N: Made up some characters for Wade's gang, and towns.
Disclaimer: I own nothing, but the plot. And Gabriela. So, don't you go thinking about stealing my poor Gabriela.
Warnings: SLASH! Ben Wade/Dan Evans slash to be exact. Also, this story is going to be a bit long. Because in it Ben and Dan don't simply see each other and instantly fall in love. Their relationship takes time to grow and blossom (so cheesy sounding). Also Dan is just a stubborn man. While Wade accepts what he's feeling, Dan is a little more difficult. My whole goal when writing stories is to get the characters as in-character as possible and make the plot line believable. That way it makes the story more enjoyable.
Summary: Wade has become passive and Charlie doesn't like it and with a big heist coming up he has to find a way to snap Wade out of his funk. So, he does the only logical thing. He kidnaps Will and threatens to kill him if Dan doesn't join Wade's posse and convince Wade to rob a train. SLASH! Ben/Dan!
Rating: M for eventual SLASH and sex scenes.
Always Praying For Rain
Chapter One -
Loving someone doesn't need a reason. If you can explain why you love someone, it's not called "Love"...its called "Like" - Darrel H.
Daniel Evans lay restless in his hospital bed, recovering from bullet wounds from where the infamous Charlie Prince tried to blow it off. Luckily, Ben Wade had stopped him from doing any real damage, like killing him. A bullet wound to the shoulder is temporary because it will heal, but death is permanent.
The first few days that Dan had laid in his bed he would hear the whispered voices of the people who passed by his window. They would say, "There is the man who single-handedly put Ben Wade on the 3:10 train to Yuma." But Dan knew that wasn't true. Ben Wade put himself on that train of his own volition. Because Ben Wade does whatever he wants, whenever he wants, and no one can force him to do anything. Dan was no exception. So, Dan had to wonder why Wade had gotten on the train for him.
A few weeks after he was first admitted, word reached Dan that Wade had escaped the Yuma prison, robbed another Pinkerton wagon, and was on his way, with his posse, to somewhere south of the Mexican borderline. This didn't surprise Dan; in fact, it brought a smile to his face.
Now, three months later, Dan still lay in his hospital bed just waiting for the day when the doctors would give him the okay to leave.
"Pa!" Yelled Will as he came charging into his dad's room.
"Will. What's with the excitement?" Asked Dan.
"There's news!"
"You've heard back from your ma!?" Asked Dan, anxiously.
"No," answered Will, dejectedly, staring down at his boots for a moment. Dan dropped his own gaze to his lap in dejection also.
After his first week in the hospital that Mr. Butterfield had him admitted to, Dan had instructed Will to write home and let Alice know what had happened to them. That had been three months ago, and they still hadn't heard any reply from her.
"But," continued Will, the spark of energy returning to his eyes as he looked up at his father. "I just talked to the doctor and he says that you'll be able to leave here by the end of the week!"
Dan smiled up at his son. Finally, he was going home.
At Some Bar South of the Mexican Borderline
Charlie Prince's spurs jingled and his boots tapped with every step he took against the wooden floor of the tavern. He looked around slowly, jaw set tight with determination, until he finally spotted who he was looking for.
Ben Wade sat at the far end of the bar, watching a pretty señorita with chocolate brown eyes, like the ones that Ben had just recently grown accustomed to. But Ben had to admit they just weren't as pretty as the others without that stubborn determination to them.
The pretty, brown eyed señorita placed another shot of whiskey down in front of Ben and he smiled charmingly up at her. She blushed and giggled at him.
"Boss!" Called out Charlie as he approached Ben.
"Hello Charlie. What can I do you for?" Asked Ben as he turned on his stool to face Charlie.
Charlie took a seat next to Ben at the bar and ordered himself a shot of whiskey. The señorita nodded and went off to get his drink.
Charlie leaned one arm against the bar top as he turned to face Ben. "Some of the boys are getting restless," he started. "The rest have already run out of pesos from that last job we pulled. And they're wondering when we're going to do another job. They need the money."
"Then they should have made what they had last," replied Ben, uncaringly. "I did."
"I know you did, and so did I. But these are men with a lot of vices."
"Then maybe they should break themselves of some of their bad habits."
