Unshown Moments for The Avengers (2)

Kitty was in the storeroom, clipboard in hand, trying hard to get her mind off of Matt and onto her work but it was hard. The look on Doc's face, when he'd had Thad and Festus take him out of the saloon, worried her more than anything. Although she'd gone to the jail and saw for herself that he would eventually be okay, it only lessened her concern marginally.

The Strom's were still out there and could always come back and try again to kill him. She didn't consider that it wasn't Matt they wanted until she stepped near the door and looked up to see a gun in her face.

"Don't yell or make any sort of noise, or I will deny Pa the pleasure of hanging you."

Kitty swallowed hard, recognizing the oldest remaining Strom son, Cal. "Wha… what do you want?" She asked.

"You." He moved closer and grabbed her arm. "Now, move."

Afraid not to comply, Kitty laid her clipboard down and allowed herself to be dragged from the cellar, into the alley behind the saloon. There she found the other brother and Festus, mounted and waiting. "Festus?" She moved closer to see his head bowed, blood running down the side of his face.

"He's alright, get mounted." Cal demanded.

But Kitty jerked loose from his grip and ran to her friend's side. "Festus? Festus, are you alright?"

Festus raised his head and tried to focus on her but he was too foggy and it hurt too bad. Dropping his head back down, he closed his eyes, allowing the darkness to take over again. If the Strom boys hadn't of tied him to the horse, he would've fallen from the saddle right into her arms.

"He's alright." Cal sneered. "He just didn't like the idea of coming with us." Pointing his gun directly at her head, Cal nodded towards the horse. "Now, you'd best get mounted before I do worse to you."

"What are you doing?" Kitty demanded angrily. "What's this about?"

"It just like I said," Cal pushed her roughly against the horse. "We're gonna try and hang you. Now, move."

Kitty wanted to argue, to fight, or run, but glancing up at Festus' unconscious form, she chose to do as she was ordered. She couldn't leave her friend alone with these two in his shape. With a glare at both of the Strom's, she grabbed the saddle horn and pulled herself up.

Once mounted, the two Strom brothers took their hostages south. Coming upon a large creek, they led the way in east then turned the horses around mid-stream to go west riding a few more miles to an old farm where nothing but the root cellar remained of a once viable home place.

"Come on, get off there." Cal demanded when they stopped in front of the cellar.

Kitty quickly dismounted and then hurried around to Festus' side. She wasn't strong enough to get him off the horse but she held onto him once Mark Strom pulled him down and helped support his weight as they took him down the stairs.

"Festus?' Kitty gently called him when he pushed him down onto an old crate. "Festus?" But Festus was beyond replying and it frightened the red head more than she already was. "He needs the doctor." She angrily turned to glare at old man Strom who was watching them intently. "He's hurt."

"Cal?" Strom looked at his son. "What happened here?"

"He didn't wanta come." Cal answered sullenly. "We had to convince him."

The elder Strom looked down at the nearly comatose man. "He know what's going on?" He directed the question at Kitty.

"No." She shook her head as she pulled a piece of her petticoat off and gently tried to stop the flow of blood from his temple. "Your boys saw to it that he doesn't know anything right now."

Judge Strom took a deep, irritated breath and looked up at his younger son. "Go get the doctor, Son. We can't try a man that doesn't know what's happening."

As Mark nodded and climbed up the stairs to leave, the judge looked down at Kitty. "I guess we can wait to try you until the Doctor gets here. It won't change the verdict."

Normally, Kitty would've warned him that anything he did to her and Festus would garner the attention and ire of US Marshal Matt Dillon. But Matt was hurt and unable to ride and as far as she knew, no one knew that she and Festus were missing or where they were.

"Mmmm…." Festus moaned as his eyes fluttered and he came to for a moment. "Miz… Miz Kitty…"

"Sssshhh, Festus." She gently wiped his face again. "Don't you worry. It's going to be alright. We're going to be fine."

"O… okay." He mumbled as he drifted off again.

"Actually, lady, you two are going to hang." Strom declared as he looked down at her.

"Maybe." Kitty answered resolutely as she fixed him with a scowl. "But it won't be the end of me or of him."

"Now, what's that supposed to mean?'" Cal looked perplexed at her.

"You can kill us but you can't kill the truth." Kitty explained. "We didn't kill your son the way you think. He killed himself by attacking me and shooting Festus and nothing you can do to us will change that fact. We won't be forgotten but your son already has been."

Both Strom's glared at her, at least one of them knowing, deep down, that she was right. But Judge Strom wasn't about admit it, not when his oldest, and most loved boy was lying dead in his grave.

"Tie them up, Cal." He ordered angrily. "Tie their hands behind their backs and tie em tight. They're going to swing by their necks before this day is out."

Kitty said nothing as Cal grabbed her arms and pulled them painfully behind her, wrapping her wrists tightly with rope and tying it off. What she'd told the old man she meant, but still, deep inside, she held out hope that if there was anyway what so ever, Matt would find a way to get to her. He always had before, and she was counting on this time too.

End