A "what if" I got of the episode 'Plunder'
Chapter One
While I was able to catch the name Fay Kelley (at least, that's what it sounded like and all the credits said was "Fay"), they never did give the Indian girl a name. Even the credits only said "Indian Girl"…so I just gave her a name. Also, I have taken a couple of facts of the episode and changed them to fit the story the muse handed me. Those will be marked by a * when they appear in this chapter.
~oOo~
"Don't just stand there! Move it!" Nick bellowed at various people as he, Jarrod and other men scrambled from one place to another helping men, women and children as they sought to escape, or deal with, the water that had broken through the dam earlier. Everything in the water's path was being either destroyed or badly damaged.
"Grab the rope!" Jarrod, who had tied one end of a rope around a tree that stood just out of the floods way, yelled and threw the rope out to a gentleman who was being swept away by the waters. Fortunately, the man was able to grab the rope and then be pulled to safety by Jarrod and Nick, who had joined his brother only moments before. It was only after Jarrod and Nick were racing back to the ranch to see how the creeks that ran through the ranch were being affected by the flood, that they looked at each other and, without speaking a word, used their eyes to communicate the fact that they were both thinking the same thing…had Heath seen the rocket that had been set off and been able to get out of Salt Springs in time?
~oOo~
Fay stood in the home of Joshua Ballard and watched in amazement as Joshua's son, Henry, carried the man she called 'Angel', through the living room and into the spare bedroom of the Ballard's home. It was a home that sat at a high enough elevation not to be affected by the flooding the broken dam was causing. As Henry, who was actually a doctor, began to work on the injured man, Fay turned to her left and looked through the archway that led from the living room into the kitchen. She could see Joshua's brown haired, brown eyed eighteen year old orphaned granddaughter, Tamar, helping Star fix them all something to eat; Star was the name Mr. Barkley had given the Indian girl Fay had rescued from a saloon. He said the young woman needed a name besides 'honey' and 'dear'. As she watched the two younger women, Fay's mind ran over the events that had taken place in Salt Springs.
"Angel, I only saw one skyrocket." Fay looked at Heath.
"Yeah, better get movin'." Heath grunted slightly as Fay and Star helped him stand up. "Go grab two horses, honey and hurry!" Fay looked at Star as she spoke with great urgency. She needn't have worried as the young Indian girl was already halfway to the barn. "We'll need three." Heath, who was holding onto his side and perspiring, spoke through the pain he was in.
"No way, Angel," Fay continued to hold onto him as Star was hurrying towards them with the horses she'd been sent to get. "There's no way you can sit in a saddle and ride as hard as we need to, *especially with that bullet still in you." She answered as she took the reins Star handed her and then helped him up into the saddle. Within a matter of seconds the three were pushing their horses as fast as they could, Fay's mind on what had taken place. *If the stranger who had ridden into town and convinced the other men to plunder the town hadn't been killed when he fought with the old man who had been there, Fay was sure Leon would have sided with his brother. As it was, she was grateful "Angel" had had to fight only the one brother as the one called Cody had the decency to do nothing but take care of his dead brother. As much as Heath hated to admit it, he'd never been able to keep this pace up on his own. He knew that because they hadn't gone far when he passed out. "Don't worry," Fay smiled at Star, who looked rather alarmed when the man who had been so good to them lost consciousness. "He'll survive; you'll see."
Fay walked over to the couch and sat down, still keeping an eye on the room where the man she called 'Angel' lay, even if the door was now shut. She hadn't believed it when they'd practically bumped into the Ballard men and found out that Henry was a doctor. The gentlemen had been walking around checking on the damage being caused and looking for anyone who might need help. The strangers hadn't hesitated to step in when they'd seen her struggling to keep Mr. Barkley in the saddle. Fay was brought out of her thoughts as she heard Tamar explaining to Star that there was a way for her to communicate.
Fay couldn't help but frown. She worried what Star, who had been with her for quite some time, would think. Would she even admit to understanding what Tamar saying? With this being her thinking, Fay was pleasantly surprised when Star started smiling and began pointing at various things with a questioning look in her eyes.
"I'll show you a few signs after we eat, ok?" Tamar held up a plate full of sandwiches and handed it to Star, who then carried the plate into the living room and held it out Fay.
"Thanks," She took a sandwich and then watched as Star put the plate down on the coffee table. The young woman picked up a sandwich, sat down and began to eat…the whole time keeping her eye on the door. That part, the fact that Star was keeping such a close eye on Mr. Barkley, concerned Fay. While she understood the gratitude, she feared the young woman might get impossible ideas. "Our friend will be all right. You don't need to keep staring at the door."
Star sighed inwardly. She knew what the woman who had been so kind to her was thinking. And, if she was to be honest, Star admitted she liked the man called Fay insisted on calling 'Angel' and wanted to be with him, though she was also honest enough to know it would never be. Still, she would only rest easy once the men inside that were tending to Mr. Barkley came out and told them he'd be okay. As she thought on it some more Star was puzzled as to why her friend continued calling Mr. Barkley 'Angel' instead of addressing him by his real name, and why she didn't give his real name to these people…or why their rescuers didn't ask for it. Of course, with no way to ask, her questions were left unanswered.
"Do you want something to drink? I have some lemonade." Tamar asked as she looked at the women in her grandfather's room. Fay thanked her and refused; Star too refused. Tamar then turned and walked back into the kitchen. Her own mind wandering to the injured man that had been brought to their home; she couldn't help it. Not only did he look familiar, but he was the best looking gentleman she'd ever seen.