A/N: Done with one, back to the other. While writing the one-shots for this particular story, I got inspired to write Darkness Falls. They've since been sitting on the hard drive. Oddly enough, that gave me more ideas for this story. It's a never-ending vicious cycle.
There's not a whole lot to these, they're just fun.
An Evening Out
There was a bang loud enough to make Adora nearly crack her head on the beam above her. Wondering what in the world had blown up in the stable yard, she rushed to the loft's exterior door and swung it out. A grin lit up her face at the sight below her.
Wyatt Cain was extracting himself from a black, dilapidated, self-propelled, wagon-like contraption with a large circle and star painted on the side. As he fumbled around the interior for his ever-present hat, he was obviously irritated as he scowled and slammed the door.
There was nothing to do but add her two cents. "What in the name of the two suns is that?"
"That," Wyatt did very little to hide his disgust, "is the Eastern Territories 'new' Locomotive Prisoner Containment Unit."
"I see." Adora crossed her arms and leaned against the door frame. "I hope you didn't trade Blue in on that thing."
"Trust me, that horse has more spans left in him than this thing does." He stood below her looking up and spread his arms. "I'm told this is our future. One day, you'll see these things all over the O.Z.."
She smiled. "Perish the thought."
Wyatt chuckled as she moved back inside, threw down one last bale of hay, and headed for the ladder. When she reached the bottom, he had already stowed the last bale for the horse's evening feeding and was reaching beneath his coat for a knife to slice the bailing twine.
With a gentle hand on his arm, she stopped him. "Hey, wait a sec."
There was a deep sigh and he gave her a sideways look. "Are you kidding?"
"Sorry, no." She smiled.
"Fine," he said with mock-irritation, pulling out the lapels of his jacket and displaying his lack of injury. "No holes. Are you satisfied?"
On the pretense of making sure he was unhurt, Adora stood admiring the view. The clothes were new. The occasion dictated a more formal uniform than just a badge. He had traded his worn, lighter colored pants for dark trousers. The dark blue vest brought out those gray eyes and was form fitted to his muscled chest. As usual, the first two buttons of the crisp white shirt beneath it were undone. Over all of this was a midnight blue jacket that just covered the holster on his hip.
Ordering her knees to get back in line, she finally nodded her approval. "Yeah, sure. I'm satisfied."
To cover her sudden inability to breathe, she turned and scooped up an armload of hay. Wyatt followed suit, even as she chided him for wrinkling his 'going to town clothes'. He waved her off and moved to the opposite side of the aisle to help her finish her chores.
It was almost a routine at this point. Over the winter, Wyatt Cain had been back several times. He would stop for a visit, just to check on Adora and her father. Often, her father would feed him and to show his gratitude, Wyatt would accompany her to the barn to see to the chores.
There had been a few times, too, when the Tin Man had taken shelter in their cabin when the foul weather had caught him too far from the barracks. Seeming to enjoy the Reeds' company, he would stay up late into the night, just talking with them about the goings-on at the ranch or whatever new concoction George was brewing. At least they would until her scheming old codger of a father would yawn ostentatiously, give her a wink, and bid them goodnight.
At first, she had glared at him, until she caught Wyatt laughing at the pair of them. She began to mind less and less, falling into an easy relationship with this man. He seemed to find as much comfort in her presence as she found in his. It was an odd friendship, she supposed, but one that was quickly becoming very dear to her.
She prayed she wouldn't screw it up.
"Where's your dad?" Cain broke the silence.
Adora pushed away a particularly greedy mouth and hefted some hay into the stall. "Probably at the house, but I can't be sure. He might be out in the woods again. He's got another theory."
"What now?" Cain was fond of the old man. Unlike so many others, he seemed to find the work of George Reed interesting. Or at least amusing.
"He's distilling hepatica. Something about a cure for Winter Sickness." She laughed. "Or acne."
"Uh-huh."
"The house smells terrible. Something like feet and boiled cabbage." She smiled as he made a face. "Aren't you supposed to be working tonight?"
It was the eve of the annual Spring Celebration, a time of year when farmers and their families came together to honor the old gods of the harvest and pray for bumper crops. Tonight was the dance that kicked off the festival and since the rest of the week was going to be a fairly somber occasion, the dance had a history of getting a little rowdy.
