-Loyalty-
AN: This is a one-shot of the regulators. I've added some scenes and some situations may be slightly different then the movie.
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The sky had turned dark over the town of Lincoln, the regulators and McSweens' were hauled upstairs in the attic while the street was loaded up with sand bags barricaded around the house. The opponents of the house were spread around the attic, each body sagged and mind worn against the furniture and walls.
Alex and Susan had covered themselves up with a blanket behind some of the trunks, giving them some personal space from the regulators. Steve and Chavez sat together against one side of the wall and not far from them was Charley and Doc against another wall. Billy had seated himself at the window, giving him a clear view of the street and the sand bags. Jody couldn't have cared less what was happening outside the house, after the death of John, her life seemed to turn into moments, where one moment could take everything that was handed to them and left little to plan for the future.
She wondered what it would be if John was still breathing, if Dick would still be riding around the ranch keeping them in order. Doc would be reading or writing one of his poems while Charley would be cleaning out the stables and talking to the horses. Of course Steve and Chavez would be at each other's throat about some remark. And John, he would be in the house or outside on the ranch, always trying to educate them. As for herself, she would do anything to be back in the kitchen cooking for fellas or helping Charley in the stables. As much as she complained about the hot stove and smelly horses, she would do anything to go back there.
Instead, she found herself laying on her back, arms behind her head and gun tucked against her side staring at the wooden ceiling of the McSween's house. She knew coming to Lincoln was a ruthless idea, they were watching for them but she couldn't leave the boys no matter what situation occurred because they were pals, family.
She looked over to Charley, he seemed lost at thought as he fingered the strip of material that his newly wedded wife had given to him hours before they'd ridden to Lincoln. She had wanted to yell at the man when he threw away the opportunity to stay with his wife, a chance to start a new path that was different to the one set out for them. On the other hand she could understand why he hadn't left, it was the same reason she'd stayed though Jody's was slightly more selfish ones.
"It would be wise to sleep." A voice beside her whispered.
She slowly turned her head to Chavez, her reason to not riding away from the bullshit that had been created. "We're going to die anyway." Jody answered, fully accepting her fate.
"There is still hope." He replied without hesitation.
"Maybe." She simply answered, not fully believing in her own words.
"We'll get through it." The power in his voice caught her off guard and she believed in him. Just like all those other times, Chavez would pull through. She didn't know how he managed it but he was always there when she needed a hand whether she wanted it or not. She had grown to feel close to the man, developed feelings for him but she was never sure whether it was one sided or a mutual feeling. "Sleep." He whispered once again and this time she actually listened to him and closed her eyes.
Jody woke the next morning to find one of the jackets covering her body. Her fingers brushed against the soft fur as she collected her thoughts for a few moments, she got up and slide down the side of the wall next to Chavez. "Thanks." She whispered, handing back the jacket that he easily put back on. "Did you get any sleep?" He nodded his head but she could see it couldn't have been many hours with the black lines under his eyes.
She laid her head back against the wall, face titled up as she closed her eyes and let pleasant memories make her feel safe– the time John had taken her in.
She could remember feeling rattled to the bone, a hunger having developed in her stomach for some days when she took to stealing bread from the local bakery, then there was the yelling and shooting that caused her to become out of breathe as she ran too hid behind the houses on the main street.
She had found a spot to hid, the hard ground against her buttocks while she hurriedly ate the bread in her hands. Jody had been too busy filling her stomach that she didn't notice the blonde haired man coming to stand in front of her.
A hat sat on his blonde hair and a book in his hands when his presence finally drew to her. "How does a warm bed and food sound?" He softly questioned. The man's question put her on alert, her thoughts going straight to prostitution which she'd violently deny. "During the day, you'd work on the ranch to earn your stay." The blonde had continued when he got no response from the thin woman.
"And I can leave at any time?" She answered, trying to come to terms with the surreal offer.
"Any time." The blonde agreed, removing his eyes from the book to the young woman in front of him. "If you'd follow me." Without waiting for a response, he moved from his spot against the wall and started to make his way back to John and the horses.
Jody sat there for a second, watching the blonde get further from her. She had this chance to have something better and she had the ability to leave if it didn't turn out. Not wanting to think more detail about it, she quickly got up and followed the blonde.
