FINAL JUSTICE: The Sentencing of Ella Gaines

By Charli911 & Larabeelady

Completed 9/23/03

Disclaimer: Mag 7 and the boys belong to other people. I borrow them for short times and then give then back for other people to borrow. I try not to hurt them too badly and always heal them completely before I give them back. The boys (sigh) belong to Trilogy Entertainment and the Mirisch Group

AN: Consider this my sequel to the episode: Obsession. Many spoilers for that episode and Nemesis.

Kanahe and the rest of the Indian tribe are my own, but anyone is welcome to use them if they'd like. The Indian's names were made up by the authors and have no meaning as far as we know in the Indian culture or Language. We did not research any Indian language for the names.

Previously archived on Lady Angel's

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Chapter 1

Vin Tanner was tired. He'd been on the trail for three weeks, following what had been a promising lead to a killer. A month earlier, Ella Gaines had escaped the grasp of the seven peacekeepers of Four Corners. She had spun a tale, making the men feel sorry for her, thinking she was in danger.

It was all a ploy to get Chris Larabee in her clutches and had nearly cost them all their lives. After a shoot-out at her ranch between the seven men and Ella's hired guns, she had managed to ride away, leaving a wounded and bleeding Larabee on the ground in her wake. Tanner and Buck Wilmington had tracked her from the ranch, but lost her within a week. Just days after returning to Four Corners, they received a telegram that a woman fitting Ella's description had been spotted near the tiny town of Russell.

Vin had convinced Larabee that he should follow up on this lead by himself. Chris was still recovering from his injuries and neither man wanted to leave the town short-handed of lawmen for an indefinite period of time. They were already down one man with Chris out of the action. So Larabee agreed that he should go alone, with Vin's assurance that he would be careful and check in often by telegraph.

Vin's promise to notify Chris immediately if she was found had been the only thing keeping a still recovering Chris from riding with him. It was hoped that by the time Vin was able to confirm or deny that the woman was Ella, Chris would be fully recovered from his wound and able to travel.

But the lead had proved false. Vin hadn't been able to verify that the woman seen had been Ella. And any traces of that woman had vanished. He stayed in the area an extra week, just to be sure. But it was time to head back. He'd decided to go back by a different route, which would bring him close to a small Indian village he was familiar with.

He planned to stay a couple of days to refresh his spirit from the long days of frustration and disappointment. He was still angry at himself for missing Ella with his hasty shot just before she rode away from the gunfight. Some sharpshooter, he chastised himself. She'd been too far for the bullet from his shortened barrel to reach her.

And he'd been too concerned with his friend writhing on the ground in pain to worry about following her at the time. He had hoped to remedy that mistake with this trip, but had been frustrated every step of the way.

He rode over a ridge and reined in his horse. A smile crept over his face as he looked down on the small gathering of tipis and saw the people moving around. He waited until someone noticed him. Less than a minute later, a young brave looked his way. Tanner saw him turn and call out to someone behind him.

Vin's smile grew as he recognized the man who approached the brave. It appeared that Kanahe was still the Chief of this little band. The older man looked up, watching. Vin removed his hat. Moments later, Kanahe grinned and started talking animatedly to several others who had gathered around him as he walked to the edge of the village.

That's what Vin had been waiting for. It was his invitation to enter the village. Kanahe had recognized him and was welcoming him.

Carefully, he guided his mount down the hill, pulling up a few feet from the Chief. He dismounted and handed the reins of his horse to a young Indian boy who had run over at the Chief's instruction. The boy led the black horse to the riverbank where he would allow him to drink before removing his saddle and leading him to graze among the tribe's horses.

"Kanahe, thank you for welcoming me into your village," Vin said in the Chief's language.

"Silent One will always be welcomed by my people," the Chief replied. The two men smiled as they remembered how Vin had received his name when their village's medicine woman remarked that he was as silent as a shadow when he moved. She had been surprised that a white man could be so quiet. She'd declared that he must be part Indian.

