Unshown Moments for Cara Season 1

This is for MissLizzyJ

"And what makes you think I'd welcome her moving in with me?" Kitty asked angrily as she sat down at a table with her beer. She wasn't too happy about the fact that Matt woke her up, in what she considered to be the middle of the night, to ask her to help his old girlfriend. Didn't he see how that hurt her?

"Well, it's only until she gets to know her way around." Matt explained as he sat down next to her. He truly didn't understand why Kitty was so mad about this. He was just asking for a little favor.

"I bet she could teach me a few tricks." Kitty grumbled. 'Like how to twist the US Marshal around your little finger.'

"Yeah, maybe so." Matt admitted. "But somehow or other I keep seeing her different. I keep remembering a clean, sweet faced young kid who thought she could make a respectable rancher out of me."

"Huh." Kitty scoffed looking down at her beer unhappily. She doubted anyone could do that.

"Maybe she would have too, if I'd stuck around." He confessed as he took a drink from his mug.

Kitty looked over at him with a scowl. "Well, why didn't you?"

"Well, I thought I had to prove myself, I guess."

"Oh." She was less frosty towards him but still not quite ready to acquiesce to his request.

"By the time I did, it was too late for both of us." Matt finished.

Kitty gave him a regretful look, sorry at her anger. "I didn't know it was like that." Looking away, she practically grimaced at having to help the woman that once held Matt's heart and might still yet be a competitor for it. "I'll do it."

"Good girl, Kitty." Matt smiled as he gently placed a warm hand on her arm. "You know how obliged I am to you."

"Sure." She sighed, still not happy with the situation.

"Well," he smiled, glad to have that settled. "I'm going to go meet that nine o'clock stage." Getting to his feet, he offered her a slight nod and a grateful smile. "See ya later."

"Sure." Her tone was a little less resentful as she took another sip of her beer and watched him go. She even managed a slight smile when she thought about the tall man that she was agreeing to help. For it wasn't Cara, she was helping, it was Matt. The man that held her firmly in his grip as surely as a vice would've.

Taking another sip of her beer, Kitty sighed deeply, rose to her feet and went in search of Bill Pence. She didn't want to ask him to hire Cara, but she'd promised Matt. And there was no way she'd go back on her word to him.

Later that day, when Matt came by with Cara and left her there, Kitty took her up to her room as Matt left.

"How long have you known Matt, Kitty?" Cara asked as she walked in and placed her bag on the small bed in the room.

"A while." Kitty answered with a sideways glance at the blonde. "Why?"

"Oh, I was just wondering." Cara studied the pretty girl closely. She wasn't what Cara had expected. She was actually more.

"Huh hum." Kitty rolled her eyes. "Well, I'll leave you to get settled and…"

"No, wait." Cara stopped her as she reached the door.

"What?' Kitty looked back curiously at her.

"Well, I… I was just wondering." Cara stumbled over her words, unsure of herself under the scrutiny of the younger and prettier red head. "I mean, I was wondering about Matt."

"What about him?'' Kitty tilted her head in suspicion.

"Well, it's just that, it's been 12 years since I saw him last and I was just wondering how things were with him now. You know, whether he's married or…" Cara watched for some expression on the other woman's face to tell her what she wanted to know.

"I'm sure by now; you know Matt's not married." Kitty answered with a hand on her hip and a roll of her eyes. "And if you have any other questions about Matt, then you need to ask him."

"Oh, I shall." Cara smiled evocatively.

With a glare, Kitty said nothing more and quickly left the room.

Cara smiled as she watched her go. The red head didn't have to say a word and she still told Cara what she wanted to know. Cara didn't think she'd need that information, but she tucked it away for later just in case.

As Kitty left the room and headed back downstairs, she fumed. It hurt that Matt wanted her to help his old girlfriend and yet, as usual, she was helpless to tell him no. And as for the blonde siren upstairs, it was going to be awfully hard to keep from scratching her eyes out in the coming days.

Shaking her head at the situation, she went over to the bar and looked over at Sam. "Gimme a whiskey, Sam. I think I'm gonna need it."

A couple of days later, Kitty was just getting ready to leave the saloon when Cara stopped her. "Uh, Kitty." She offered an insincere smile. "I was wondering if you had twenty dollars I could borrow. I promise to return it."

Kitty's brow creased. "Me? You've been working more than I have. I don't have twenty dollars."

"Oh, well, I have been working but I haven't gotten too much money and well, I did have some expenses. I wonder if Matt would have the money."

"I don't know." Kitty answered. "He might."

"Well, would you mind talking to him about it?" Cara's smile was even more sickening and Kitty was beginning to feel nauseous just looking at her. "I'm sure he wouldn't mind helping out an old friend, like me."

Biting her bottom lip to keep from saying something or doing something she might not regret, Kitty turned and stomped out of the saloon. "Old Friend." She called herself. Well, old was right anyway.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Kitty had just come out onto the boardwalk when she heard gunshots coming from the stage depot. She didn't know where Matt was and that thought alone sent a trill down her spine at the implications. Heedless of any danger or the other people stirring about, who'd been roused by the sound, Kitty turned and ran in the direction of the shots.

"Matt!" She gasped in relief when she saw him striding down the street towards her. "Are… are you alright?"

Matt stopped and looked at her sadly. "Yeah, Kitty, I'm alright."

"What happened?" Kitty hazarded a glance back towards the depot.

"It's over, Kitty." A deep sigh escaped him and he looked wrung out.

Kitty instantly went to his side, placing a hand on his arm. "I'm sorry, Matt. I know you cared about her."

Matt reached out and pulled her tightly against him, rocking her in his arms for a moment. Finally, he shook his head. 'No, Kitty. I cared about a girl I knew 12 years ago. The Cara that was here… she… that wasn't her."

"Is… is she dead?" Kitty asked, looking up at him.

"Yeah," Matt nodded. "She and any feelings I ever had for her. They ended tonight, Kitty." He looked down at her beautiful blue eyes as she looked back.

"I'm sorry, Matt." Kitty repeated.

"I'm not." Matt smiled gently at her. "I have something right here that's a whole lot more."

"Me, Matt?"

"Yeah." He nodded as he hugged her tightly. "Come on. Let's go get a drink and I'll tell you about it."

As the two walked armed and arm towards the Long Branch, few noticed but those few didn't care. The Marshal and the red head were together, as they should be and the old flame had been extinguished.

END