Later, she found that the owner of the ranch was John and the blonde haired man went by the name of Doc. It also happened to be the first time she'd slept on a mattress and had warm food in belly for nine years.
"They've sent in the troops," Billy laughed, pulling Jody from her thoughts as she watched the men huddle to the windows to see the newest guests.
"Billy, we're good but this is getting ridiculous." Doc said from beside Steve, who was slack jawed at the sight.
A small sign left Jody before she made her way over to the men to see the 'troops' that Billy was speaking about. She leaned against the wall and turned her head to glance outside, Billy was correct in his observation – men on horses' rod through town with sureness. "We're screwed." She responded and moved her head away from the window to not be spotted.
"Thanks for the vote of confidence Jody!" Charley said sarcastically from his spot.
"Any time." She muttered, pulling one of her gun from the hostler to make sure it would be ready when she needed it.
With her guns ready, she check back outside to the gathering of soldiers to see Murphy pull up in his wagon – Aaron was up front with his father with Judge and Bristol in the back along with Murphy's China doll, Yen. "Why don't someone just put a bullet in Murphy's head now?" She questioned to the boys but was looking at Billy.
"To dangerous for Yen." Doc told her, standing beside Jody to get the view that she had.
She couldn't help but notice the adornment in the Doc's eyes as he caught sight of Yen and worried about her safety. She wandered if any man would glanced at her with the same eyes. At her thoughts, she couldn't help her eyes flicker to the Indian in the room. The moment was only brief as her green eyes was caught by his brown ones. "Whats the-"
"Yen!" She was cut off by Doc yelling out. Jody caught sight of the China doll running from the wagon to the house, their house with the soldiers trailing after her. Doc quickly shot at the soldiers, making them turn and run back to the barricade in the street. "Cover me!" He sternly told her and ran down stairs.
"Burn it!" Murphy screamed out in the street, the man was furious as he left the seat of the wagon.
"But Father, I want that Montgomery girl!" Aaron whined from beside his father.
Murphy turned to his son, "That brat is a breed! Half Cherokee, Aaron. No son of mine will take with trash like that, unless it has something to do with politics or self-pleasure." He yelled.
Aaron squared his shoulders, "Then bring her down and make her my personal whore. If I can't marry her then I'll own her." He argued.
The angry voice of Murphy and whine of Aaron brought back memories, memories of a childhood that she would rather forget. Her own experience of being sold and appointed as someone's 'personal whore'. The one man she had trusted in her childhood had turned his back on her, her own father had sold her for money. It was her reason for running away and finding herself in an unfamiliar town, and the stealing of a loaf of bread. All the horrible events leding to John and the regulators.
She was roughly pulled by her thoughts at Doc running upstairs with Yen by his side. The young China woman seemed frazzled at the events but content at been by Doc's side.
"Take cover!" Billy shouted before an explosion of gunfire hit the house. Jody was struck within her thoughts, her movements slow at hearing Billy's words which resulted to a bullet graze on her shoulder. The string of the bullet broke through the haze, making her focus her attention to the situation around her.
She was suddenly pulled to the side and away from the firing bullets. "Keep your focus." Chavez muttered into the side of her face as he pulled the teared sleeve to check the wound. She nodded her head and silently watched him observe the graze before ripping a piece of his clothing to wrap around it. "No more." He said after tying the fabric around the wound and moved to the other side of the house to keep an eye on the firing troops.
Jody could remember the heat of the sun shining on her shoulders, sweat dripping down her back with a gun in her hands. She had been standing in the middle of the ranch for half an hour and had yet to hit the post, the target in front of her. "You shoot like a girl." Steve said beside her, chewing on his tobacco.
She threw a dirty glare at Steve, he seem to be taking entertainment from her failure. She'd been here for a little over a week and it was taking some time for the regulators to get comfortable with her about. Steve was probably the worse of them seeming to have difficult speaking to her because of her gender, yet he seem to open up somewhat when she asked about learning to shoot a gun. "I am a girl, dipshit."
Steve paused his chewing to think. "Oh." He simply said seeming at loss to what to say.
She let out a small laugh at his expression and turned back to the target. "At least give me some tips." She suggested to which Steve got that thoughtful look across his face again.
"You're standing to wide." Chavez came up behind them, taking a stand next to Steve.
"What?" She turned to him, glancing down at her feet to see nothing wrong.
