Unshown Moments for Kitty's Rebellion (Well, more of a few missing moments and an ATC)

This is for EvitaScarlett

"Well, let's just put it this way. I don't want to have to write Lucy and tell her, her brother's buried on Boot Hill." Kitty was trying her best to make Billy Crit understand that by going up against Tow and his partner Weeb, he could get killed.

Though Billy's expression soured at the thought, Kitty had a suspicion that he still wasn't convinced that she was right and he should leave it alone.

"Billy," she sighed. "Please understand…"

"I understand, Miss Kitty." He interrupted her with a false smile. "Uh, if you don't mind, I think we should call it an evening. I shall be glad to escort you back to the… saloon." His voice dripped with disapproval when he said the word.

"No, thank you, Billy." Kitty shook her head in irritation. "I can see myself back."

Billy started to protest but the look in the red head's eyes warned him off. "Very well. As you wish." He snapped as he rose, pulled money from his pocket and threw it on the table. "I will see you later, Miss Kitty."

Kitty sighed as she watched him angrily leave the restaurant. When he'd first come into the saloon with Matt, she'd been a little taken aback and even a little unwilling for him to see her there, knowing well, how polite society, such as Billy was from, viewed woman who worked in saloons.

But when Billy seemingly pushed aside his preconcieved notions of where a lady should work and what she should be like, she thought he'd accepted her as she was and that he thought of her as a lady, even though so few around Dodge did.

But she didn't appreciate the way he had acted this night in trying to defend her. She had a feeling, that deep down, he didn't truly think she was a lady and was trying to force himself, as well as everyone else, to believe it.

But that tactic would get him nowhere. He was going to get himself killed. And that was one thing she didn't want on her conscience.

Picking up her reticule, Kitty got up from the table and left, deciding to stop by the jail on her way back and hopefully get Matt's help in stopping Billy before he got himself killed.

But a few minutes after entering the jail, Kitty slammed out of it in exasperation. She understood Matt's point about the law but she didn't think he understood that a boy's life was in the balance here. As irritating as Billy had been, she didn't want to see him dead and she sure didn't want to have to tell Lucy that he'd been killed defending her honor. Especially when she figured Lucy would consider her to have very little honor when she found out what she did for a living.

Walking back over to the saloon, Kitty fingered the broach Billy had given her and thought back to her childhood friend. Considered by some to be on the plain side, Lucy had been fun and friendly and a source of comfort when Kitty's mother started ailing. Though Mrs. Russell and her baby girl weren't in the same financial class as the Crit's, Lucy hadn't seemed to care and more often than not would invite Kitty to her house after school or on holidays.

Kitty had relished that friendship and even after her mother had died and she'd ended up at Pan's and out of school, she and Lucy managed to maintain at least a semblance of their former camaraderie. Of course as they grew older and Lucy married a wealthy son of a wealthy man and Kitty left with Cole for San Francisco, they ceased to see each other entirely. And except for an occasional letter here or there, they lost that closeness they'd once had.

Kitty was afraid that even the small amount of cordiality they now had would be lost if anything happened to Billy while he was there and the last remnant of a once happy childhood would be lost forever. Sighing, she returned to the Long Branch, put on a fake smile and went about her business while trying to figure some way to prevent Billy from getting himself killed.

Two days later, Kitty stood at the end of the long bar, glass of whiskey in her hands and tears in her eyes. She'd had to humiliate herself in front of her patrons as well as Matt and Doc but she'd at least gotten Billy to leave without getting into a gun fight she knew he'd not win.

But the tears, she shed, weren't for her. They were for the young man who'd been forced, by her, to face the uglier side of life and made to give up his fanciful and chivalrous ideas of what a 'lady' was. She'd had to learn to deal with that side of life at an early age and she knew first-hand how hard it was.

She'd hoped to spare Billy that and preserve at least a little of his innocence. But he'd pushed too hard and she'd had to disillusion him to the point of embarrassment on both their parts in order to save his life. She just hoped that disillusionment didn't lead to something worse. Matt's reassurance that she'd saved Billy's life, did little to curb the pain and fear of that outcome.

