Unshown Moments for KLA S 18 (2)

This is for my friend

After pulling Will Stambridge from the grasp of the angry mob, Matt pushed him towards the jail. "Go on." He demanded.

When they neared Kitty, he paused. He wanted to let Stambridge go, help her up and take her back to the Long Branch for a long talk. But he was angry and when Stambridge started towards her instead of the jail, Matt pushed him back. "I said go on to the jail."

"But Kitty…"

"You alright?" He looked down at her, still without reaching down to help her up.

"I'm fine." Kitty answered as she stiffly got to her feet. "I'll be at the Long Branch should you need anything, Marshal." He wasn't the only one angry or hurt.

Matt watched her for a moment before turning back to the gunman. "Move!"

Will watched Kitty for as long as he could until she disappeared into the safety of her saloon then walked on down to the jail. Once inside the jail, he stood quietly in the middle of the room. "Am I under arrest for almost being lynched?" He asked sarcastically. "Or is it because of the attention I paid to Kitty?"

"Want to tell me what happened out there?" Matt wasn't about to discuss Kitty with this man, or at least not yet. "What were they trying to hang you for?"

"Why didn't you help Kitty up?" Will countered. "Why didn't you let me help her?"

"I asked you a question, Stambridge." Matt refused to go there.

"And I asked you one." Will returned the stare.

Matt clenched his fists in anger, taking a deep breath to calm his temper. "What is between Kitty and I, is none of your business. But what happened out there in the street is mine and I want to know what that is."

Will sighed, losing the battle of wills to the lawman. "I bought the Deems farm outside of town. The old man's son accused me of killing his father and stealing the deed to the place. Your deputies had me locked up until a mob came after me. The youngest one took me out the back way trying to get me away but the mob caught up with us before he could get me away."

"And Kitty?" Matt glared at him. "Why was she out there in the street? What did she have to do with this?"

"She was trying to keep them from hanging me." Will answered evenly. "But one of those good citizens of yours grabbed the shotgun from her and knocked her down."

Matt turned away. Once again, Kitty had been hurt trying to help someone and once again, he hadn't been there to protect her and shamefully, he hadn't even tried to help her when he found her lying on the ground.

"I don't care if you believe that I'm innocent or not." Will broke through his thoughts. "But the truth is, I didn't kill anyone and if you'll question that boy and I mean really question him, you'll see the truth."

Matt nodded. "I intend to do just that." He answered. "But you'll need to stay here until I do."

"Alright." Will answered. "Now, I've answered your questions. What about mine? What about Kitty?"

Matt wasn't prepared to answer that question just yet. "I'll talk to Kitty." Matt answered. "You go on in there." He jerked his thumbs towards the cells.

Will nodded and turned in that direction but stopped just before the door. "She still loves you, Dillon." He said without turning around. "Nothing I could say or do could change that. Probably nothing you could say or do would either. I'd still marry her and do my best to make her happy if she'd have me, and I intend to ask her. But I doubt she would agree to it. What she did for me out there; wasn't done because she loved me. It was done because she loves you. She only did what you would."

Matt gritted his teeth but didn't reply as he opened a cell and ushered Stambridge in. "I'll talk to Corely Deems and get this straightened out." He muttered as he locked the cell door and turned, leaving the cell area just as Newly came in. "Newly, I've got Stambridge back there. Keep an eye on him will ya? I'm going to go find Corely Deems and see what he has to say about all this."

"Sure will, Marshal." Newly nodded. "And you don't have to find Corley. He's over at the Bulls Head, passed out drunk."

"Alright." Matt answered. "Well, I'll be back in a little bit."

"Okay, Marshal." Newly shook his head as Matt left the jail, wondering just exactly where he really was going.

Leaving the jail, Matt walked quickly down to the Bulls Head and over to bar. "Bull? Corley Deems in here?"

"Yeah." Bull replied with a sour expression. "He's passed out over there in the corner. I was just getting ready to throw him out."

"Well, hold off on that, if you will." Matt glanced back at the boy. "Keep him here for a while and I'll be back for him. I've got something I need to do."

"Alright, Marshal." Bull made it clear he wasn't happy about the idea but he'd do it. He sure didn't need the Marshal down on him.