Wyatt sighed as he patted the last horse he fed. "I am, but I thought Carroll and Bradshaw could get along without me for a little while."
She grinned mischievously. "It's good to be the boss."
He was soaring through the ranks and had just made lieutenant, overseeing the fifteen men at the Grafton barracks. It was a hard-won position.
Not only had he busted up the horse-thieving ring before the winter, but he had also managed to shut down an illegal whiskey operation just south of Grafton. People were beginning to speak his name with awe. Men tipped their hats when he passed through town and many of the available young women of the country were beginning to try and win his favor with a various assortment of baked goods.
Adora began to look for her watering bucket as he spoke again. "I figured I could swing past here first at least. They won't really get started until the third or fourth barrel of mead."
"Not so." Adora watched him brush the chaff from his duster. "Last year, Peter Garrow got drunk before the dance even started and tried to bring a pig as a date."
"A pig?"
"I swear. It had a little pink ribbon on it and everything." She laughed
He chuckled along with her. "Just think of what we're missing."
She stopped laughing. "Pardon?"
He shrugged nonchalantly. "I thought, perhaps, you'd liked to go to the dance with me."
"Me?" she was dumbfounded as she felt her mouth go dry.
"No, Clyde." He gave an exasperated wave at the big bay gelding behind her.
"I don't think pink will look nice on him." Adora swooped in on her bucket and started towards the water pump, walking away quickly as she tried to think. "You might try blue or-"
Wyatt caught up to her and grabbed her shoulder, turning her around. He saw the sharpness for what it was, a maneuver, an escape. "Adora, just stop, okay? It would be my pleasure to escort you to the dance."
"I thought you were working." She said quietly. Oh, she wanted to go so badly, but her brain just kept throwing up obstacles.
He eyed her carefully. "I hope that's not what's bothering you. I cleared it with my commander."
This is a bad idea, Adora. She was going to stand out like the flying monkey at a royal coronation. People in town didn't like her and she wasn't all that fond of them. If Wyatt showed up with her it could reflect badly on him.
Then, of course, there was that other problem. She'd have to find a way around confessing to that.
Her heart thumped loudly in her chest as she shrugged out of his grasp. "Wyatt, I have too much to do here."
"You're almost done."
Damn. That's right. He knew the routine. "Dad-Dad still needs supper."
"Your father does all the cooking." He was smiling now, enjoying her squirming. "He feeds you, remember?"
Oh, so he was going to hit below the belt, huh? Moving to the hand pump, she stuck her nose in the air and adapted a haughty tone. "I have never found occasion to be dragged off to one of these pointless functions. I haven't got anything to wear."
She had confessed, but managed to do it in her usual, sassy way.
Until he shrugged and said with complete honesty. "Wear what you're wearing. You look beautiful."
And with that, she was completely disarmed. She turned away from the bucket just to stare at him. Feeling completely emotionally exposed, she looked into those eyes and felt that he was being completely truthful.
He spun his hat in his hands, but never looked away from her. "You can wear a burlap sack if you want."
Adora dropped the barriers and moved towards him with a small smile. "Wyatt, you don't get it. Are you sure you want to be seen in town with me?"
"Why not?" He knew why not. She knew he knew why not.
"You could go with any one you wanted."
"I want to go with you."
Adora's heart skipped a little as she buried her head in her hands. She was laughing when she looked up at him again. "Now what girl in her right mind could resist that?"
"You aren't in your right mind." He grinned.
She smacked him lightly on the shoulder for the insult, but shook her head in defeat. "Just let me water the horses, okay?"
Without another word, he walked past her and headed for the water pump.
Shaking her head, she left the barn to go see what she had in her closet.
The room was abysmal. Trousers, shirts, and boots were strewn about on her bed and hanging from her desk chair. Adora had been to the farthest reaches of her closet and all she had found was an atrocious teal pinafore that her father had purchased in some fit of insanity when Adora was twelve annuals old.
Sullenly, she picked up a boot from the end of her bed and dropped it on the floor. Then, she flopped down, resting her chin in her hand. This, she decided, was definitely uncharted territory. Her looks had never mattered before. She spent her life in a barn. The horses didn't really care what she looked like.