"Come, eat with us," Kanahe invited.

They walked to the center of the village, the braves who had joined the Kanahe relaxing once they realized that the white man was a friend of their Chief. As they walked, Vin glanced around, recognizing a few of the others who were slowly moving back into the open, after hiding when the word first went up that a white man was on the ridge.

Many of the younger children shied away from him, the first white man they'd ever seen. Most of the others had seen whites before, many having no use for them. But this man was known to the older members of the tribe and had been welcomed by their leader as a friend. Therefore they would welcome him as well.

A high-pitched squeal from his left caused Vin to turn just as an older woman rushed up and hugged him. She spoke rapidly in her language, too rapidly for Vin to keep up. It had been many years since he spoken it.

Kanahe laughed as his wife fussed over the young man. Vin Tanner had saved the life of three of the tribe's children several years earlier. His act had given him status as a member of the tribe and Kanahe's wife, Susone, had taken over the role of mother for the already-grown Vin Tanner. She always welcomed him enthusiastically during his infrequent visits.

Vin's discomfort around women was obvious to the Chief and had always been a source of amusement. It didn't matter the age, women seemed to make him blush when they fussed over him. But just because he disliked like the attention, didn't mean he turned away from it. It wasn't so much that he was shy; it was more just a desire not to be the center of attention.

And it didn't keep him from spending time with the young Indian women who were willing. In fact, the young man never lacked for attention when he came to visit. More than one had tried to persuade the young man to stay with the tribe. But he always moved on.

Another scream brought Vin's attention away from the old woman. This scream was not one of pleasure, but pain. No one else in the village seemed in the least affected by the screams. Vin turned to the Chief.

"Someone's hurtin'," he commented.

"Yes. Do not worry. It will be over soon."

"Somebody hurt?"

"In a way, yes," the Chief replied cryptically. Vin frowned, then turned to move in the direction of the screams, which Vin could tell came from a female. Kanahe followed him, interested in the man's reaction to what he would see.

As Vin rounded a group of large trees another scream echoed. What he saw froze his forward motion. A woman was hanging between two trees, her arms stretched out, wrists tied with ropes, one attached to each tree. A white woman.

She was facing away from Vin, but her clothing and long brown curly hair was evidence of her color. The long locks were matted and ratty, her clothing torn and dirty. The rear of her dress was ripped open from neck to waist, baring the light skin underneath, which was marred with bloody slash marks,

While Vin watched, an Indian woman whom he recognized picked up a long thin switch and swung it against the exposed skin. Tanner flinched along with the woman, knowing how painful it was to be marked that way. He'd suffered that particular treatment in the past, although not by Indian hands.

"What did she do?" Vin asked, knowing that the punishment would not be unwarranted.

"She killed Little Dove's son."

Vin turned a shocked face toward Kanahe.

"Not Mondoc. Her younger son. You did not know him. He was born after you left." Kanahe did not say the young boy's name. This tribe, as many, did not speak the names of their dead, afraid it would call them back from the spirit world.

"How'd it happen?"

"She tried to steal a horse. Her own was lame. Our warriors tried to stop her. The boy had been sitting near the women while they sewed and talked. She rode the horse straight through them. A hoof hit him in the head. We could not save him."

Vin heard the sadness in his voice and saw the pain in his eyes. Any child of the tribe was a child of the Chief and Vin knew the old man would have felt the loss deeply.

"What's a white woman doing so far out?" Vin asked. "It's several hours ride to any white town."

"We do not know," Kanahe replied. "We looked for her people. We did not want her men coming into the village looking for her. But she was alone. We found no other tracks and no signs of other whites."

"Know her name?"

"She will not tell us. She offers us money for our loss," Kanahe spat in disgust.

"Reckon I can talk to her, ask her name, in case she has family? Should let 'em know she's dead."

Kanahe was pleased. Yes, Silent One understood the Indians right for vengeance and would not interfere. Not that Kanahe was surprised.

"I will ask Little Dove," he offered. "She has control of the woman's destiny."