Leaving the Bulls Head, Matt walked even quicker over to the Long Branch, bypassing the front doors and heading around to the back. He doubted Kitty would be downstairs and it was her he needed to see. Matt paused when he reached the back stair case and took a deep breath. What he was going to do wasn't going to be easy, but he had to do it.

Climbing up the stairs, he made his way down the hall to her room and softly knocked on the door. He had a key but he wasn't about to use in this instance.

"Come in, Matt." Kitty called, having heard and recognized his footsteps as he approached her door.

When he came in, he saw her standing at the window, her back to him. She hadn't changed her clothes and she didn't turn when he entered. "Kitty, we need to talk."

Kitty finally turned and looked at him and his heart broke. The pain he saw in her eyes was enough to take his breath away.

"I'm sorry." Were the only words he could manage.

Kitty nodded but didn't move and didn't relax her rigid position. "Alright." She sighed. "Is that all you came to say?"

Retreating into his favored role of stoic Marshal looked appealing to the heartsick man right then but looking at the beleaguered woman in front of him, he knew he had to step out of his comfort area and talk to her from the heart.

"No." He shook his head as he tugged his hat off of his head. "I was wrong Kitty." He swallowed hard. "I was wrong in not telling you how I felt when you came into the jail or at least talking to you before I left town for that trial. And I was wrong for putting my job in arresting Stambridge first and not helping you up from the street. I was wrong for leaving you at that stage station in the first place. I put my job and my pride in front of you and I was wrong."

"Alright. Is that all you came to say?" She repeated. He saw no trace of emotion on her face and he understood just badly he really had hurt her.

"No." He dropped his head, gathered his strength and then raised his eyes back to hers. "I love you, Kitty. I can't offer you any more now than I could when we were younger and if you marry Stambridge, I'll forever hate myself for that fact. But I will accept it and I will never interfere in your life unless he hurts you or you ask me to."

Kitty held her head high still showing nothing of how she was feeling or what she thought about what he'd said. "Now, is that all?"

Matt shook his head. "Say no, Kitty." His voice took on an urgent pleading tone that he couldn't and didn't want to control. "I don't have the right to ask you to do that and I can't give you what he can but I don't want you to go with Stambridge. Like I said, I'll accept it if you choose him, but I want you to know that I don't want you to."

Kitty turned away from Matt, uncertainty and pain clearly written on her face. Matt had finally told her part of what she'd wanted to hear for so long, what she hadn't heard from him since the days after Bonner, while she was recovering. But she wondered if it was too little too late.

"Kitty?" Matt stared at her still rigid back.

"Thank you, Matt." Kitty finally sighed. "I know it probably wasn't easy for you to tell me that and I appreciate it. But I don't know now if it's enough." She turned to look at him. "You know how I feel about you, so you'll understand how difficult this all is for me. I will need time to think about it."

"I understand." Matt gripped his hat tightly as he turned for the door. Pausing as he opened it, he turned back. "I uh, will get things sorted out about Deems and what happened. If Stambridge didn't do anything, I'll let him go."

Kitty merely nodded as Matt turned and left.

A few hours later there was a knock on her door. It wasn't Matt, she could tell that. Opening the door, she found Will standing in the hallway, hat in hand.

"Will?" She smiled. "Everything alright? Matt let you go?"

Will nodded. "Yeah, he did, Kitty. After talking to that Deems boy he recognized the truth of it all. He let me go and locked him up instead."

Kitty let out a breath of relief. "Well, I'm glad, Will. I know you couldn't have done anything like that."

Will dropped his head. "Thank you, Kitty. I appreciate your faith in me. But is that all you'll allow me?"

Kitty knew what he was asking and after a sleepless night of reflection on everything, she knew what she had to tell him. "I'm afraid so, Will. I… I can't leave him. No matter what I want, I know it wouldn't matter if I couldn't have it with him."

"He won't give it to you, Kitty." Will warned.

"I know." Kitty nodded. "But he's already given me so much that I can do without the rest if I have to. I love him, Will. I have to stay with him."

Will nodded sadly. "There's a stage leaving this morning. I guess I'll see about getting a ticket on it. Want to see me off?"

Kitty nodded with a sad smile. "You go get your ticket. I'll change and meet you there."

Will turned for the door and opened it. But before stepping out, he looked back at Kitty. "Dillon's a lucky man. I hope he realizes that before you do finally leave him."

Kitty watched him walk out and waited until the door closed before replying. "I do too."

End.