Of course, neither did Wyatt. She smiled at the thought, but the simple fact of the matter was that she cared. For the first time in her life, she wanted to look nice.
It seemed a little unwise to have neglected her wardrobe as much as she had. "This is hopeless."
There was a gentle knock on her door. Adora sighed. "Come in if you've got a gun."
She wasn't surprised to see her father limp through the door. A hand was behind his back, but she knew better than to inquire before he was ready to reveal.
George gave a sympathetic look to his offspring. "Mr. Cain just came in. Said something about the Spring Festival dance."
"Yeah," Adora stood up, gathering her clothing. "He wanted me to go with him, but . . ."
"A lack of appropriate attire?"
She threw one of her boots into the closet, making it thunk loudly on the floor. "Yeah."
Still with his back to the wall, he smiled sadly. When he spoke again, it was with exaggerated regret. "Sometimes, I think I did you a disservice. Raising you out here all alone, no mother to help in situations like these."
Adora rolled her eyes and smirked. "Are we going to have a father-daughter moment here? I may need to step outside and throw up."
"See, its charming comments like that which make me question how well I raised you." But there was a twinkle in his eye.
"What's behind your back?" She asked in a tired fashion.
"Done with the sentiment, I gather?" he asked.
"More than I can possibly express."
Without further conversation, he pulled the dress from behind him. It was lilac and the material was light and soft to the touch when Adora, awe-struck, moved forward to run her fingers over it. It felt like water running over her skin.
"Where did you get it?"
Her father beamed. "Mrs. Foster made it. I bartered her that hair tonic for it."
Adora closed her eyes and shook her head. "Was it for growing hair or removing it?"
Her father laughed as she again ran her hand over the material "It's lovely. But you shouldn't have."
"My dear, at the risk of sounding like a sap," he said softly. "My greatest joy in this life is seeing you happy. And over the past few months, you've been the happiest I've ever seen you. I have no doubt, its due in large part to that young man waiting in the other room."
Wyatt was sitting at the table, having a cup of coffee with George when the door to the back room opened and he was rendered mute.
Adora walked out, obviously feeling a little out of place in the clothes she was unaccustomed to wearing. Shyness and uncertainty were not something he was used to with Adora Reed.
The light purple dress was pinned at the shoulders, the cloth falling away to expose her shoulder. The airy material draped across her chest and flowed down, hugging her curves delicately. The tangled mane of honey-blonde hair had been tamed, curling softly around her shoulders.
She swallowed and smiled. "Well? I know it's not a burlap sack. . ."
"You look wonderful." He said abruptly.
The hand went to the hip. "Mr. Cain, if you keep saying things like that you're going to make me blush."
There was his Adora . . .er, the Adora he knew.
She started to laugh and he realized he was staring. "You know, you really should get there sometime tonight if you're supposed to be on guard detail."
"What? Oh, yes. Sorry." He went to the door and bowed low. "Your chariot awaits, milady."
She groaned as she drew a dark shawl around her shoulders. "I forgot about that thing."
George followed them out to the porch. Wyatt had brought the wagon to the front door and handed Adora into the passenger's seat. "We won't be too late, sir."
"Keep her out as late as you want." The old man called back as Wyatt rounded the front of the truck to climb in.
"Dad!" Adora had figured out how to wind down the window as was scowling at her father.
He laughed. "Have a wonderful time, darling."
"Your seat needs new springs." Adora said wryly, rubbing her butt as she headed towards the Town Hall. "Yeesh, it feels like I went a few rounds on a green colt."
Wyatt snickered as he watched her stretch. "Take it up with the bureaucrats. I'm just a working stiff."
She laughed a bit as they walked together in a comfortable silence. He almost felt that he could reach out and take her hand without her objecting, but a slight hint of uncertainty kept him from doing it. This was a different relationship than any other he had before. Adora wasn't silly, like other women her age. She didn't giggle at everything he said, didn't flirt overtly with him. First and foremost, she was his friend, though he had no delusions that he was beginning to feel more for her than just amity.
He treasured the trust that she had given him. It had been hard-won and there was no sense in moving too fast and screwing that up now. He could wait.