Kanahe approached the grief stricken mother and spoke softly to her. As Vin waited, others from the tribe gathered around, including Little Dove's husband and their surviving son. Neither was ever far away from Little Dove, both needing to be part of the punishment of the white woman who had caused so much pain.

There had been much discussion in the tribe about what to do with the woman. Eventually, the Chief had decided to leave her punishment up to the dead child's parents. Little Dove's husband, Tonti, had wanted to just kill her outright. But Little Dove would not settle for a quick death. Her grief demanded retribution. The others left her to it, checking on her frequently to be sure she rested and ate. They all knew that the white woman would die. It was just a matter of when.

Vin Tanner knew it too. He'd spent enough time with The People to be aware of their customs and laws. This was justice being served as far as he was concerned. He was glad that the woman had been alone. He didn't want some white man's posse coming back and killing the tribe for doling out justice as the tribe deemed fit. "White's man's" justice had killed too many Indians already.

Vin would try to notify any family the woman had, but they would not be given any details of her death. No body would be retrieved, so no questions could be asked about the marks her body bore. She would die either way, and even though he might have to lie, it was a small price to pay for the continued safety of the tribe.

"Little Dove remembers you and knows you understand her grief. She gives her permission for you to speak with the woman," Kanahe told Vin when he joined the tracker again.

Vin nodded and walked toward the Indian woman. He placed a hand on Little Dove's arm as her husband moved to stand beside her.

"Thank you for lettin' me talk ta her. I'm sorry about your boy. May the Great Spirit welcome him."

A sad smile graced the face of Little Dove, then she closed her eyes and turned around, excepting the comfort offered by her husband. Tonti nodded at Vin, then led his wife away to get some rest. Others would keep watch over the captive until she could return.

Vin walked around the white woman, moving in front of her. Her head was down. Dirty, brown hair covered her face. She was panting, trying to get air into her laboring lungs through her sobs. Vin watched her for several minutes before he spoke, allowing her breathing to calm a bit.

"Do ya have any family ya want me to contact?" he quietly asked the battered woman.

Slowly, she raised her head, the hair still partially covering the dirt-crusted face. When she opened her eyes Vin gasped and took an involuntary step back.

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For several moments neither spoke. "Vin? Vin Tanner?" The raspy voice was nothing like the woman he knew.

"Why don't it surprise me that you're the one involved in all this?" he asked, staring disgustedly at the figure before him.

"Oh, thank God!" she exclaimed, not noticing the look on his face. She tugged at the ropes around her wrists. "Cut me loose. We have to get out of here."

"Ella, Ella, Ella," he said, shaking his head. "What the hell ya doing way out here, so far away from feather beds and hired killers."

"Cut me loose! We have to get away from these savages!"

"You're getting what ya deserve. Ya killed Little Dove's child."

"You bastard! You're the reason Chris turned against me!" Her normal lady-like appearance was marred by the dirt and grime of her situation.

Tanner smiled. "I believe this is what Josiah Sanchez would call...now how did he put it that time...oh yeah, 'de-vine intervention'. Looks like the Great Spirit has decided ya should pay for yer crimes."

"Crimes? I've committed no crimes. Now, cut me down. I'll make it worth your while."

"Ya gonna pay me to cut ya loose?" Vin asked.

"Whatever you want. I have more money than you would make in ten lifetimes," she replied eagerly.

"I don't want yer money."

"I can show you pleasures you've never experienced before." She tried to smile, but the sultry gaze she was aiming for looked ludicrous surrounded by the grimy face and matted hair.

He laughed. "You're gonna bed me?" he asked, incredulous. He began laughing harder, which caused her to scowl. "Lady, I wouldn't sleep with ya if ya were the last woman in the territory. I'd never be able to pull out the knife once ya stabbed me in the back."

"I thought you were a friend of Chris Larabee's," she said, seething.

"And I thought you loved Chris Larabee," he stated. "Ain't that what ya told him?"