"Stand shoulder width apart." Chavez slightly moved forward to tap her feet to emphasis his point. "And try again."
She listened to his instructions and aimed for the post once again. Pulling the trigger of the gun made a shutter ran up her arms and once again she missed the target. She tried to hold in the curse and bit her bottom lip without turning to the men beside her.
"Take a breath when you pull the trigger." Chavez said once again before walking away. She bit her lip harder, trying to suppress anything rude from leaving her mouth.
When Jody heard the two men leave her with the gun and untouched post, she got back into her stand with her feet shoulder width and she inhaled deeply before pulling trigger once again. She frowned at the result, the bullet had imbedded itself into the post.
"They lit it boy! They lit the house!" Steve yelled from behind Susan and Alex.
"Mr. Bonney! Mr. McSween! This is Colonel Nathan Dudley! Come out with your hands high!" Dudley shouted from outside the house when it creased fire.
Billy's laughter filled the house arctic. "With your hands high." He mimicked Dudley. "I better reason with him." He said to no apparent person and turned his head to the side to answer outside. "Hey Colonel Shithead, you can kiss my ass!" Billy yelled, laughing as he did so.
"God Damn it, Billy!" Alex yelled from beside his wife.
"You are going to get us killed." Jody threw a look over to Billy who simply smiled at her. "Christ." She cursed as the house started to fill up with smoke, it was pouring into the open windows. She took a quick glance outside the window and found tall, orange flames licking at the porch roof.
"Jody, now would be a great time to figure out a plan." Steve said across from her, guarding his own window from the troops.
"Yeah, I'll just pull it out of my ass!" She snapped back sarcastically. Jody pulled her shirt high enough to cover her nose to help with the smothering smoke. On the other side of things, she knew that Steve had a point – they needed to find a way out.
They somehow always got into some type of trouble, whether it be about a woman or showing some respect to whomever, mostly it was pointed towards John. Maybe it was because they had all come from different parts of America and had their own background, but someone was always able to make a plan, even Steve had a few good ideas here and there. Or it could have been the fact that between the group, there was never any struggle having each other's back in a punch out. Charley could always knock a man off his feet with a few hard thrusts of his fists. And it was either Doc or Dick who made sure that none of them would step over that fine line of defending and ruthless actions.
Unfortunately, she could remember the times that her gender had cause more than a few curse words and thrusting fists. She'd always have one of the guys defending her honor though she clearly wasn't an innocent babe. The protective actions of the guys would always make her heart swelled though she wouldn't admit it out loud. Not that she needed the guys to handle her business but John always gave her a stern gaze when a curse or violent actions would come out of her – it wasn't exactly proper manners of a woman. John would usually have firm words with her afterwards which Dick always interrupted, getting Jody off the hook to continue her tasks on the ranch.
If Dick was here now, he'd know what to do. He always did, his presence seeming like an older brother to her. She'd looked up to him since the first day arriving at the ranch – he always seemed put together compared to herself.
Another round of fire happened upon the house, pulling Jody back to the presence to hear Billy laughing at the bullet assault aimed at them. "What the hell are you laughing about?" She yelled to the blonde who seemed to be calling the shots lately.
"I guess that's a no for the president coming here." Billy replied to her. His behavior was starting to grate on Jody's nerves, he was being reckless and she didn't want to lose another brother.
"Hey Kinney! You Bastard! I'm going to shoot your ass from here to Patricio if I have to, you shot dog!" Charley yelled from the window, his assault directed at John Kinney. With his statement said, he stood up and fired his guns out the window while Billy was cheering him on.
"Jesus Charley." She muttered, hoping none of the troopers got a bullet into the newly wedded man.
"Alex, get Susan out of here!" Doc yelled from his post at the window, Yen was huddled beside the blonde man.
Alex started to gather Susan but the woman started yelling, not wanting to be separated from her husband. Jody thought about going over to them but didn't want to leave her post at the window, she didn't trust the damn troops to not move forward. Alex finally managed to get Susan moving and led her to the door, sending her out the front with her hands held high while Alex slowly moved back towards the stairs, the energy seeming to zap out of him now that his wife was out of harm's way.
"You should see if you could go." Doc's voice reached her ears, catching her attention and making her realise that his words were directed at her.
"I'm staying." She firmly said.
"Jody?" Doc questioned, ever a gentleman.