They were at the steps of the large, wooden building. The music from the five-piece band floated down through the open doors. People were laughing and talking. It sounded like a good time.
He began up the steps when he realized he was walking alone. He turned to find Adora at the base of the stairs, looking up with a bit of apprehension. "You okay?"
She scrunched up her face as if in pain. "I have a confession."
"Do I need the cuffs?"
"You wish." She shot back quickly with an evil grin.
Cain barked a laugh. "What hideous crime have you committed?"
"Well, none yet." She joined him on the bottom stair. "But if you ask me to dance, we could have a problem."
"You can't dance?"
"I told you've I never been to one of these things." Adora replied.
"What about those Viewer rituals you and your father have been to?" Cain asked. "He's described all kinds of dancing at those things."
"Yeah, half-naked around a bonfire. That's not gonna fly here."
Wyatt blinked at her a few times. "How come I don't get invitations to those affairs?"
A beautiful blush crept to her cheeks. "Could you be serious here?"
"I've never been more serious in my life. It would be the neighborly thing to do and invite me along."
"So you can see my father in a loin cloth?"
He winced as the mental picture was seared into his brain. He wasn't going to forget that anytime soon, but he laughed, knowing he was bested. "It's not a big deal if you can't dance."
"You won't be saying that later if I trod all over your feet."
"I've got the boots on." He noted her sandal-clad feet as he offered her his arm. "Shall we?"
She shook her head, took his elbow and allowed him to lead her inside.
The hall was splendidly lit with the new electric lights. The small power station on a nearby river had provided electricity to the little town and Mayor Hargrove was most anxious to showcase the monumental technological step forward. The new lamps glowed on the walls and a modest chandelier sparkled on the ceiling.
The town ladies had worked to bring spring indoors for the festival. Daffodils and hyacinths were on every table and boughs of fresh greens adorned the walls. In the center of the hall was the dance floor and Adora smiled as she watched couples spin around quickly, somehow not colliding with each other in their revelry.
Wyatt guided her around the whirling masses of boots and skirts. There were three other men dressed as Cain was in the dark blue of the Tin Man. Carroll was the stout young blonde man with the exceedingly red face. Bradshaw was a bit older with salt-and-pepper brown hair and built like a bean-pole.
Suddenly, she felt as though she wanted to melt through the wooden floor. Somewhere along the line, she should have expected this, but she had kind of been swept up in the moment when Wyatt had invited her.
"Sir," Wyatt said as he approached the tall, rangy man with the brown moustache. This was his commanding officer, Captain Higgins. "I'm sorry I'm late."
Higgins voice was gruff as he spoke. "Surprised you got here at all in that rattle-trap division has the nerve to call a vehicle."
His brown eyes had fallen on Adora and he did a double-take. The words damage control flashed through her mind as she plastered on what she hoped was a pleasant, charming smile.
"Captain Higgins, may I present Ms. Adora Reed." Wyatt said politely.
"We've met." Higgins replied dryly.
Adora couldn't decide between giggling and chagrin. She decided to try a hand at polite grace. "It's a pleasure to see you again, Captain."
She was aware that Carroll and Bradshaw were staring at her, slack-jawed as well, but she ignored them. The imp in her simply could not be subdued. "How is your nose, sir?"
His hand went for it instinctively and Adora had to bite her tongue to keep herself from laughing.
"It seems to have healed." Higgins cleared his throat and pinned Wyatt with a serious look. "I hope you know what you're in for, son."
"I've been informed of how rowdy the Spring Festival can get, sir."
"I wasn't talking about the dance." With a polite nod to Adora, he strode off towards the bar that had been set up in the corner.
Carroll headed off towards the entrance and Adora distinctly heard Bradshaw mutter "Good luck." to Wyatt before moving towards a pretty redhead in the corner.
When she managed to look over at Wyatt, she found his eyes narrowed as he studied her. "Have you managed to insult the entire Tin Man force?"
"That's a little unfair." She whispered as he began to lead her through the crowd again. "There's only a couple dozen stationed in the Territories."
"Care to tell me what happened with the Captain?"
"Not really."
"Adora-"
"Look," she sighed, heavily, "it involved Dad's wart remover cream, a keg of beer, and six chickens."
"All right, I don't want to know."