"I do love him!" she cried. "If you let me go, he'll be forever grateful to you."

"If I let ya go, he'll shoot me."

"Christopher loves me," she insisted. "He'd thank you for saving me."

Vin just shook his head in disbelief. "You're insane. Ya killed his family. He wants ta see ya hang."

"No. No, Christopher would never allow that to happen. He understands I only did what I had to do so that we could be together. They were in the way. That woman and her brat were just confusing him, keeping him from me."

Vin watched her for several moments then reached to his belt and slid his long-bladed knife from its sheath.

Ella smiled. "Yes, that's right. Cut me loose and we can ride away from these savages. I promise you won't regret it." She turned and looked at her left wrist, sure she was about to be released.

She gasped when the blade touched her cheek. She felt the blunt end of the steel slide down her cheek and along her jaw. She slowly turned her face back to the front. Fear clutched at her as the tip of the knife moved to press into the flesh below her chin, pushing her head up so that she was eye-to-eye with Vin Tanner.

Hatred shot from the tracker's eyes and he pressed harder against the knife. She gasped again.

"I should kill ya right now," he hissed. "But Little Dove would hate me for deprivin' her of her justice."

"Who...who is Little Dove?" she stammered, trying not to move, afraid the blade would cut into her throat.

"Little Dove is the mother of the child ya killed," he snarled. "Just rode over him and trampled him under yer horse, like he was a piece of dirt!" He moved closer. She could smell the leather and sweat from his body. He reached up with his other hand and wrapped his fingers through her ragged hair, pulling back her head and exposing her throat. He repositioned the knife so that the blunt side of the blade lay alongside her neck.

He dragged the tip along her skin, across her throat to the other side of her neck. "If it was up ta me, I'd carve ya up and let ya bleed out, real slow," he whispered. "I'd lay ya spread-eagle in the desert, let the sun bake yer skin until it falls off yer bones, watch ya blister up and see yer eyes pop outta yer skull." His voice was low and intense, he knife blade moving along her skin as he continued. "Yer tongue would swell up so big ya wouldn't be able to swallow. Then ya wouldn't be able to breathe."

Although the words were softly spoken, he may as well have shouted them for the impact they had. Her eyes grew wider and her breath more rapid. He could feel her begin to tremble. It brought a smile to his face.

"Ya killed Sarah and Adam! Ya killed the boy in the village! No telling how many more deaths ya been responsible for. Ya deserve t' die and ya will. The tribe will see to it. And I reckon their way will be a lot more painful than a hanging, which is what ya'd get if I took ya back. But either way, ya'd be dead."

He pulled back and returned the knife to his sheath. Looking over her shoulder, he spoke to someone behind her in a language she didn't understand. After a few minutes of conversation he looked back at her.

"Enjoy yer stay in the village, Ella," he said with a smile. "The Chief and I need to talk."

He walked away, her shouting voice following him. "No! You can't leave me here! They'll kill me. Please! I'll give you anything you want. Anything."

He turned back to her. "Can ya bring Little Dove's son back? Can ya make it so Sarah and Adam are still alive? Cuz that's what ya'd have to do to save yer life."

She didn't reply, only began to struggle more fiercely. Vin spoke briefly to one of the braves, who nodded and turned back to the woman. They would keep a close eye on her. If Silent One said she was dangerous and clever, they would be sure that she was secured and couldn't escape.

Vin walked away with Kanahe as she began to yell again, cussing him and pleading for relief.

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Chris Larabee leaned back in his chair outside the jail, balancing on the rear legs. He was feeling much better, the bullet wound in his side almost completely healed. Nathan had cleared him to be able to ride again several days earlier. He'd eagerly ridden out to his shack for a bit, returning to town just that morning.

He smiled as he watched the antics of JD Dunne and Buck Wilmington. It felt good to smile again. After everything he'd learned about Ella he never thought he would ever get over his rage and disbelief. The pain of Sarah and Adam's deaths could still overwhelm him. He still reeled from the discovery of her part in the murders, but tried to keep him mind on happier things. It wasn't easy.