Just then the barmaid returned with Charlie's whiskey and placed it down in front of him before disappearing just as quickly as she had come. Charlie swiftly raised the shot glass to his lips and threw its contents down his throat. The liquid burned its way down his throat, leaving a feeling of fire in its wake.
"Boss," said Charlie after he had finished his drink and dropped the shot glass down on the table. "I've been meaning to ask you something ever since we left Contention."
"Oh yeah? And what might that be?" Asked Ben, his eyes never leaving the barmaid as she went about cleaning the tables of the small tavern. Charlie stared at his boss for a moment, just studying the man's face. Something was up with him. Ben had become something close to passive lately. Staying indoors and at bars. Keeping a low profile and not talking much to anyone, even Charlie. Charlie knew something was wrong. When Ben Wade became passive it usually meant that he was despondent. No one else saw Ben's unhappiness, of course, because he hid it so well, and only someone who knew him as well as Charlie did would recognize the signs.
"What happened between you and that rancher back there?" Charlie finally blurted out.
This had caught Ben off guard. He stopped his ogling of the barmaid and turned a curious stare toward Charlie. "What exactly do you mean Charlie?"
"Something must have happened. I mean, you did stop me from killing him. And you got on that blasted train and had me and the boys follow you all the way down to Yuma to break you out of jail," accused Charlie as he threw an arm up in anger. "What is it about that one-legged rancher that makes him so special to you?"
Ben just looked over Charlie's angry face as a lazy smirk crawled onto his own face. "Perhaps," answered Ben, "I just like his company." Charlie's eyes flashed with anger and his hands balled into tight fists. He could feel his nails digging into the skin of his palms. "Now," continued Ben before he swallowed the contents of his own shot glass and stood up from the bar. "If you'll excuse me, I have other plans than to sit here and gabber with you all night."
Charlie watched as Ben walked over to the señorita, who he had been watching all evening, and asked her something in Spanish. The pretty girl smiled at Ben before he placed an arm around her shoulders and gave her one of his most seductive grins. She giggled and they climbed the stairs of the tavern and locked themselves away in a private room.
Charlie sat at the bar a few minutes longer, a new barmaid tending to the incoming customers. His anger had simmered down and now he found himself just staring, thoughtfully, down at the bar top.
"Perhaps, I just like his company."
The words floated around his head like a bad tune that he just couldn't shake. But there was only one question that concerned Charlie now. What kind of company?
Will helped his father up into the saddle of his horse, careful to mind both his prosthetic leg and bad shoulder.
"Now remember," started Dan's doctor as he helped Will load up the saddle bags, "don't ride longer than a couple of hours without a break. Stop and rest for the whole night. And drink a lot of water."
"I know Doc," replied Dan, adjusting himself in his saddle.
"And try to keep the wound as clean as you can. It's been healing up nicely in the last three months, but if you tear the tender flesh and get an infection out there, there'll be nothing I can do for you."
"I know Doc," replied Dan again. Will ran quickly around the horses double checking everything and making sure that they had all they would need for their trip back home.
"Will," called the doctor and Will turned to him, "be sure your father does what I've told him to, okay?" Will nodded his head. "And be sure to change his bandages accordingly. With him moving about out there you may need to change them more than once a day."
"I'll be sure to check them every time we stop," assured Will, mounting his own horse. "We'll be fine Doc, I promise."
"I'm just a little worried. One bullet had lodged itself awkwardly into your shoulder blade," stated the doctor, looking up at Dan, "and it took a bit of work to get it out during surgery and I'm afraid that, because we had cut out some muscle, that the wound won't heal properly without constant attention." The young doctor paused and took a deep breath. "Are you sure you won't stay another month or so? If you did I could make sure the muscles healed properly and watch for any complications."
"Sorry Doc," answered Dan, "but we gotta get home. But I thank you for your kindness, towards me and my boy."
The doctor let out a heavy sigh as he shook his head. "I wish I could convince you to stay longer, but you're a stubborn man, I know. So I won't waste my breath. Good luck and may God be with you both."
"You too Doc," replied Dan with a sharp nod of his head and a slight kick of his heels.