"Don't worry, Higgins dropped the charges." Adora replied. "I-"
She cut short when she realized they had made it to the dance floor. Wyatt's arm was around her waist, hers was on his shoulder and they were moving around the floor with a passable grace. It had been so natural, she had fallen into the rhythm without even knowing it. The slow song was half-finished. "When did we get here?"
He smiled as he spun her around. "I didn't feel like fighting with you, so I figured I'd just sneak you out here while you were running your mouth."
"Ever the gentleman." She replied. Oddly, she wasn't as uncomfortable as she thought she would be. Wyatt was holding her fairly close and steering her easily. She just made sure not to put too much thought into the process.
The song ended all too quickly and livelier number was next. "Don't suppose you want to try this one."
"I'll pass."
Adora led the way, but as she was moving towards the refreshment table, Wyatt grabbed her arm. "I'll be right back."
As he disappeared into the crowd, Adora stood on her tiptoes to see what the problem was. Near the door, Bradshaw was locked in a heated argument with a man that looked like he had had a few too many. Wyatt put a hand on his fellow officer's back as a signal to simmer down.
She lost sight of him as she was jostled by the dancers and decided to clear the floor before she got stampeded. Moving away, she spotted the bowl of punch and headed towards it.
The young boy manning the drinks ladled out a cup for her. "There you are, Miss."
"Thanks," she smiled. Eh, maybe being out in public wasn't so bad after all.
"Well, well. Look who it is."
Okay, scratch that. Usually, there was an uneasy truce between Adora and her former arch-nemesis whenever they met in town. Apparently, it was time to put the gloves back on.
Adora could feel her claws come out, but she reminded herself that her actions would reflect on Wyatt. She would attempt to be civil. "Delores. So nice to see you."
The daughter of a wealthy merchant, Delores Donnell was tall with auburn hair and milky-white skin. Her two, equally attractive and well-dressed friends flanked her, both looking down on Adora with disgust.
Very green eyes, that just matched her satin dress, took in Adora's attire. "I wasn't aware that you knew how to dress for formal occasions."
Delores and Adora had been at it since grade school. The feud was legendary. But again, Adora reined herself in. "I had some help. My father gave it to me."
There was laughter among the three girls. "Fashion advice from a crazy man?"
"He's not crazy." Oh, she was trying so hard, but visions of slapping that self-righteous smirk off Delores's face were flashing before her eyes. "He's just a little different."
"I'll say," the blonde girl on Delores's right laughed.
But Delores's ire was back on Adora. "What are you doing here?"
"I was invited." Adora leaned back and sipped her drink, casually.
"By Wyatt Cain?"
She smiled a bit as it all suddenly clicked and she felt her pride swell as she answered. "Not that it's any of your business, but yes."
Delores flipped a lock of hair. "Tell me, did your father brew a love potion for you to poison that poor man with?"
"I can see how someone as desperate as yourself might like to think such a thing exists." Adora replied sweetly as she batted her eyes.
Delores leaned in, seething. "What could a man like that possibly see in you?"
"I'm not sure." Adora leaned in, too, and said slowly. "But whatever it is, he certainly doesn't see it in you."
Adora had to give her credit, Delores was quick. Before she could defend herself, the other woman had grabbed a hunk of cake from the table and smeared in Adora's face and down the front of her dress.
For a few seconds, Adora stood dazed as the frosting slid from her face.
Delores and her friends were laughing. She wiped away tears of mirth. "Aw, guess your Tin Man isn't going to be so eager to dance with you again."
That was it.
Delores squawked as Adora grabbed her around the waist and heaved her around. Together, they crashed into the table taking the whole kit and caboodle to the floor. Adora rolled to her knees and grabbed the nearest thing she could find. She registered it as some sort of chocolate frosted confection before she dumped the entire thing on Delores's head. The girl wailed as she scrabbled at the table to get away from Adora's furious attack.
In an attempt to defend herself, Delores snatched up a pie and flung wildly in Adora's direction. She ducked and unfortunately, the missile hit Old Man McMullen instead. The man cursed loudly as the red berries dripped off of his overalls. He picked up what remained of the dessert and tossed it back towards the wrestling duo, inadvertently splattering half of the onlookers.