After leaving Kitty at the bar in tears, Matt and Doc walked out of the saloon in irritation at Billy Crit and themselves as well. Though it had cost her, Kitty had managed to do the one thing that the both of them felt they should've done.

"That little pipsqueak." Matt grumbled. "He had no… She shouldn't have had to do that."

"No, but she was the only one that would. We sure didn't do anything about the way that kid was acting."

"No, we didn't." Matt agreed. "But I should've at least had a talk with him, even if I didn't believe it work. I should've..."

Doc offered him a sly look. "Stage ain't left yet. Won't for another hour, I believe."

"Yeah." Matt nodded in agreement. "See ya later, Doc." He said as he started in the direction of the stage office.

"Oh, no, you don't." Doc shook his head as he followed Matt down the street. "I'm going with you."

"Why?" Matt asked. "You weren't the one that refused to help her before it got to this point."

"No. That was you." Doc agreed. "But as a doctor, I need to be there just in case my medical skills are needed."

"I won't hurt him." Matt answered.

"I wasn't worried about him." Doc grinned.

When they reached the stage office, they found Billy sitting disconsolately on a bench outside, his bags beside him. Matt pushed his hat back off his forehead and slowly approached the young man that had caused so much trouble.

"You just gonna leave like this?" He stared down at the boy.

Billy looked up at him with a frown. "Like this? It was made perfectly clear to me that I was not wanted or needed here by Miss… by Kitty."

He practically spewed her name in disgust and Matt couldn't control his temper. Reaching down, he grabbed the insolent youth by the lapels, pulled him to his feet and shoved him against the wall.

"You jackass." Matt growled at him. "Just who do you think you are? You come to town with your high falutin airs and acting like you're better than everyone else and the one person who did more for you than anyone, you act like she's dirt."

Billy flinched at Matt's glare but he held his ground. "She told me in the saloon what she was." He replied as evenly as he could.

"What she told you was a lie meant to save your worthless hide." Doc fumed. "That girl was trying to keep you from being killed."

"I was in no danger." Billy protested. "I could've handled that rabble."

"Really?" Matt arched a brow as he looked around him. Spotting a small pebble in the middle of the street, he quickly pulled his gun and fired, hitting the tiny rock and causing it to skip several paces and shooting it again and again before it could fall back to the ground in tiny fragments. "Can you do that?" He turned back to the kid in front of him.

Billy wanted to say yes, he wanted to pull his gun and prove it, but though he didn't say it, he knew it couldn't. There was no way he was that good. "That proves nothing." He answered instead. "It's only a rock. I was challenging men to a duel not a rock."

"They don't duel here, you idiot, they gun men down. Dow and Weeb don't wear those guns for decoration." Matt once again pinned him to the wall. "They would've killed you before you could get your hand near your gun. If Kitty hadn't of done what she did, you'd be dead by now."

Glancing around him, Billy saw a crowd gathering and he was beginning to suffer from acute embarrassment at being pinned as he was by the big angry man in front of him. "I was trying to defend her honor but as she said, there was nothing to defend." He complained.

Matt suddenly released him and pulled back his arm to backhand him but Doc grabbed his arm. "Matt, don't do it." He warned.

Matt took several ragged breaths, finally regaining control just enough to keep from knocking the boy senseless. But his anger hadn't abated and he was determined that before Billy Crit left town, he would know a few things.

"Let me tell you something, BOY. Kitty Russell has more HONOR in her little finger than you and me combined. She tried to get me to take your gun away from you or send you packing and I know now that I should have. But I didn't. I chose to honor the law. So she saved your life by debasing herself in front of half the men in town because she didn't want to see you dead. I'm thinking now, she should've let Dow and Weeb have at you. Maybe by the time they filled you with enough lead you'd understand. You're no GENTLEMAN. You're a chump kid that pushed too hard and too far and hurt a woman who only wanted to help you."

Billy dropped his eyes, considering the Marshal's words. "But… but she's a…"

"She's a good decent woman." Doc put in. "What she does for a living isn't as important as who she is."

"And who she is," Matt joined in. "is good and honorable person that saved your worthless hide." Matt pulled back and waited but Billy said nothing.