When Ella had first come back into his life, he was ready for a little fun. And after experiencing the few short days at her ranch, he thought he'd even been ready to settle down again.

His guilt at bedding the woman who'd killed his family still caused his gut to clench, as did his callous dismissal of Vin Tanner for telling Chris the truth about Ella. He looked down the dirt street.

Tanner was out there somewhere, still chasing that murderous bitch. He'd vowed to Chris that he wouldn't return until he'd found her. Oh, how Larabee had wanted to ride out with him. But the younger man had been right. Chris just hadn't been well enough to accompany him.

Chris' thoughts were interrupted by a shout. "Mr. Larabee!" He glanced the other way to see Michael Tucker running toward him, waving a piece of paper. The Tucker boy was only ten years old, but he often delivered telegrams for his father, who ran the telegraph office. Michael jumped onto the boardwalk and stopped near Chris.

Michael held a paper out toward the gunfighter. "It's marked urgent," he said.

Chris took the paper and read it over. He smiled and reached into his pocket. He handed Michael a couple of coins. "I need you to send a reply for me."

"Of course, Mr. Larabee," Tucker said, following him inside. Chris pulled out a tablet of paper from the drawer and picked up a pencil. He jotted down some words and handed it to Michael, who ran out the door and raced back to the telegraph office.

Chris stood and walked down the boardwalk to the saloon. He'd seen Buck and JD enter a few minutes ago and figured he'd best let someone know he was leaving town.

He pushed open the batwing doors and headed for the corner table, not surprised to see the rest of the peacekeepers there.

"Morning, boys," he greeted them.

"Morning, Chris," JD said.

"Brother Chris." Josiah nodded a hello.

"How ya feelin' today, Chris?" Nathan asked, as always concerned for his friend's health.

"I'm fine. Just wanted to let y'all know I'll be leaving town for a while."

"Going back to your shack?" Buck asked.

"No, heading to Stacey."

"Stacey? That's three days ride. What's in Stacey?"

"Vin."

The other men didn't respond, but each knew what that meant. When Chris didn't elaborate, Buck stood up.

"He found her," he stated.

"Yes."

"She in jail?" Buck asked Chris.

"He didn't say."

"Alive?"

"I assume."

The other men followed the conversation closely, four heads moving back and forth between the two men.

"But you don't know?"

"Why else would he wire?"

"When are you leaving?" Buck held out his hand.

"An hour." Chris handed the telegram over to Buck, who opened it and read it out loud.

"Found her. Meet soonest. Stacey. Vin." He handed the paper back to Larabee. "I'm going with you."

"No."

"Yes, Chris."

"No, Buck."

"You know how I felt about Sarah and Adam."

"I have to do this alone, Buck."

"Why?"

"I just do."

"Damn it, Chris! I loved them too! I have the right to face her for what she did."

"Buck..."

"No! I am going with you! I don't care what you say. They were my family too. Sarah was like a sister to me. And you know how much I cared for that boy."

"Buck..."

"Don't try to stop me. I want to be there for you, Chris. And I'll just follow you if you..."

"Buck!" Silence swept through the room.

"What?!"

"You made your point."

"Does that mean I can ride with you?"

Chris sighed. "Yes. I'm sorry, Buck. I should have invited you to join me. Sometimes..." He closed his eyes. "Sometimes I forget that I'm not the only one who lost them." He opened his eyes and reached out his hand.

When Buck put his own hand out to shake, Chris grabbed his forearm, a gesture usually reserved for Vin Tanner. They locked eyes, over a decade of friendship reaffirmed in that gaze.

"Let's ride," Chris said. Buck nodded. They turned and walked away. Chris called over his shoulder. "We'll be back when we're done. We'll send word." Then with a swish of the batwing doors, they were gone.

Several long seconds of silence followed. Then Ezra picked up his ever-present deck of cards and began to shuffle.

"Any one for a game?" he asked.

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