Pandemonium reigned supreme. Before Adora really registered what had happened, the entire hall descended into chaos. Food was flying everywhere.
She was about to have another go at Delores when all of the sudden strong arms lifted her up. Before she could register a thought, she found herself looking down Wyatt's back. After a few seconds of admiring the view she was getting, she began to pitch a fit. "Wyatt, put me down!"
"By the Code of Statutes, I hereby place you under arrest. Your rights are as follows-"
"You are not arresting me!" Adora yelled in disbelief as he continued on with the speech, carrying her towards the door. The frigid night air hit her legs as she heard the rear of the wagon open. None too gently, he dropped her on the metal floor. "I didn't start it."
His hat was on his head and she could just see a smear of cake frosting under his eye in the light from the hall. "Just cool off a few minutes, will ya?"
Had it been anyone else, she would have screamed herself hoarse and beaten her fists against the sides of the truck until they were bloody. But this was Wyatt. She owed him this much.
Seeing as how she had just made fools of both of them.
About ten minutes later, she heard him get in the front of the truck and start the engine. He didn't say a word to her as he pulled out.
They stopped a short time later and Adora raised her head from where it had been resting on her knees. There was the metallic grind of the back doors being unlocked before they swung open. There he stood, bathed in the moonlight, hands on his hips. "Are you coming?"
Slowly, she stood and readjusted her dress before moving to the back of the vehicle. Her heart ached a bit as he held up a hand in one of those simple and kind gestures that she found so endearing. She took it and let him help her down.
They were beside a small stream and she turned to look at him curiously.
"I thought you might like to wash some of that cake off before I take you home."
Cold realization settled in the pit of her stomach. That was it. She had run him off. Who wanted to put up with this kind of nonsense on a regular basis?
She mumbled her thanks as she moved to the stream. Carefully, she raised the hem of her dress to kneel down. It was bad enough there was cake smeared all over it, she wasn't about to get mud on it, too. With her hands, she drew up some of the cold, clear water to wash her face, telling herself that crying in front of him was not an option. She still had her pride. Sort of.
She almost fell in when he crouched down beside her. "Carroll heard the whole thing, you know. He saw what Delores did."
Adora looked up quickly. "Huh?"
"Look, you could have handled it better," he tried to hide a smile, "but I can see why you were upset."
She narrowed her eyes. "Are you serious?"
"Why is it always so hard to make you believe I'm being sincere?"
Adora shrugged. "I'm not sure."
She knew he was studying her, but his eyes were hidden by that stupid hat. "I'm sorry."
"For what?"
"For making you go to that dance." Wyatt replied. "If I'd have known-"
"I had a good time." She said, quietly cutting him off insistently. "It wasn't that long, but it was fun."
"Up until the food fight."
Adora cocked her head. "That was fun, too, actually."
He shook his head as he reached up and picked some of the icing from her hair. "You're something else, you know that?"
"If you figure out what, please let me know." She picked up a rock and threw it into the stream, watching the ripples. "I'm sorry, too. I overreacted."
"You can't let those people get to you." He removed his hat, picking crumbs from it. "They just don't know you like I do."
"And do you know me, Wyatt Cain?" She asked teasingly.
"Not as well as I'd like." He conceded before he looked up into her eyes. "But I'm having a good time finding out."
"You're an idiot, you know that?" She laughed. "I am not worth all the trouble."
He edged closer. "I'll be the judge of that."
Adora closed her eyes and let him come to her. His lips were gentle on her's, tentative and asking permission. She gave it, leaning in and opening her mouth just a bit to encourage him. Cautiously, she brought a hand to his cheek and caressed it as he deepened the kiss.
And then, just as gently, he backed away, leaving her lips tingling. Wyatt smiled. "Definitely worth the trouble."
He stood up and offered a hand. "Come on. It's starting to get cold."
"My father's going to be disappointed that I'm home so early." She watched him take his jacket off and allowed him to drape it over her shoulders.
Wyatt pulled her close, tucking her safely under his arm as they started back towards the truck. "It's okay. We'll just send him off to bed."
Ick, fluff! I know my Adora is a little rowdier than some others. I have no idea why she comes to me like this, but she's fun to write. It's just a different take.
