"Kate, we've been through this before, you're picking on The Kid again," Hannibal Heyes said as he turned his back to the bar to watch Kid Curry being called out by three men at the same time who were scattered around the saloon."
"Heyes is right, Kate. I'm good, real good, but even I can't outdraw a man standing behind me, a man standing in front of me, and a man standing in the hallway upstairs. Not all at the same time."
"Alright," Kate said reluctantly. "I'll take one of them out of the story. I'll even let you pick which one, Kid."
"Better pick the one standing behind you, Kid. He's already got his gun drawn," Heyes advised his partner.
"Yea, that one," Kid told Kate who pouted and stabbed the backspace bar with rapid repetition.
"How about ending the chapter right there?" Heyes suggested. "Make the double call out a...what do they call it?... Oh yea, a teaser."
"I don't know why you to complain so much. You know whenever I write a story, I always let you two just take over the telling of it. You can't really blame me for all the wounds and hovering near death that you two are so good at," Kate protested.
"I'll concede that point, Kate," Heyes said as he set his beer on the bar and walked over to Kate's desk. "Some of it does have to do with the fact that Kid does crave attention."
"Me! I don't crave attention," Kid protested.
"Then how do you explain the screen saver of you sitting in a bathtub with conveniently placed bubbles?" Heyes asked.
"That weren't my doing, Heyes I tried talking her into to the sexy hunting picture. The one with my riffle slung over my shoulder."
Kate smiled. "That is a very sexy picture, I must admit," she said, setting her elbows on the desk and resting her chin in her hands.
"Oh, for crying out loud," Kid said as he grabbed Kate's shoulder to shake her out of her rapidly developing fantasy. "Next thing you know she'll be writing us into cheap romance novels!"
"Probably just you, Kid. She hasn't given me a good romance...Ever."
"There's more to a good story than romance," Kate protested.
"Yea, there's baths," Kid grumbled.
"Fine," Kate said with exasperation oozing from her voice. "I don't need either one of you. I know full well there's other things in life than two ingrate outlaws...I have... chocolate, you know!"
Heyes looked at Kid with great concern. "We have to fix this, Kid. We can't let her sink into a life of... chocolate."
Kid's eyes grew wide with the promise of a solution. "I've got it Heyes," Kid exclaimed. "Kate, how about writing a chapter about me in my hunting outfit taking a bath out in the woods!"
Kate put the chocolate down and pondered this idea at great length.
"There you go again, Kid, putting that look on her face. Kate, snap out of it!"
"Kate, think about Heyes in a bathtub! You know, them scrawny shoulders..." Kid said hastily.
"Alright, you made your point!" Kate snarled and shoved the chocolate back in her desk drawer. "Now, where was I? Oh, yes, Kid facing two disgruntled cowboys..."
"You're going to shoot me again, aren't you?" Kid grumbled.
"Don't worry, Kid," Kate replied. "I'll make one of the bullets ricochet. Heyes can have the angst/comfort story this time."
Heyes smiled. "Maybe throw in a pretty little nurse and add a little romance," he suggested eagerly.
"Heyes, how many nurses have you seen in any of the towns we've been to? All you're going to get is some compassionate doctor that thinks we're too good to go to prison."
"We do appreciate those doctors, Kate," Heyes added. "The world needs more of them doctors."
Kate sighed heavily. "Can we please get back to the story boys? I have a publishing deadline, you know."
"Okay," Kid replied. "How about Heyes and me exchange knowing glances and then I'll shoot the guy in front of me, and Heyes can shoot the guy upstairs?... Remember Heyes, aim just to the left of they guy and you'll likely hit him."
Heyes shot Kid a 'smart ass' smirk.
"No, no, That will work. Thanks, Kid," Kate said and began typing rapidly. "Don't worry, Heyes. I'll make sure you hit him, although maybe just a graze. You know, enough to knock the gun out of his hand."
"Works for me," Kid said.
"There!" Kate said triumphantly.
"What?" they asked in unison.
"Scene completed!" Kate said.
"That's it? That's all we're getting today?" Heyes asked.
"Well, as Kid would say... Yep."
"Heyes, don't argue with her. We're getting through a whole day without getting shot or developing some terrible disease. That's okay, Kate. You just call it a day," Kid said.
Kate smiled. "Thank you, Kid," replied. See you tomorrow, boys," Kate said and hit the save button with a sense of great accomplishment and satisfaction.