"I'm not leaving my pals." She answered, pulling out her second hand gun to define her point – she was not leaving her family.
Doc frowned at the woman across from him but understood her reasons and turned to the Yen beside him, wanting to get her out of the burning house to which she also ignored his advice – women, he'd never truly understand them.
It was the first couple of days since she'd been at the ranch, John had assigned her to the kitchen and helping Charley in the stables. She knew very little of kitchen, let alone any recipes on how to cook a meal. She had managed to put together sandwiches for the guys when they came in for lunch, but standing in the kitchen now, she was at a loss to preparing something for dinner.
"Need a hand?" Doc stepped into the kitchen, surprising the woman as Jody hadn't realise that she wasn't alone.
She was prepared to say 'no' but bit her lip and let her pride be wounded for a moment. "I don't know what to make." She said, not ready to admit that she knew nothing of a kitchen – it hadn't been her job at the whorehouse and on the road she merely took what she could.
"I know a few tricks." He simply answered, not wanting to cause the woman any embarrassment and only help her, every regulator had been in her position before. "We'll make a strew tonight with some bread." He reached for the pots and grabbed the largest out to sit on the table. "Strews are easy, you can throw anything in them." Doc grabbed some vegetables and put the food between them before grabbing a knife. "Cut the veggies up then we'll move to cooking the bread."
"Cooking the bread?" Jody asked, meeting another thing she didn't know.
"One thing at a time." Doc started to cut the vegetables, explaining things here and there to woman. She seemed to catch on quickly and remember his words– she'd be a master in the kitchen once he finished with her.
Jody was helping Steve and Alex throw belongs out the house window, wanting to save them from the flames and also help with their case. She'd just thrown out a pile of books when Steve's voice broke through her concentration. "Where's Chavez?" She straightened up and looked around the house attic, hoping that Steve was misplaced in his words but she couldn't find any sight of the Indian man.
"I don't know." Doc answer him, his words making Jody's heart fall to her feet.
Instantly, Steve started kicking belongings around the room and cursing the man. "I knew we shouldn't have trusted him! He left us here to die!" He shouted in anger.
"He wouldn't leave us." She said in denial though the empty room was evidence by it. "His downstairs." She answered, starting to make her way towards the stairs hoping he'd be down there.
Doc caught her arms before she could make way down the stairs, he stared at her in understanding though he couldn't allow her to get hurt. "No, he is not." He said quietly, like talking to a child.
"But he-" She tried again to find answers – he wouldn't have left them, left her.
"No." Doc said answer, a little more sternly and moved her away from the stairs.
"He bloody left us!" Steve shouted again, driving it home for Jody that he'd truly left them in the burning house.
"I have an idea!" Billy yelled over the top of Steve's tantrum.
It was good that one of them had finally come up with an idea but Jody couldn't have cared less now about whether or not she survived. The two most important people to her had vanished – John and Chavez. And there was no way she was going back to living a life on her back with her legs spread wide, the least she could do was get the rest of the guys out of here - Alex back to Susan, Charley to his new wife, Doc with his sweetheart Yen and her buddies Steve and Billy to a full life.
They'd all said their goodbyes to one another, knowing that their chance of actually getting out alive with Billy's insane plan was thin. They were hoping that the element of surprise would be on their side as the five of them wasn't much compared to the group of troops.
Jody stood with Steve at the bottom of the stairs, standing close to the door for their part in Billy's plan. Doc had tried to get her to stay above with the rest of them but she couldn't let Steve go out the side without someone having his back. She waited for the signal, keeping eye contact with Steve during the whole situation – she wouldn't put it past him to suddenly run out and start shooting.
The sound of trunk falling out of the window of the attic house was their sign. Jody rechecked the load of bullets in her guns before quickly making her way out with Steve at hearing Billy make a surprise act by springing from the trunk in front of the troops.
She fired in the direction of the troops, guns in both hands as she tried to one of the bastards. Her aim was to simply give everyone a chance to get out of the house, cover them until they could get to safer ground. She tried to ignore the graze on her arm and the newest ones on her body, the adrenalinerushing through her body helped with keeping her mind focused. Doc and Yen moved out between them, trying to find some safety. Charley came to stand beside her, joining her ranks. "Charley, get the hell out of here!" She yelled towards him, he had a wife for Christ sakes.
"Not without you Jo!" He replied, continuing to watch her back like she was doing for Steve.