Will and Dan set off out of town as the sun slowly started to crawl up into the sky, casting their whole surroundings in a golden hue. Thankfully, the morning was still cool and they didn't have to make any more stops through town. And if they kept up their pace they could reach Bisbee in three days; four tops.
"Do we need to stop for supplies?" Asked Dan as they passed by a small general store that was just opening up for the day.
"No, Pa," said Will, shaking his head. "The doc was nice enough to have his assistant run out last night an' get everything we would need for our trip."
Dan nodded his head, firmly. The doctor had been real nice to Dan and Will. Far nicer than he had to be. And Dan was mightily grateful for that. That's why he left an extra twenty dollars on the desk in his office.
Charlie walked impatiently back and forth in the old worn-down church that he and the other members of Ben Wade's posse were using as their temporary hideout.
"What are we gonna do?" Asked Philly, a relatively new member to the group compared to the others. Philly was young and had only been with the group for about a year and a half now.
Charlie turned to him and looked over the small group of men that were scattered about the abandoned church. It was understood that when Wade wasn't around Charlie was in charge, but only to an extent. Currently, they found themselves in a predicament. Charlie got wind that a train carrying 25,000 dollars on it was going to be on its way down to a little known town, called Mary Mill, to be placed in its brand new, practically impenetrable bank. But that's about all they knew, and all they needed to know, to know that they wanted in on Mary Mill's cash mill. But, it would seem, someone else also wanted in on the money.
The Jason-Leon boys had been a pain in Charlie's side for a long time, but Wade never let him go out and kill the three boys. He always told Charlie never to bother with something not worth the effort. And they were definitely not worth the effort. Well, at least, the two youngest boys weren't, but Charlie swore if he ever got the chance, he'd be sure to kill that blue-eyed snake, Jason.
So, they were stuck at a crossroad. Wade still hadn't snapped out of his passiveness yet and they really couldn't do anything without him, whether it was because Charlie Prince had this determined loyalty to him or because if they went off and did a job without him, Ben Wade would hunt them down, kill them, and then take their spoils, the boys weren't sure.
"We need to first learn more about this Mary Mills," finally answered Charlie. "We need to know if their bank really is as impenetrable as they say it is. So Philly, go up to Mary Mills and see what you can find out. And also keep an eye out for the Jason-Leon boys. I don't want them getting the jump on us."
Philly nodded as he quickly stood up. "I'll leave immediately. But what about the boss?"
"I'll have a talk with him now, and when you come back in two weeks with a better idea of what we may be going up against, then we'll start making permanent plans."
Philly nodded once more and headed out of the church. The three other occupants of the church just stared up at Charlie from their seats on the rickety, old pews. Finally, after Philly's boots could no longer be heard knocking against the wooden porch of the church, Sutherland stood up, dusted off his pants, and exited the same way Philly had. Jackson followed shortly after him.
"What is going on with Wade?" Asked Levi, the oldest member of their group and also the only other person who would realize that something was amiss with Wade.
"Nothing," brushed off Charlie as he turned away from Levi and stared out the church's windows. "He's enjoying himself just like everyone else."
"That's a load of crap." Charlie quickly turned his head back toward Levi, anger flickering in his eyes. "Because," continued Levi, ignoring the death glare Charlie sent his way, "if that were true, you wouldn't be fretting like a mother hen who just lost her chicks." Levi briskly stood up and slapped his hat back onto his head as he walked up closer to Charlie. "I may not be able to read Wade's moods, but I can pretty much predict yours'." Levi swiftly tipped his hat to Charlie and left the church just as quickly
Soon Charlie was standing in the abandoned church all by himself. Left alone with his thoughts. How unfortunate it was that, at the moment, they weren't being very helpful. He needed Wade to snap out of his funk and start running the gang again. When he wasn't, it felt like they were missing a vital part of the group. Which they were. Regrettably, he only saw one way to get him back into robbing stagecoaches, but he'd hold that option out as a last resort. For now he'd see if he couldn't talk Wade into robbing the Mary Mill train.
Gabriela didn't know what she had been expecting, not really, but it was something more than this. But she guessed she really shouldn't complain. She did have the infamous Ben Wade in her bed, or she in his bed as it were. But every time they had sex- which had been twice so far -his mind seemed to be elsewhere. She shouldn't really mind that he was imagining someone else in her place, that was why he left money on the dresser for her. But she had felt so… happy? -was it happiness she felt or just emotional? -when he first beckoned her to his bed. The ill-famed Ben Wade, who had a fondness for girls with ocean green eyes, was calling her, a brown eyed señorita, to his bed.