"The stage is about to leave." Matt's voice was low and menacing when he continued. "I think you'd better just get on it and don't look back. We don't need your kind here. "

Billy swallowed hard, looking at first Matt then Doc. Gripping his hat tightly in his hands, he squared his shoulders and turned silently away, claimed his bags and got on board.

"I don't think we got through to him, Doc." Matt shook his head in disgust. "That little fool just couldn't see it."

"Well, maybe." Doc said as he watched the stage leave. "But time will tell."

Two years to the day, after Billy Crit left Dodge, a letter arrived for Kitty Russell, owner of the Long Branch Saloon. Matt was present when it arrived and he looked over at the envelope, curious of the New Orleans return address.

"Who do you think it's from?" He asked.

"I don't know." Kitty shrugged as she slit the envelope open and quickly read the contents. Inside she found a birth announcement and a short letter.

The announcement read: "Proud parents, William and Scarlett Crit welcome a new little girl, Kathleen Crit, to their home and lives."

The letter was from Billy.

Dear Miss Kitty,

Forgive me for my long silence, since I left Dodge City, but it took me some time to realize how very young, naive and foolish I was while there.

I am not certain as to whether Marshal Dillon told you or not, but he and Dr. Adams had a short conversation with me before I left and it was what they told me, as well as a few other things that happened to me later, that made me realize how very wrong I was and how very poorly I acted. For that, I humbly wish to apologize.

You see, I learned through a wonderful girl, that I now call my wife, as well as through your actions, just exactly what true honor is. My wife, Gloria, was a dance hall girl when I met her. I'm ashamed to admit that I acted horribly towards her, but she ignored that, and like you once did, she literally saved my life. I will spare you the details, but it was through her selfless act, that I understood yours and I realized what the Marshal and Dr. Adams were trying to tell me.

You are an honorable woman, Miss Kitty, and you deserve so much more than you have. I can not rectify that, and I suspect that were it in my ability to do so, you would not allow it. But I do wish to honor you and the kindness you showed a sallow and hateful youth.

So, as you can tell by the clipping, my wife and I have named our first born daughter after you. If God allows, and we should be blessed with a son, we shall call him Matthew after the man that opened my eyes to your sacrifice.

I shall close now, Miss Kitty, but I did so want you to know how very fond I am of you and how grateful I am for all that you did for me while I was there.

By the way, Lucy sends her love and extended an invitation to you and the Marshal, that should you ever come home to New Orleans, you shall stay with her and be treated as the regal lady that you are.

Codially and affectionately, Billy Crit.

Kitty finished reading the letter and handed it to Matt with tears in her eyes. "Did you and Doc really talk to him before he left?"

Matt, having skimmed over the letter, looked over at her with a soft smile. "We did. We couldn't let him leave here, thinking what he did, without trying to make him understand the truth of things. Besides," Matt dropped his head with a sigh, "I owed you that much. You wouldn't have had to do that, if I'd been willing to bend the law a little and stop that boy in the first place."

Kitty took the letter back from him and scanned it once again, along with the announcement, before carefully folding them and placing them back in the envelope. Tears fell unchecked down her face as she placed it on the table in front of her. "I thought I'd hurt him. I..."

"You saved him, Kitty." Matt smiled gently at her. "And he now knows that." When she didn't answer, he reached over and placed his hand on her arm. "Truth is, you've saved a lot of people, honey. And a lot of people owe you more than just their lives."

Kitty looked at him curiously. "A lot of people? Matt, I..."

"I could give you a list," he interrupted her denial, "but we'd be here all day. Besides, right now, there's only one of those people that's important."

Kitty arched a brow. "Oh?"

"Uh, hum." Matt nodded with a grin. "Me."

"You?" Kitty wiped away her tears with a smile. "And, uh, other than saving you from bad whiskey, how did I do that?"

Matt looked around them. The bar room was busy and he needed a little more privacy for the rest of their conversation. Standing, he reached for her chair. "Come on, Miss Russell." He gestured to her office. "Let's go where it's a little more private and I'll show you."

Chuckling, Kitty got to her feet. "Lead the way, Marshal."

End