Disclaimer: Unfortunately I do not own the riders, though I wish I did.
A/N: This was written for the Dead Man Challenge on the Ranch.
Teaspoon smiled as he sat at the table surrounded by his boys and girl, a shot of whiskey in his hand. He looked at the amber liquid, "You know I just, I can't drink whiskey, like I usedtacould. My old belly just ain't no count." He said before throwing back the shot and swallowing it down.
"Then why the hell did ya drink it Teaspoon?" Hickok asked.
"Cause I like the taste and it don't matter no more." Teaspoon replied with a grin as he looked at the familiar faces around him as they sat at the table, each with a glass of whiskey in their hands.
Teaspoon Hunter had lived a full long life. He had done a great many things that varied wildly from each other. He had spent years living with Indians and had even married a couple. And though he had been married six times he never had the chance to raise a family, well not a family of blood at least.
There had been a time when he had been the boss of a pony express station in a little town of Sweetwater. There he had met and mentored a group of ragtag boys. Those boys had wormed their way into his heart and he had become a father figure to them. He thought of each one of them as his children, so when Noah joined, he was accepted and became another child to him. And when Lou's secret came out, Teaspoon couldn't even think of turning her away, she was his daughter even if he had thought her a son.
Teaspoon loved each and every one of them like they were his own. So when Ike was taken from him, a piece of his heart died right alongside the boy. Then just a few months later, they lost Noah pointlessly and another piece of Teaspoon's heart died. One by one they left after that, Cody with the army as a scout. Jimmy ran off with that awful woman. Kid and Lou went to the south so Kid could fight. Buck, Teaspoon had tried to keep Buck close but what was there for him there? Buck left and never came back. Teaspoon's heart broke for his broken family.
News had trickled in over the years. First Kid had been killed in the war and another piece of Teaspoon's heart died. The doctors said his old heart couldn't take much more so when news came that Jimmy had been killed at a card game, Teaspoon's heart just gave out on him. His boys and girl came home to him then, they were finally back together.
Lou sat in-between her remaining family, each with a glass of whiskey before them. Cody had his arm around her shoulder as she fought back the tears. Buck held his medicine pouch in his hand as he closed his eyes in silent prayer for the ones they had lost; he could feel their spirits close by. Cody raised his glass in the air, "I'd like to make a toast to Teaspoon. He was more than a boss and mentor; he was a father to us all when we needed one most. He will be sorely missed but I reckon the others needed him more."
"To Teaspoon," Buck and Lou said as they held up their glasses, their ghostly counterparts doing the same.
Teaspoon looked at all his boys and girl. Cody, Lou, and Buck sat across from him, seeking comfort from each other. Ike and Noah sat to his right and Kid and Jimmy to his left, as they sat watching their old friends. He had done something right. Even after all these years they were still a family, even the ones that had gone on before.
The invisible looked up as the three living sitting across from them rose from their places. Cody kissed Lou's cheek before donning his hat and walking towards the door. Lou looked around the room where they all had done a lot of growing up; so much had changed since then. She had married and been widowed and had married again. She smiled sadly as she too turned to leave the room, at the door she stopped and looked back. "You coming Buck?"
"I'm right behind you sweetheart." Buck said as he too put his hat back on and walked to the door only to stop and look back at the empty table and the five shots of whiskey. He smiled knowing that while he may not see them, his family was there. "Goodbye my brothers. Teaspoon you take care of them."
They watched as Buck turned and closed the door behind him. "Now how did he know we was here?" Jimmy asked.
"He's Buck." Ike said with a smile.
"I see I still have things to teach you boys if you don't know how Buck knew." Teaspoon stated with a grin.
He looked back at the closed door. He could hear his children talking on the other side. They would be alright without him. "I reckon it was time for me to move on, those three can look after each other from now on, and you four need me now."
"We always needed you Teaspoon." Ike said quietly.
"Even when we didn't think we did." Noah added.
"Even when we were too stubborn and went off and did what we wanted anyway." Kid stated.
"And especially when we went down a road that you tried to steer us away from." Jimmy added.
"I'll let ya'll in on a little secret." Teaspoon whispered leaning in, his lost sons doing the same. "I needed ya'll too."