"Chavez!" Steve suddenly yelled, seeing the Indian riding down the street with their horses following.
"Regulators!" Chavez yelled to his pals.
"Now, it's time to leave." Charley shouted at her, nudging her in the direction of the horses. With the nudge from Charley, she started for the horses knowing that turning her back was a sure way of getting shot but Charley was right behind her, or at least she thought he was. "Kinney! You Bastard! It's you and I!" He yelled in the troop's direction to where John Kinney was huddled after seeing the man shoot at bullet into Billy.
"Charley!" She screamed trying to get his attention, wanting him to get on the damn horse. She grabbed her brown horses from Chavez, brieflyglancing at him as she couldn't pin point the emotions swirling in her at that time of point – maybe relief that he'd come back but pissed that he'd left without a word to begin with. "Charley, get your ass on a horse!"
With the reins in her hands, she tried getting on the frightened horse while Chavez fired his gun at the opposing side. "Jody!" Chavez warned.
"I'm getting on!" She snapped in irritation, knowing that their plan was going pear shaped. She'd seen Doc and Yen managed their escape which brought some relief. Jody glanced up just in time, seeing a bullet get Steve and bringing him to the ground. "Chavez, get Steve!" He threw her a concerned look before kicking his horse towards their fellow regulator.
Suddenly everything seemed to happen at the same time – Steve, Charley and even Billy was getting shot up. "Get out of here Jody!" Charley yelled in her direction while Chavez rod in her direction holding himself tightly from a wound without Steve by his side, he was with Charley standing against the troops before being shot down.
"Go." Chavez demanded, hitting the ass of her horse to make it start forward out of town. She grabbed onto the reins, giving her horse a kick in the sides once she saw Chavez following right behind her. She managed to see Billy on a horse before they turned the corner, finding Doc and Yen ahead of them.
She glanced behind her again, hoping to see Steve or Charley follow but there was no sign of them, even Billy wasn't in her view. "Where's Billy?!" She asked, turning her horse back around before anyone could say something.
She got to the street straying near the corner for cover, enough to see Billy sitting there on his horse with his gun raised and pointed at Murphy – the bastard who had started everything. "Reap it Murphy, you son of a bitch!" Billy said before pulling the trigger and sending a bullet to the middle of Murphy's forehead. "Now it's over." He said satisfied and turned his horse in the direction of the rest of them.
She followed suit, not letting her eyes wander to find her friends bodies and rod beside Billy back to the others. "It's finally over." She whispered to herself, the words bringing some relief and justice to the last few weeks with John, Dick, Charley and Steve.
"Rid out!" Billy yelled to the remaining group and one by one they followed suit behind him to the edge of Lincoln County.
Jody couldn't believe the remainder of them – four regulators were left standing together at the edge of the County. "We're going separate ways." She whispered, it wasn't a question more of a statement. Truly, she wished they could stay together and make it feel semi home again, like they had at the ranch.
"Yen and I are going to head East." Doc answered.
"Finally be a teacher." Jody lightly teased, remembering their conversations.
He nodded his head slowly in thought. "What about you?" He would gladly offer a place with them for Jody, the woman was like a sister to him. Jody shrugged her shoulders, not sure what the future held for her. "Well I'll see you guys around," He spoke to the group before turning his attention back to the woman. "You're always welcomed."
"You too." She answered honestly.
The three regulators watched Doc and Yen head off in the opposite direction they had come. "You know, I'd take you along with me," Billy dragged in a dramatic breathe. "But you'd probably get in my way." She threw a glare at Billy, only receiving a joking smile from the man.
"You may join me." Chavez offered, making her nervous at the prospect of them being together without the rest of the regulators.
"She's all yours Chavez." Billy said without missing a beat. "I'll see ya later." He gripped his reins and kicked his horse in the direction of New Mexico leaving the two regulators. Jody had a funky feeling that it wouldn't be the last time they saw Billy, the last time she'd see any of her pals.
"Where too now?" Jody asked, reminding her of the times they had talked about places they had seen or wanted to explore.
"You always spoke of California." Chavez remembered
"I don't mind where we go." She spoke honestly – she'd go anywhere with him by her side.
"Let's start with California." Chavez answered, liking the idea of spending some quiet time together.
"California." She agreed sharing a smile with Chavez before they kicked their horses in their new destination.