"Shit!" Laura Knight muttered under her breath as another bullet flew past, nearly hitting her. She slumped against the wall of the Fort, trying to collect her thoughts; which was quite difficult when you had outlaws firing at you from left, right and centre. Her companion, Jack, was already inside; she could hear his insults and shouts as he shot outlaw after outlaw.
It had been his idea to come and attack the outlaws inside Fort Mercer; for 'fun' he had called it, but to Laura this was anything but fun. Unlike Jack, Laura only really used her guns for self defence; not for full blown assaults like this. Seeing another outlaw pop his scummy head up from behind the wall, she aimed and shot him square in the face. It wasn't that she enjoyed killing people, but it was extremely satisfying.
All of a sudden the doors to the Fort burst open and Jack appeared. She was about to smile and make some remark about the situation they were in, but then she saw what had happened. He was cringing with pain, holding his stomach with one hand and shooting with the other. But what shocked her most was the blood, running down his shirt and staining his trousers. There was a lot of it.
He turned and saw her, his eyes becoming wider as he stumbled towards her.
"L-Laura!" he stuttered, almost falling over as she rushed over to him. Collapsing into her arms, he wheezed heavily, "O-out of here... now," he managed to say, and she nodded, whistling for her horse.
"You stupid, stupid man," she scolded quietly as her horse came to a stop in front of them. Being careful not to hurt him, she helped Jack onto the horse's back. Laura followed, getting into the saddle and grasping the reigns.
Normally she would've said something about making her ride, but since they were currently under fire from twenty or so men, she decided against it. Cracking the reigns, she fired a few more shots before racing off and away from Fort Mercer. Jack leant against her, and she could hear him groaning faintly behind her.
"Get to Lake Don Julio," he said, and she nodded.
"Alright; just try not to throw up until we get there,"
It was dark and raining heavily when they reached the cabin beside the Lake. Hitching her horse to the hitching post, Laura lightly patted its neck.
"Thanks," she whispered, not keen to let Jack know she talked to horses. Reminding herself of a certain gunslinger, she turned. He was leant against one of the posts supporting the porch, breathing heavily. She frowned, walking briskly over to him and grasping his arm.
"What're you standin' in the rain for? Get inside!" she shouted, being careful not to hurt him even more as she pulled him inside the abandoned hut. Jack groaned slightly.
"There's no need t' shout," he replied quietly, and her expression softened slightly.
"Sorry," she paused, her eyes being drawn to the wounds in his torso, "Do you want me to take a look?" she asked, and he stared at her for a moment.
"No... No, it's alright," he replied, only for her frown to appear again, "I don't really see the point in that question; you're going to take a look anyway," he added, making her smirk slightly.
"You learn fast, Mr Marston. Now c'mon, take it off," she ordered, gesturing to his blood soaked shirt. He grumbled, half from the pain and half from annoyance. Tossing her the shirt, she placed it on a nearby table as Jack stood in silence, waiting for her inspection.
Laura gently brushed a hand over the toned muscles of his abdomen, where the wounds were. He inhaled sharply, trying not to cry out but failing miserably. She sighed, standing up again and turning towards the door.
"Where are you going?" he asked, and she smiled warmly.
"Just lay down on that bed there; I'll be back in a minute," she replied, grabbing a nearby bucket and walking out of the door. Jack sighed as he sat down on the edge of the bed, moaning quietly as the dull pain became sharper.
He had met Laura Knight five months ago, and in that short time they had gone from travelling partners to much more. They weren't just friends, but then again they weren't boyfriend and girlfriend either. The term 'friends with benefits' wasn't the right term to use either; Jack had decided that he did actually have loving feelings towards Laura a while ago. Whether or not she felt the same, he didn't know.
His thoughts were interrupted by Laura's return from wherever she had been.
"I thought I told you to lie down," she said jokingly, and he obeyed her command with a smile, lying down on the old mattress. Looking up at her, he saw that in one hand she held a bucket full of water and in the other she held an oil lamp.
"What're you planning to do with those? Burn me?" he questioned, and she smirked.
"As much as I would love to, Jack, I need to clean those bullet wounds," she replied, producing a cloth and dampening it with the water. Slowly, she began to gently clean his wounds; ignoring the occasional hisses and moans of pain from Jack.
Eventually, Laura was satisfied with her work, and reached over for her bag. Jack sat up slightly, watching her curiously.
"What are y' getting now?" he asked, and in her response she pulled out a roll of bandages.
"I took these from somewhere a long time ago; I've never had much use for them," she explained, reaching around and beginning to dress the wound by wrapping the bandages around his stomach. He smiled softly, looking at her with adoration in his eyes.
"You didn't have t' do all this, Laura. I usually manage fine on my own," he whispered, and she gave the bandages on last tug to make sure she'd done it right.
"Yeah, it sure looked like you could've handled yourself back there," she chuckled, sitting on the bed beside him, "You were bawling like a baby, 'Laura! Laura help me!'" she mimicked his voice, making him laugh and push her playfully.
"Oh be quiet," he turned to face her, smiling softly like before. Leaning towards her, he tenderly captured her lips with his own, wrapping his arms around her slender body as the kiss became more passionate. Her hands went to his hair, playing with the short strands at the nape of his neck; pulling him down onto the bed.
The springs creaked, making him chuckle slightly as she positioned herself underneath him. But he pulled away, a loving expression painted on his features.
"I want this too, but I don't think either of us are in a fit state right now," he whispered, and she rolled her eyes.
"Either of us? It's not me who got shot in the stomach three times!" she protested, and he grinned.
"Laura," he replied, laying down beside her and pulling her into him. Whatever rebelliousness was there, it had gone in an instant as Laura snuggled into his warmth.
"We'll get you to a proper doctor in the mornin'," she whispered, and he softly kissed her forehead.
"I love you," he said quietly, and she yawned; obviously half asleep.
"I love you too," she replied sleepily, and Jack grinned. He would definitely have to quote her on that in the morning...
Hi! I hoped you enjoyed this! Again, it was only a short one, but I'm planning a much longer one right now! YAY! Big thanks to TannerBananer and Darth Hendrix for reviewing my last story! You rock! :D Jack and Laura 4ever!