She remembered the first time he walked into the tavern, all scruffy and dusty looking, and yet, still too handsome for words. He had a voice like honey and smile like gold. The man was a walking temptation. Handsome, strong, educated, and not so bad in bed either. To Gabriela this man didn't seem like the type to ever settle down, or settle for any one thing either. She had seen a bunch of men just like him in her lifetime. Rich, powerful, and suave; never happy with what they had, always wanting more. Always restless. Always so greedy. That's why it came to Gabriela as such a surprise to find that someone had so completely enraptured the infamous Ben Wade. Obviously, it was someone he couldn't have; otherwise she doubted that he would want them so badly and not already have them.
He had called to her this night. Had wanted her to bring a bottle of whiskey to his room. She did and then he indicated for her to stay. She did this also. They just sat on the bed for awhile, and he seemed content to just stare into her eyes. She was no fool. She knew whoever it was that truly held Ben Wade's affection must have had the same color eyes as her own.
They finally kissed and she allowed Wade to push her down fully on top of the bed. The sex was rough, but Gabriela could tell that Wade was trying to be gentle. And as he reached his climax, Gabriela could have sworn that she heard him whisper someone's name, but it was so softly spoken that she could not discern whose. Her heart clenched in pain and jealousy. Oh, how she wished someone would whisper her name like that. Softly and lovingly, like it was something sacred, and so precious it could not be uttered in public.
When they had finished Gabriela left. She never stayed afterwards. He never wanted her to. She understood. It was her job after all. She just picked up her clothes and her money and left his room.
Someday, she would always tell herself. Someday she would have someone to love her like that. Someday.
Wade lay quietly on his bed, the covers pulled up to his waist and the light from the moon gleaming in through his open window. The cool Mexican breeze blew lazily in though his window and ruffled his chocolate brown locks, causing them to flutter all over his face.
He lay there content and sated, for the moment, but he knew in an hour or two he would be up and restless again. Longing for company and the feel of bare, naked skin against his own. He rolled onto his side, annoyed with himself. Ever since he left Contention he couldn't seem to get that stupid, stubborn, one legged rancher off his mind. It was driving him insane.
Every time he closed his eyes that stubborn rancher's face was all he would see. His smile. His scowl. And even the look of pain on his face as he lay bleeding on the ground from where Charlie had shot him. He hated that one the most. If he wasn't waking up hard as a rock from one of his more erotic dreams about Daniel Evans, he was waking up in a cold sweat from one of his more terrifying ones about him.
Wade rolled back over onto his back and blew a stray lock of hair out of his face. He was even more annoyed now, because now that he had started thinking about the damnable rancher he wouldn't be able to stop.
Stupid rancher, with his stupid smile and stupid, beautiful eyes.
Wade silently wondered how he was doing. If he was out of the hospital yet. If he was home with his wife and boys. And if his wife was loving him the way she should have been. He didn't know the answer to any of these things, but what he did know was how he'd treat Dan if he was his.
Slowly, Wade began to feel the tell-tale signs of arousal as he thought exactly how he'd treat Dan. Wade groaned loudly out of frustration and desire as his hand started to travel more southward across his body.
It was maddening how easily the stupid, beautiful, stubborn, provocative rancher could arouse his interest and everything else for that matter.
A/N: Okay, so first off this is my first Ben/Dan fic ever.
I make grammar mistakes. I'm human after all. So, if you spot any. Please, please let me know and I will try and correct them.
Constructive criticism is always welcome. Which means if you hate it, state it. But don't be mean. Don't read my story knowing you hate slash and then rage on me about it. You will be ignored if you do. If you don't like my story, be nice and explain why you don't like it and what would make the story better. Hey, maybe if I like your idea enough I'll write a story from it. ;)
So, let me know if you're interested in continuing to read this story. Because if no one's going to read this I'm just going to stop posting it. I may continue writing it for my own pleasure, but it would be in a paper notebook. So, I hope to see you next chapter.
